Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1874-04-29
rulogy o, Charles sumner.
arnsSs or sry,ron MORRILL,, OF vrHnosr

prime and ripcst portion Of our lives stately
meeting in the workshops Of committees, ana
in daily debate. hearing our names repeated % |
the frequent roll-cals. it is not strange tnat u
should give our hearts pang TO part win me
humhlcst name when it passes away forever 70
the starry court Of eternity But now
whom we mart with n conspicuous member OF
the Senate. conspicuous by lcngth OF service,
bvcnincnt nbility and established renown, each
one of ms r,ust confess TO more or less OF per
sonnl loss ne well as TO the greater loss OF the
senate itself Charles Sumner under the higher
law has responded to the last roll call, and here
the familiar sound Of his voice is forever ii
fenced His imposing presence on the crown
ing outer circle Of the Senate will no longer at
tract attention Only the memory remains TO
us of one whose words and bcaring--with mi
nor qualifications well comportod with the
dignity Of his office as to have fairly earned the
title OF n model senator.
MIR Sumner for four Years bad hccn mem
Ter Of the Senate when it was my fortune, m
1863, first to hold scat IN the House OF Hep
rescntatives For words spoken in debate, IN
1856 he was brutality assaulted by Preston )
Brooks. member Of the House, and twas not
until after this that my personal acquaintance
with him began. For some years was more
familiar with what was then known as his " va
cant chair " than with the Senator TO whom II
belonged, who was abroad ready to invoke heroic
remedies, II only they led 20 health. During
these years he returned for short period, but
bore little or no part IN the Senate. Mr. Brooks
meanwhile suddenly died. as at last, and alter
intervals Of painful suffering, has, also sud
denly. the victim Of his violence. u was no
ticeable in his social intercourse, while others
let Slip IN occasional outbuTst Of ceiling as TO
his aselilanf, Mr. Sumner never disclosed the
least lingering personal anmosity History
was silently left to avcnge itself His nisiur-
tune appeared to be accepted as one Of the
many n-oparable wrongs resulting from the
cruel system Of slavery, with which only he
wagcd enduring battle and not rs the crime Of
an individual with whom, living or dead, he
sought only peace.
airy theatre in which men sustain their parts.
It is the forum q States. II the seat which IN
1851 Mr. Sumner was called 20 oil had been
previously occupied hy an undistnguished
person. his task would have been comparatively
easy but that scat had been long held by one
the world pronounced the foremost American
Senator, made classic by one the breadth and
grandeur of whose services, whose clOquence
and craftsmanship, with that OF his cumpoers
had placed the American Senate on a level with
that OF the Roman Republic in the days OF it,
greatest virtue and highest splendOr. lie sue
ceeded, after brief interlude, the veteran
- Defender Of the Constitution who haC
stamped upon our banner the ineiiaceable words
" Union and Liberty, now and forever, one an'
nseparable
lie received and royercd the constitution 0
our country, as ordained by the same will AM
power which proclaimed the great Magn
Charta of human freedom, the Declaration o
independence, and, therefore, never forgot th
fundamental idea Of" equality before the law, ,
nor that q all men are created equal. ii
brought no fixed allegiance to party platforms
and found no withes in the constitution thp
restrained him from resisting any claims #
the protection Of slavery but that instrumeI
was everywhere to be interpreted broadly an
benefcently in the interests Of humanity
world wide and dynely free
BestOwing care even upon trliies, his orati0I
in the Senate, as might be expected, were pr
pared as for grand occasion, and, towering
bis place like a tribune of the people, Il
heavy, resounding tones Of his voice were VOL
to draw the attention of willing listeners
words which soon found, through the press,
far wider acceptance. His arguments we
methodical, abundant in information, stiffen,
by apt and pregnant sentences, studiously o
servant Of the syllogistic beginning, mldd
and end, and, though rarely what is calf
brilliant or ilumined by wit, were alya
clearly put forth, with the paramount object
spreading light and with the conyincir
majesty Of earnestness.
Those among us who may have found
found it difficult to respect his fairness Of pa
pose, his un1ncbing integrity, or his veal
of learning. In his orbit Us n statesman
scared high from the beginning to the end, NJ
ever sought with moral intrepldity noble en-
by noble means As to the largest share
legislative measures, he was apt 10 be rgl
lie sturdily and sorrowfuly resisted the ba
ishment OF coin, as an alien, from the base
sound currency. Upon questions Of popul
rights he was often u leader; in all steps Of |
form he was never a laggard. The doctrin
he espoused, II not exclusively his own, n
peared to belong to him by possessory title
constant use and earnest adherence. lie need
no admonition to stick II it cannot pro
erly be claimed that " his doctrines persuad
one generation, and live to govern the next
it may be claimed that his early text of - FIR,
dom national, slavery sectional, did not vi
until the next generation to be even more til
verified Freedom Is national and slavery I
ever extinct. In the surging conflicts 10
half OF universal liberty, the deceased sena
has gathered many laurels, and il few more
NAMED to be won his brow was already C
cred. lie will he numbered among those "
helped to change q great chapter in our !
tory. BY life Of uustntcd and unsell
labor he secured the undying gratitude of
emancipated race and the general approval
mankind
Mr.. Sumner was ever surrounded by boz
They were his most beloved friends and
rendered many OF their secret treasures
their constant wOoer. New books a. well
old, Longlellow as well a. Plato and Mill
often robbed him of sleep. lie was a ~
what fastidious lover Of the beautiful In
busily collecting such notable subjects az
historically rare, superb in material, OF
ming in workmanship; but neither this elel
refinement OF taste nor the epicuTean seelu
Of his daily life lifted him above willing Il
and the tenderest sympathy for those who
rude, unlettered and degraded by even
darkest browed slavery. TO him the - q
Slave" in marble appeared transcende
bsautiiul but tie chain, the ugly sys
that chaied the limbs and bound the Ii
slave, was an intolerable atrocity, even
ace on the symbol Of God
Most men have some speciality wherein
chiefly excel, and doubtless the great subje
the natural rights OF man most deeply exc
tile enthusiasm of Charles Sumner but
brought valuable contributions into the dis
sion OF a wide field of topics, political and
torlcal; and upon international law, it
not be wrong to say, he was possibly more
iOundly learned than upon the subject W
most contributed to build up and support
reputation Few men have done more "
and lever still have done it so we'll W
chairman OF the Committee on Foreign
tons, In all critical emergencies, he was
liant and powerful friend Of peace, andas
merits the country's grateful remembra
The principle embodied 10 our late treaty
Great Britain, Of the arbitration of int
tional differences, he eagerly accepted as
herald of peace to future generations, in
inopy with his earliest idea of the -
Grandeur Of Nations" and as hopeful
OF human progress.
The present age, however, always lie
all points by contrast with the past, bee
none but the great among the unnumt
hosts turned 10 dust--the few screened
idolized products OF picked centuries
been preserved, while all Of the present ",
visible and so near that no deformties cal
hidden. There is no sun, that has not
ceased b shine, whose spots remain unreves
Our deceased associate, unsheltered
wealth, by family or by party, was exp
first and last to much adverse criticism,
which, In spite Of much real admiration
Partially will not now wholly release
Ills persistency in pushing his own measur
the front, though 10 their present hurt or b
hurt Of others, Often provoked rebuke
enemies no easily forgaye, but could no
easily bury the slender personal affront,
oeiyed IN any wordy encounters from his p
Ills seli-cOnfdenee, admirable enough whe
was right, was no less unmstakable and
letting when he happened to be wrong r
conclusions, sincerely reached, he gave
pretenti1ns and for them accepted not
less than unconditional submission. III
"A 4 A