Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-08-14


of knowledge better than his own. He
charges Gen. Grant with being an egotist and
aquarreller. As to this Gen. Grant has passed
an ordeal in the eyes of the American people
on a lofty scene to which even the senate cham
Der is obscure.
Gen. Grant an egotist and a quarreler? Do
not the American people know better? You
have heard tMr. Greeley's testimony. There is
no ordeal of the temper like the ordeal of mill
tary life. Every officer knows how hard it is
to repress this constant temptation. Yet Grant,
of all our generals, always gives credit to Others.
lfyou are in his company, he will tell you of the
de5ds of Sheridan, of Sherman, of Meade, Of
Mcpherson, but never of his own.
commend to Mr.. Sumner the language of
Lord Dighy in his famous speech to the English
peers.
"Let every man wipe his heart as he does his
eyes, when he would Judge of a nice and subtle
object. The eye, if it be pretinctured with any
color is Yitiated in its discerning Beware of a
boodShotten eye in Judgment. Let every man
purge his heart clean of all passions. | know
the great and and wise body polite can have
none, but speak to individuals from the weak
ness find in myself. "-Lord DigbYS Speech for
STAFFORD.
Ought not Mr.. Sumner to ask himself if he
may not possibly be wrong? Whether some
thing has not distorted his vision and disturbed
his Judgment so that he cannot see things in their
true relations? He declared in the senate that
Gen. Grant was unfit for the presidency, and
that in the last presidential canvass, while sup
porting the republican party, he had
never named the name of General
Grant. Yet nothing is more certain as APP
pears from the speeches themselves, than that
Mr.. Stanton many times praised Grant by name
and at length, eulogizing in the highest terms
both his civil and military capacity. Stanton
never told Mr.. Sumner what he saws he did
though, OF course, MIR. Sumner believes it. Can
ne not himself see that some strong passion is
unconsciously clouding his memory?
He charges the president with neglectng Mr.
Douglass. Mr.. Douglass himself denies the
charge, and explains the circumstance. Was
not his eye here also 'pretnctured with some
color and ytiated in its discernihg%
He charges the president with being an ''ego-
fist and quarreler." The whole country
knows the contrary. Here, too, will he not
beware of bloodShotten eye in Judgment?
He alludes to Grants letter to the colored
people of Washington at their meeting in favor
of the civil rights bill, and calls it juggling and
evasive. He quotes only the last sentence, and
leaves out what precedes it, where the president
expressly states his regret that he "shall not be
able to participate with you in person in your
efforts to further the cause in which you are la
boring" The cause in which they were labor
ing being the passage Of the civil rights bill.
read you the whole letter:
EXECUTIVE MANSION, !
WASHINGTON, d. c., May 9, 1872.
Gentlemen | am in receipt of your invitation
extended to me to attend mass meeting to be
held for the purpose of aiding in securing civil
rights for the colored citizens Of our country |
regret that previous engagement will detain
me at the Executive Mansion this evening" and
that | shall not be able to participate with you
in person in your efforts to further the cause in
which you are laborng. / beg to assure you
however, that l sympathize most cordially in
any effort to secure for all our people, of what
ever race, nativity, or color, the exercise of
those rights to which levery citizen should be
entitled.
l am, very respectfully,
u. S. GRANT.
Does not the heart which finds in that letter ug-
gle Or evasion need ''to purge itself clear of all
paSSOnSP
Mr.. Sumner greatly wrongs the president
when he says che never, but as a soldier, did
anything against slavery, and never, at any
time showed any sympathy with the colored
race" Mr., Sumner is mistaken, as the people
Of the country know. President Grants timely
message, when congress was in disSenSion, en-
sured the passage of the kuklux bill, and saved
thousands of humble homes from outrage and
wrong at the hands of Mr.. Summers present
allies. The presidents message in behalf of
education will do more practical good for the
cOlored race than could ever be done by a will
derness Of Horace Greeleys.
