Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-08-14


DEAR SIR Your letter, published in the pa
pers of this morning, will create profound pain
and regret among your ICrmer political friends
| throughout New England. Your power to in
jure General Grant exhausted in your re-
markable speech in the Senate. Your power to
iniure yOerselt was not fully exercised until
you announced open alliance with the Southern
secessionists in their efforts to destroy the Re-
publican party of the nation. [ have but re-
Gently read with much interest circumstan-
tlal and minute account given by you in the
fourth volume Of your works, OF the manner in
which you were struck down in the Senate
Chamber in 1856 for defending the rights of
the negro. The Democratic party throughout
the South, and according to your own show
ing, to some extent in the North also, ap-
proved that assault upon you; Mr.. Toombs,
of Georgia, openly announced his approval OF
it in the Senate, and Jefferson Davis, four
months after it's occurrence, wrote o letter to
South Carolina in fulsome eulogy of Brooks
for having so nearly taken your llfe 1t is safe
to say that every man in the South who re-
Jolced over the attempt to murder you, was
found afterwards in the rebelliOus cons piracy
TO murder the nation. 1t is still safer 10 say
that every one of them who survives is to-day
your fellow-laborer in support of Horace Gree
ley. i.
In 1856 he would indeed have been rash
prophet who predicted your alliance sixteen
years after with Messrs. Toombs and Davis In
their efforts to reinstate their own party in
American politics nothing so marvellous has
ever occurred as the fellowship of Robert
TOombs, Jefferson Davis and Charles Sumner
in joint effort to drive the Republican party
from power and hand over the Government to
the pl actical control Of those who so recently
sought to destroy it. 1t is of no avail for
you to take refuge behind the Republican
record of Horace Greeley. Conceding, for the
sake Of argument, as [ do not in fact believe,
that Horace Greeley would remain firm in his
Republican principles he would be poweriess
"a alnst the Congress that would come into
power with him even this election. We
have had a recent and striking Illustration IN
the case Of Andrew Johnson, of ths3 inability
OF President to enforce a policy, or even
measure, against the will Of Congress. What
more power would then be in Horace Greeley
to enforce Republican poicy against Dem
ocraiic Congress than there was in Mr., John
son to enforce Democratic policy against
Republican Congress? AM besides, Horace
Gree ey has already, in his letter of acceptance,
taken ground practically against tine Repub-
lican doctrine so often enforced by yourself of
the duty OF the National Government to secure
the rights Of every citizen to protection Of life,
person aud property.
In Mr.. Greeleys letter accepting the Cincin-
natl nomination, he pleases all Ku- klux IN the
South By repeating the Democratic cant about
local seIf-government and inyeIghing in good
rebel parlance against centralizatio j., and,
finally, declaring that there shall be no federal
subvers.on of the internal policy or tue several
states and municipal ties, but that eacn shall
be left fee to enforce the rights and promote
tne weil-being of lis inhabitants by such
means as the judgment of It's own people shall
prescribe. The meaning of all this in plain
English is, no matter how the colored citizens
of the South may be abused, wronged and op-
pressed, Congress shall not interfere for their
protechon, but leave them 10 the tender mer-
cies of the local self-gOvernment administrated
by WLlte rebels. DO You, as friend to the
coiored man, approve the position of Mr..
Greeley? You cannot forget, Mr.. Sumner,
now often during the last session of Congress
you conferred with me Ill regard to
rights bill passed by the House. It was intro
duced by your personal friend Mr.. Hooper,
and nothing prevented its passage by the
House except the rdncorOus and iactiOus hos
tlity of the Democratic members. If [ have
correctly examined the Globe, the Democratic
members, on seventeen off rert occasions
resIste., tue passage Of the civil rights bill bv
the parliamentary practice known as filbus-
tering. They would not even allow it to come
to vote. Two intelligent coiored members
from South Carolina, Elliott and Rainev
begged OF the Democratic side OF the House to
merely allow the civil rights bill to be voted
on, and they were answered with a denial so
absolute that it amounted to painful jeer of
the rights of the coored man ; and now you
lend your voice and influence to the reelection
Grating with you III support Of Mr.. Greeley
Do you not know, Mr. Sumner, and will you
not, as candid man, acknowledge that with
these men In power i'll Coz gress the rights of
the colored men are absOlut ely sacrificed so
far as these rights depend on federal Iegisla-
tion?
