Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-03-20
From washinsson.

The great event OF the week has
been the death of Senator Sumner,
the father of senate in point Of con-
tlnuous service, its most learned
and most widely-known member,
and, in the gift Of impressive and
grand oratory, unapproached by any
of his fellows. AS ready and
effective debater, Sumner was sur.
passed by several, but many Of his
orations are destined to survive any
of the efforts of the best of his COM
peers. The falling Of such man,
at any time, creates profound i'm
preston, and not since the death of
John Quincy Adams, twenty SIX
years ago, has there been anything
approaching it in character, in
either House of Congress. The two
events, indeed, were strikingly alike.
They were both from the same State.
They were at the time of death the
most learned political men of the
State. They were the intellectual
leaders Of the bodies of which they
were members. They were the two
most advanced political men of their
day on the agitating political and
moral questions of slavery. They
were both struck with the fatal dart
while at their posts of duty, and
both died with suddenness, at a
time when their fame was at the
highest point, taking the world at
large. In his own party, it is true
that Mr.. Sumner did not occupy so
high stand as formerly, but what
he lost in this particular was fully
made up in the respect of his old
opponents, who regarded his vari-
ance with the Republicans as an
assurance that ultimately he would
be found acting with them. They
did act together in the support of
Mr.. Greeley, and nothing, appar-
emily, but the Civil Rights Bill
stood in the way of more perfect
accord on prominent measures But
when democracy asked Mr.. Sumner
to abandon his last pet scheme they
asked too much, and, notwithstand-
ing all that had happened In the
Greeley campaign, and the deposing
him from his post of honor as Chair
man of the committee on Foreign
Relations, and his stupendous preju-
dice against General Grant, he saw
that his lot must still be with the
party of his early love, and with
the comrades of his manhood who
had stood with and by him in the
great crisis Of his own and the life
of his country.
The return of Mr.. Sumner to his
old party was acknowledged by the
passage, in the Legislature Of Massa-
chusetts, of the resolutions rescind-
ing the former resolutions of censure,
and, singularly enough, these re-
scinding resolutions were presented
to the Senate on the day and hour
when he finished his work. He
listened to his vindication and laid
down to die. Mr.. Boutwell, present
ed the resolutions, and in this was
another coincidence ; for Boutwell,
and Sumner were brought upon the
official stage together, the first off
spring of the famous coalition of
1850, inheritors Of the political es-
tate Of Webster and Everett and
the Whigs-beginnlng of a new
dynasty, and standing on the same
plane at last.
AS statesman, Sumner had some
conspicuous faults. He lacked the
power to defer to the opinion of
others. He was so sure that Chas.
Sumner must be right, that he would
not concede anything, even in trivi-
al matters, to his opponents. He
wanted every measure to have a
large ingredient of Sumner in it, and
he never knew how 10 hemor the
foibles, or to get along with the
adverse views, of his fellow men,
bers. Consequently, he was not
famous as a builder and organizer,
but for blowing blasts about the
walls of ancient Jerichos' he was
superb, and had no superior. Prob
ably no statesman of the day has
made so deep an impress upon pub
lie opinion as Charles Sumner, and
no speeches Of any member of Con-
gress, for the last twenty-four years,
will be so long read and remem-
bered.
The death of Mr.. Fillmore occa-
stoned no surprise he has been so
long retired, that he was nearly for
gotten, and very few people now
living in Washington ever saw him,
but the adjournments Of Congress
on account of his and Summers
decease so interrupted business,
that little was accomplished during
the week The principal feature OF
the proceedings in the Senate was
speech of Mr.. Ferry, of Michigan,
in favor Of a further initiation of the
currency, in reply to Schurz. This
speech was carefully prepared, and
showed a degree Of abiiity much
to what the Senator had
been credited with possessing.
In the House, Beck, Garfield,
Burchard, Of Illinois, and Fernando
Wood, discussed the financial stu
alton, each giving figures in abund-
ance. Beck and Wood gave figures
to show any amount of extravaganza
on the part Of the Government, and |
Garfield and Burchard as many to !
show to the contrary. AS they all
got their figures from the same Off
cial statements, the lookers-on are
simply confonnded, and are COM
PEELED to rest their opinions upon
the characters Of the men. The
Republicans believe III Garfeld's |
figures, and the Democrats in Beck's |
and that's the end of it. Dawes
drew his lash upon the head Of E.
II. Roberts, of New York, for trying |
to be an organ of the Secretary of
the Treasury, giving him to under
stand that he was not fitted for that
Junction. and giving the Secretary
to understand that he mustn't have |
any little organs, but must play all |
his tunes on the big one from Berk-
shire. Roberts was quite astonish-
ed, not having suspected that 1t was
q criminal offence tn talk with Mr.