New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-04-02
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| S'iii 50 IoiiCItIousiy lnaJ vast Mc$CpOtanlan
region" was thrown open to slavery.
| In the bloody scenes which followed and
haptised in blood the virgin soil of Kansas,
The spirit OF s!aycy revealed new hateiulness
and violence. Against all these WRONGS Mr..
sumner lifted his voice necessarily: and.
| finally IN his great speech on the Kansas
wrong, he denounced, with unllinchin, bold
ness, the outrages perpctrated on that soil.
| and portrayed in startling c0lors the crimes
agaist freedom. In consequence of this GREAT
speech Preston s. Brooks, n Represcni9tivc
in Congress from this State, assaulted him i'm
his seat in the Senate. fclcd him to the floor.
and inflicted wounds from which he never re-
covered.
But this new outrage served only to adj
| vance the cause Of freedom. The vacant
seat Of Mr.. Summer in the Senate aroused The
| intcnscst Indignation throughout tho North
and West, and from that hour till the war
| OF the rebellion arose, the progress of the
cause in which he was enlisted was constant
and rapid.
| In 1861 the armed conflict between slavery
and freedom found the great Senator still at
his post, the trusted adviser of Mr.. Lin
coin, the head of the Committee on Foreign
Aaairs, and the eloquent champion On all
occasions Of immediate and unconditional
emancipation. His efforts knew no faltcrn".
no lukewaTmncss, no hasitancy. Always
and everywhere he was the defender Of his
nation, tho unconprOmsing enemy ofslavery,
| the devoted friend of freedom. in the cman-
| cipation proclamation Of Abraham Lincoln
he rcjoiccd with his whole soul. In the tgi-
| umphs which crowned tic arms OF the Union
| he saw the triumphs also OF the sacred cause
| to which he was wholly devoted. How his
bold, dauntlcss, cheerful, defiant words now
came back on our cars! lie was full of high
courage which could never contemplate de-
| feat Or credit disaster. God was on his side,
and who, then, could be against him?
| The war ended. The swords of Grant and
Sherman subduCd the rebellion, destroyed
slavery, and set free four millions of slaves.
And now the new work hcgan-thc great
task Of building up the wastes of war. of re-
facilitating and restoring the shattered
States which had plunged into the rebellion.
In this work Sumner was the great leader
uncOmpromsing, stern and inncxiblc as JUS
tcc itself. The plan of reconstruction
| adopted by Andrew Johnson met his con-
slant opposition, and he early avowcd his
purpose to be content with nothing less than
the complete civil protection Of every cman-
cipatel slave III the Southern States.
lie accepted and advocated the great Con-
Gressional plan of reconstruction OF 1867, and
gave TO it the sanction OF his great name and
| influence. In all the stages Of reconstruction
he was the same ardent and eloquent friend
Of human rights, insisting always that the
fruits OF the war must be secured by irrcycr-
sible constitutional guarantees. In the sew
cral amendments to tic national Constitution
he bore a conspicuous pat. and welded q
power in their adoption greater probably
than that Of any other man.
Finding still that the fell spirit Of caste de-
MED equal rights to the c0iored citizens Of the
country, he bent his energies - the last great
work Of perlccting and completing the civil
protection Of all men under the lams of the
United States. As freedom was the watch
word and star of hope to his youth. so free
dom was his last earthly thought and prayer.
''icmcnbcr the civil rights bill" was The last
faint utterance framed by the dying lips OF
/ Charles Sumner.
Such, my friends, III mere outline and cpl
| tome, arc the life, the achievements, the
spirit, the character Of this most illustrious
servant and apostle Of human liberty. Time
will not permit me TO dwell ut length on any
of these scenes, but only to gather up, in
rapid review, the great salient features of this
magnificent life and character.
Grecian culture and Roman irnncss met
and blended in this great man. Perfect
courage and iniieXiblc justice ,,ervadcd and
tempered at all times by a glowing moral
enthusiasm, were the undying forces which
! guided his life and actions. No earthly
temptation, believe, could have caused him
to swcrvc from the straight line of duty.
| That ,his Judgment was always perfect, We
need not claim. He was trGc to his convic-
| tons, and his convictions were rooted and
grounded in the depths of his moral nature
Such man cannot greatly err. ut particu-
/ lar moments he may mistake the wiscst course
| OF action; but he who follows ALWAYS the
| clear light OF his moral nature will never long
stray from the true path.
| The contemplation OF n career so pure, so
noble, 50 devo,ca to high aims, so adorned
with lofty achievements will help to cunoblc
his whole race. No heroism display on
| battle-iiclds can rank by the side OF that
moral heroism which faces without blanching
The angry frowns and SCOTS OF friends and
companions. To stand steadily by an I'M
popular cause, to breast The swelling tide of
obloquy and rcproach for the sake of truth
and justice alone, is the highest test Of hui
man courage. by all these tests Charles
Sumner was tried. BY all these lasts he
proved to the world that he was 4 man whose
lofty moral nature was alike without fear and
without reproach.
Let us, then, keep his memory cyte sacred
and fresh in our hearts. The seeds which he
planted will become the mighty trees Of The
future, lifting their mighty branches towards
the clouds Of heaven, bearing fruits for the
nations Of men, and spreading grateful
shade for the weary and friendloss OF all flu
ture ages. Our children and Qur children's
children will reap the ripe fruits Of lis great
life. The unborn generations o. America
will rise up to call him blessed, and all men
everywhere who reverence moral worth will
prolong his praises and repeat his fame.
To us Of the colorcd race, to the Anglo
African race in the United States, his mem
DRY will be priceless treasure. He is gone,
gone in the fulncss Of his years and fame,
and has not left one voice equal to the great
task of speaking his praise in fitting words.
Often IN the Senate his voice has been heard
in generous eulogy OF his brother Senators;
but what voice shall now rise to the full
measure of his Just renown? What voice
shall paint for us the full lincaments OF his
great character, or, in their Just proportions,
the majestic powers of his imperial mind?
Let me not essay such task. ] bow in
grateful admiration at the shrine Of his moral
greatness. contemplate his powers ofmnd,
, his pure and generous heart, and his life OF
devotion tothe highest objects with profound
thankfulness. My heart shall never refuse
its feeble tribute to this proud name, and
will seek to emulate his example and so 'ol-
low in his footsteps.
America, it may be said, has lost her no.
! blest son. The mightiest of her intellectual
: and moral heroes has fallen. We who arc
left must now go forward without the light of
his Great example. Yet nothing IF the good
, which he has done shall perish. His true life
, and influence will be immortal. Whenever
freedom shall need an eXemplar, whenever
learning shall meet q votary, whenever elo-
ouence shall find an adniror, his spirit will