Still further. the rights of the colored men Of
this country are secured, if secured at all, by
the three great cons ltutional amendments the
thirteenth, fourco&th and fifteenth. To give
these amendments full scope a@d effect, legIsla-
ton by Congress is impeIatiy> ly required. as
you have 50 often and so elOquently DEMON
strated but the Democratic party are on
record III the most conspicuous manner againSt
any legislation on the subject. 1t was only in
the month of February last that my colleague
Mr.. 2 ters, offered a resolution III the House
of Representatives, affirming the validity Of the
const tutlonal amendments and of such reason
able legislation of Congress as may be necessa-
ry to make them, IN their letter and spirit the
most influential. This resolution, very mild
ant guarded, as you will see, was adopted by
IA yeas to 50 nays: Only eight OF the yeas
were Democrats all the nays were Democrats.
The resolution of Mr.. Peters was followed a
week later by one offered by Mr.. Stevenson, of
/ OHIO, as follows:
ResOJUed, That we recognize as valid and
binding, all existing laws passed by Congress
for tine enforcement of the Thirteenth, Four
! teenth and Fifteen h Amendments to the Con-
stitution Of the United States, and for thepro-
lection of citizens In their rights under the
Constitution, as amended
/ On the vote upon this resolution there were
! 107 yeas to 65 nays. All the yeas were Repub-
! icanS, and they are now unanimous In sup
port Of General Grant. All the nays were
Democrats, who now equally unanimous
ssn support of Mr.. Greeley.
/ 1t is idle TO affirm, as some D mocrats did
! in the resolution offered by Mr.. Brooks of New
York that hese amendments ar valid parts
! of fln init 1nrnfr tbn
on the same day votes that the provisions OF
! these amendments should not be enforced by
! Congressional leSlsla ion. The amendments
are but sounding brass and tinhling cymbas
to the cOlored man until Congress makes them
effective and pr ctica. Nav, more. IT the
rights of the colored man are to be left to the
( legislation Of the Southern states without Con-
/ grcsslonal mteryentlOn, he would, under a
Democratic Administration, be deprived of the
/ right of suffrage in less than two years and he
would be very lucky II he escaped some nm
! OF cnattei saVcly OF peOnage; and in proof OF
+ this danger, might quote volumes OF wisd, IN
and waning from the speeches of Charles
Sumner. Wnen, thel lefOre, you point out to
( the colored men that their rights will be safe
III the hands Of the Democratic party, you de-
/ iude md mIslead them-l do not say wIltuliy,
but none the less really. The small
handful OF Repub leans compared with
the whole mass, who unite with
yourself and Mr.. Greeley in going over to the
democratic party, cannot leave That political
unsoundness even If you preserve your own
! original principles intact. Tie Adminstra-
ton of Mr. Greeley, therefore, should he be
elected, ouid be in whole and detaiI Demo
cratic, and you would be compelled to so with
the current, or repent aud turn back wnen too
late to mend the EVIL you had done. Your az
9ument that Horace Greeley does not become
a Democrat by receivIn, Democratic votes, IL
Illustrating 1t by an a aio y Of your election to
the Senate, is hardly Pertinent. The pOlut is OF
what Mr. Greeley will become personally, but
what will be the complexion of the great lie =
islative bra.,cI Of he Government, with all
its vast and controlling power You know
very we'll, MIR. Sumner, that if Mr.. Greeley is
elected President, Congress is handed over tC
the control OF the party who have peristently
denied the rights of the black man. What
! course you viii pursue toward the colored man
is of small consequence, after YOU have trans
ferred the power OF the Government to his
enemy. The colored men Of this country
are not as class enlightened, but they nave
wonderful instincts; and when they read your
letter they will hnoW that in great crisis IN
t, Ell fate you daserteI them. Ihe CHARLES
I Summer cooperoting with jeff, r5On Davis i
not the same Charles mner tn y haye.huh-
/ eTto iIoIzed, any more thau the ifUraCe Gree