Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1874-04-24
More "Reminiscences of Charles
Summer.

More "reminiscences of Charles
Sumner.
Letter to the Washington Chronicle.
Mr.. Summers confidence was a sacred
trust, but the marble of death opens the
lips of silence to the statement of many
interesting facts. Hawthorne remarked
of him that +" be said more things worth
remembering than any man he ever knew /;
that his memory was an argosy freighted
with all sorts of knowledge, that he
threw overheard without stint" Two OF
the hottest summers ever known he stay
ed in Washington as Mr.. Lincoln's con-
fdential adviser, and it was during this
period that Mr.. Seward said Mr. Lin
coin had too many secretaries of state. "
His laborious correspondence with the
leading men of England, Bright, Cob
den, Gladstone, Harcourt, Earl of Car
Isle, Duke of Argyll and host of 9th,
ers, did much in moulding public opinion
in favor of the Uniou during the most
critical period of the war, and timely
words of weight and wisdom in English
journals owed their inspiration to his
pen.
Soon after Chief Justice Taneys death
he showed me card from the president,
upon which was written: "Hon. Charles
Sumner: The vacant chief justiceship is
placed at your disposal. A. Lincoln. y
He then said: "There was time when
this office would have been the realized
dream of my youth but now it must
not, it cannot be. The breach between
Mr.. Chase and the president is growing
wider and wider, and this will close it.
No personal sacrifice is too great, nor can
anything tempt me to desert my post.
The republican party must remain intact
until its mission is fulfilled" 1t is well
known that only the great senator's per-
sistency accomplished the appointment
of Mr.. Chase, after tedious delay from
October to December Mr.. Chase through
life remained unconscious of Mr.. Lin
coins offer and Mr.. Summers refusal.
Such was the delicacy of feeling that
pre-eminently characterized his acts an6
efforts for his friends. The simple auto
graphic card alone remains a witness
that ambition was not the infrmity of
his noble mind. Mr.. Lincoln often spoke
Of him as his stand by" and to him
were confded all the doubtful questions
of his foreign policy to n. P. Willis,
the poet, and to others he called him
his good genius" and to him, first of
all, was told that thrice dreamt dream
that preceded Lincoln's assassination.
Mr.. Sumner has left on record his lik-
ing for Mr.. Lincoln, and of his full ap-
probation of his wonderful character,
his patience, and his patriotism in times
of trying troubles. The cool fat-boat-
man and the classic scholar fraternized
ard found common cause in which to
labor, to suffer, and to die.
Sometimes he talked of trees and of
friends, and the old English elms of Bos-
ton were his admiration. He told me he
thought he could distinguish with closed
eyes what tree he was near by the differ
ent melody of the winds vibration
through its leaves. This was especially
the case with his greatest favorite of all
the evergreens, the pine tree. He watch.
ed with gardeners interest the acclima-
tization of the foreign trees planted by
Downing in the park in front of his res
idence- of Lebanon and Cryptic
nicola Japonica-saying "The ambas-
sadors of many countries come and go !;
change waits upon them, but these gen.
tie diplomates from the Orient and Occi-
dent will stay with us always"
/ was at his house in Boston when be
sold it, and after signing the deed he
said tboughtfully Ia this house my
dear mother lived and died in this
house l spent my boyhood, and l part
with it with heart full of sorrow, and
with eyes full of tears. There are none
who can ever love us with a mothers
love. No not one" And for few mo-
ments he was lost in a crowd of memo
ries of other days and other years. Dur
ing the tendency of the San Domingo
treaty Mr.. Sumner was offered, through
the Secretary of State, the mission to
England in place of Mr.. Motley. Mr..
Fish called upon him at his own house
and rendered him the appointment. In