National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-12

THE REPUBLICAN, HAS A LARGER cIRco-
LATTOS THANASf OTHER MORNING. FAFhH
IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
WEDNESDAY Observation-Disclosures II, 1874.
? .--e,,.s CHARLES SUMNER.
~ Charles Sumner died yesterday afternoon
in this city at a few minutes before 3 O'Clock.
Wherever the as is read this morning
the death of this distinguished man v IL be
looked upon as loss not only to his own
country, but. indeed. to the whole world.
Mr.. Summers name and fame were more
than national He was probably the most
distinguished American in civil life. For
more than a quarter of century he stood
almost the central figure in small band OF
men who led the Republic and the world
up to higher methods, and aspirations, and
ambitions in thought andaction. He held an
imperial and imperious place in our politics;
q place not won by the low arts of the DEM
agogue, not achieved by the strength OF the
political machine. He was Senator of the
Republic, and he wore his Senatorial rank
as becomes Senator. He commanded all
that he obtained in the way of honor, and
respect, and love; for Mr.. Sumner was
loved by the race whose rights he cham
pioned as no man Vas loved.
We are too near to Mr. Sumner to prop
erly weigh as they should be weighed his
character and services. The historian of
the era in which we live, and in which
N[r. Sumner moved and in great measure
led, has not yet appeared. The task has
been essayed again and again by men who
tried to write from an impartial and unpre-
: JUDGED stand point. but the effort has been
"a failure. Mr.. Greeley underworld to deal
: with his time, its events and its men. with
! the cold hand of history, but the great ed
itor failed, and any estimate the best and
wisest of us may now form of him who has
just passed away must in the very nature OF
things be blurred by the passion and preju-
dice of the hour, incomplete and at best un-
satisfactory. Mr.. Sumner held a unique
place in our politics Politicians looked to
him and followed him, and yet lie was the
poorest of politicians. Statesmen consulted
and advised with him, and yet even his
warmest friends will not claim for him that
he was a statesman. He led the one class
and the other without belonging to either:
He was too little of politician to be a
Statesman, he was too much Of states
man to be q politician. In civil life
Lincoln, Sumner, Seward, Chase and Stan
ton were the five great men Of the decade
in our history which may be appropriately
closed to-day with the death of the last one
of them. They compare favorably in
ability and in public service with any five
of even the Fathers" And yet how diff
ferent in all that goes to make men different
and dissimilar the one to the other they were
Lincoln and Seward were most alike in
their fidelity to principle, to what was right
because it was right. Lincoln was a poll
tician of the highest type: Seward was a
statesman; Stanton, man of iron will, in |
domitsble courage, un6inching fidelity 10
his country and its cause. Chase would
be q statesman, but his intense, unbounded |
ambition made him a politician, cold, cal |
culating and INSCRIPTIONS. With him the
end justified the means. Summer was a
great moral hero. The right was every
thing to him. 1t was the inspiration of his
whole life; the star from which his eyes
never turned; whose light as it came to
him he followed through good report and
evil report from the day, forty years ago,
when in his young manhood he entered
public life, to its grand and magnificent
close, the great battle almost fought out and
the great victory almost won.
If we were to seek parallel in English
history to the career of Mr.. Sumner in our
own country We should point to that of
Edmund Burke. In culture and erudition
the one was the peer ofthe other Burke's
views and theories of right and wrong,
however, were somewhat confused With
him expediency was as a general thing more
of consideration than cold and naked jus- |
tice. For instance, he incurred the anger /
Of his king in his opposition to our war for
independence, not because the mother
country did not have the right to tax the |
Colonies, or because the Colonies should |
be left to decide the matter for themselves,
but because it was not prudent to exercise |
the right. Had Mr.. Sumner been in his
place he would have based his opposition |
upon the higher ground which he has al |
ways maintained on every question that |
has come before the country. Here we
have the great and striking difference be-
tween the two men. But in other respects
they possessed many points of resemblance;
in their extraordinary ability; their long
service: their extensive learning; their
hatrctiof show and pretences; their great |
oratorical power, and, il must be said, their
intense egotism. Burke, like Sumner, would
not brook opposition. He quarreled with |
his best and most intimate friends because |
they differed from him on questions of
general policy. He denounced Fox in Par |
lament, and sundered thousand friend |
ships which had been among the sweetest |
and mos precious of his life. But what |
ever faults Mr.. Summer may have possessed
will all lie forgotten now that he ISM more.
His memory and his fame will be precious,
not only to US, but to every one in every |
land where purity oflife and devotion to free
dom and justice are honored and appreciated.
And especially will his name be held in I'M
dying remembrance by the race whom,
more THIN any other man, he has led out of
the dark shadows of slavery into freedom
and humanity. A truly great man has
passed away; one who has left upon his
country and his generation deep and last
ing impression, whose name will be spoken
with love and veneration by millions yet /
unborn " . la1,.l
THE BALANCE OF Pc WEIR
The last Presidential election was not con-