Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1874-05-04
MR.. SUMMERS SUPPRESSED SPEECH

The suppressed speech OF MIR. Sumner
continues 10 excite comment untavorable to
those who published it after his death. In
the Senate, when the Presidents veto mes
sage was under discussion and the relations
of Mr.. Sumner and the administration were
dragged in by Mr. Thurman, Senator An
thony said
Mr.. President, fully agree with the SEN
ators who have spoken, and | know, as they
know it, that Mr.. Summer was not displaced
from the head of the Committee on Foreign
relations on account of his course on the San
Domingo treaty; or rather, that was not the
reason why he was not reappointed to that
position. If so, why was the Senator on my
left Mr.. Edmunds) made chairman Of the
Committee on the Judiciary, and why was
the Senator on my right, Mr.. Morrill,, OF
Vermont made chairman of the Committee
on Public Buildings ana Grounds, both of
whom are well known to have differed from
the President ard agreed with Sumner on that
question:
But that was not what rose to say. The
Senator from Ohio speaks of Mr.. Sumner S
posthumous speech. There is no such
speech. That was not Mr.. Summers speech.
That was a speech which Mr.. Sumner wrote,
anu WHICH lie utiIDStdttiy uGGiuSu iIc WOuiu
not utter; and the man who, over his new
made grave, violated his confidence by the
publication of that speech had an opportunity
to perform an act of perfdy that few men
have ever been able to do.
Mr.. Sumner did me the honor to show me
that speech l dare say there are other SEN
ators here to whom he showed il. | know of
a number of persons to whom he did show it,
and every one, so far as l know, concurred
with me in the counsel which gave him. |
do not believe that any man ever advised
him to deliver that speech and l have every
reason to believe-I may say know-tbat
he determined not to deliver it. There were
very few copies intrusted to some of his
friends, ! believe that every one of them
contained in his own bandwrltlng-l have
seen one of them-a memorandum that this
was in strict confidence ard under no cir
cumstances to be made public; and if Mr..
Sumner had lived, no man would have dared
to make it public.
Mr. Edmunds- parties advised him
not to deliver it.
Mr. MISUNDERSTANDING gentlemen on
every side of politics so advised him; every
man he consulted, whether on political or
personal grounds, so far as am,advised, coun-
seled him not to deliver it, and it was not his
speech it was speech not only that he did
not make, but speech that after mature con-
sideration he decided he would not make.
On the same subject Ben Perley Poore,
the Washington correspondent of the Boston
Journal says in late communication to that
paper;
SO there has been quite discussion on
what a Senator very properly declared was
not Mr.. Summers speech. There was
speech which Mr.. Sumner wrote, and which
he had printed, and of which he distributed
seven or eight copies. / was honored by the
receipt of one of them, and at the top of the
first page is written:
"Unpublished.- Prirate.- Confidential.
Not to 90 ont of MAJOR Focres hands"
believe that every copy which he gave away
bore a similar inscription, for Mr.. Sumner
had deliberately decided that he would not
utter the speech. And why? Because gen
temen of all shades of political opinion here,
to whom he had shown it, had advised him
not to deliver it. Some of them knew that it
contained assertions which could be at once
contradicted by the Secretary of State, and
hey knew that a reply, based upon official
data, would be damaging to Mr.. Summers
reputation. For that reason, when he asked
their advice, they counseled him to withhold
Il. and some of them gave such excellent
or ,unds for their opinions that Mr.. Sumner
vas convinced that it would be best for him
to thus throw down a gauntlet of defiance.
lie chung to the belief that he was pro-
scribed man because of his hostility to the
Administration, but he nevertheless thought
it best not to make public the Indictment
which he had prepared And having, after
mature elaboration, concluded not to say
what he had prepared as a speech, it was not
as was asserted to-day" Mr.. Summers post
humous speech"