Mr. Sumner also does great wrong to you.
the convention at Philadelphia was composed
of delegates chosen largely under the influence
of office holders, VINO assembled to sustain what
is known as Grantsm." Mr.. Sumner had no
right to say that. In saying it he is hurried by
his passion into an insult to Massachusetts and
to you. Among the Q, 800 900 republican voters
there was substantial unanimity. No other
candidate was named but Mr.. Colfax, who with
drew early in the canvass, and wrote a letter
declaring that the public will was Enthusiastically
for Grant. Did you act under the control of
postmasters2 What responsibility for Gen.
Pickett
Mr.. Sumner wrongs us all when he charges
those who differ with him with hatred 10 the
south. Not an act, not word of hatred has
come from the victors in the recent struggle
All that the vanquished even complain of has
been done with Mr.. Summers full appreciation
The only expressions of hate come from those
with whom he is now acting.
Mr.. Sumner also wrongs the people when he
says 1.-THE speeches praising Grant are by office
holders and members Of rings" You know
better than Mr. Sumner from whose hearts
come the praises which have followed the SER
vices of Gen. Grant.
He also wrongs the people when he declares
that elf any valued friend separate from me
now, it is because he places man above prin-
ciples." The national republican convention,
when all Mr. Summers indictment was before
the country, unanimously renominated the
president. In that act the republicans of Massa-
chusetts took their full share. MIR. Sumner,
therefore, means to impute to them that they
place "a man above principles" or else to say
to them that he does not value their friendship.
Mr.. Sumner also does infinite injustice TO
himself. In moment of headStrong passion
with few prominent republicans from other
states, every one of whom so far as | know
them, has suffered some personal disappoint-
ment as to office or power, he disregards the
Judgment of Massachusetts and the will of
her people. In whose friendship does
he find an equivalent? Not certainly in Mr.. Fen
toms, not certainly in Mr.. TrumbulIs, of whom
he declared within two years in the senate
How often have we been obliged to encounter
his influence as we were seeking to lny the
foundations of peace and reconciliation in this
repubc2 How often has he shown his tender
ness for the remains ofthe rebellion and refused
to join us i'll trampling it out? He has been
the persisting enemy of the suffrage Of the col
ored race" comparing him, in his record to a
sick man turning himself on an uneasy bed.
Will he find it in Mr. Schurz, who has voted
steadily against the civil rights BILL and every
attempt to protect the cOlored man, in the SEN
ate2 Will he find it in Mr.. Upton, Of whom we
may perhaps say, as was said of Addington:-
And but little though he meant,
BE meant that little we'll"
see that Mr. Davis says that "Achilles will
not sulk in his tent" Alas for our Achilles; he
leader of his own cause in the very midst of the
battle, though wisdom herself pluck him by the
locks and bid him forbear.
Mr.. Sumner says the president should never
be reelected, but the constitution is otherwise.
The American people, in fullest consideration,
have adopted a different policy. Mr.. Sumner S
argument seems to me to be based upon an as
sumption not creditable either to the virtue or
the intelligence of the country, His argument
is that if the president desires a reelection he
will use unworthy means, such as the appoint
ment of bad men to office, to compass his end.
But, surely, he does not claim that the road to a
reelection is unworthy conduct. Surely, the
repnhlic, whose idea is confidence in the peo-
pie, assumes that the president, ambitious OF
reelection will gain his object best by the high
est and purest public service. What has been
our experienced Has single president held the
the office a second term whose reelection the
American people now regretr Mr.. Sumner s
theory would deprive us in times of great peril
and distress OF the services of tried men, and
compel us to rely on men new in the prcsiden-
tal office. 1t would have deprived us of the
second term Of Washington and of the second
term of Lincoln of the second term of Lincoln
for whose reelection Mr.. Sumner himself was a
strenuous advocate.
The one presidential term theory comes to this
Mr.. Greeley is opposed TO the reelection of the
president when he wants the Office himself and
Mr.. Sumner would have the constitution forbid
the reelection Of such q president as he does not
like.
Mr. Summers knowledge is vast, but he does
not know the president.
Mr., Sumner says this means reconciliation.