Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-03-19
Biographical Sketch of Charles Sumner.

Biographical Sketch OF Charles SUMNER
| Mr.. Sumner was born in Boston, Jan.
| s, 1911, and had just entered upon his
| 9th year. When boy he attended the
| Boston Latin School, and thence entered
| Harvard College, where he graduated IN
| 1851. His father was a lawyer, and the
| son adopted the same profession. A year
| after closing his collegiate course he en-
tered Cambridge Law School, OF which
| Judge Story was then a professor. In
| 1884, being then twenty-three years cid,
he was admitted 10 the bar. He was, IN
addition to his legal requirements,
| scholar, an orator, and man of large lit
erary requirements. He was also labo-
rious. He soon enjoyed large practice.
He published three volumes OF Massa-
| sets Circuit Court Reports, containing
the decisions Of Judge Story. He was
also the editor of the quarterly journal
called the american JuriSt. During sew
eral winters, while Judge Story was alb
sent at Washington, Mr.. Sumner
| took his place as lecturer IN the
Law School, and also, in the oc-
casional absences of Mr.. Greenleaf,
mad sole charge of the school. In 1886
he declined a professorship in the Law
School, and next year visited Europe.
During his stay there, which continued
until 1870, he resided in Italy, Germany
ana France, giving an entire year to En-
gland. He resumed his law practice on
| his return, and in 1916 edited an edition
OF Nesey's Reports in twenty volumes.
He had, up to 1916, taken no part in poll
tics. In that year he deliver ed an Grafton
on the 4th of July on the " True Grandeur
of Nations" in which he denounced war
as means of arbitrament of information
al controversies, and insisted that, as
peaceful appeals TO civil tribunals had
| taken the place of the wager of battle be-
| tween individuals, so peaceful arbitration
| should be substituted for war in the deter
mlnation of International matters. The
Grafton was finished literary production,
and this fact and the subject of the dis
course itself attracted to it great attention
in this country and Europe. AS an orator
he was soon in demand, and other public
addresses followed in rapid succession.
In 1S45 after the election of Mr.. Polk
to the Presidency, the annexation of
Texas became part of the defined policy
OF the Democratic party. In November,
1915, just before the meeting of Congress
which was to execute that policy, Mr..
Sumner delivered an Grafton in Faneuil
Hall, Boston, in opposition to the anneXa-
ton of Texas as slave State. In 1916
Texas was admitted to the Union. Mr..
Sumner was now fairly enlisted in the
war against slavery, and in 1916 he adj
dressed the Massachusetts Wing State
Convention in favor of taking bold
ground against slavery. The Wings of
Massachusetts, although opposed to slav-
cry, were not Abolitionists, and adhered
to the National Wing policy of non-action
on that subject. The Democratic party in
| Massachusetts, at that time was in a
minority, but not poweTless as now. 1t
then had many able leaders, including n.
P. Banks, George S. Boutwell,, Robert
| Rantoul, Marcus Morton, B. F. Hallett
and others. Boston was then represented
in Congress by Robert G. winthrop, a Wing
who voted in 1916 for the declaration of war
| with Mexico. For this vote Mr.. Sumner
denounced him in published letter. The
Mexican war leading to the acquisition
of new territory, there was a combination
in Massachusetts of the Democrats and
| Wings who were in favor of excluding
slavery from the new territory and from
all the Territories of the United States.
This party in 1S48 nominated and sup
ported Van Buren, and Adams. Mr.. Sum-
ner supported these candidates. In 1850
| Mr.. Webster resigned his seat in the Sen
ate of the United States to become Secre-
tary of State under Mr.. Fillmore. The
Governor of Massachusetts, appointed Mr..
| Winthrop to fill the vacancy until the
| Legislature should meet. The coalition
of Democrats and Free-Soil Wings made
a successful fight that year, electing Bout
well as Governor, n. P. Banks and several
other Democrats as members of Congress,
and Free-Soil Legislature, This Legis-
| lature was occupied several weeks in
| trying to fill the vacancy in the Senate,
and at last elected Robert S. RantOul to
fill the uneXpired term ending March,
1851, and Charles Sumner for the long
term beginning March 3, 1851.
Mr.. Sumner made his appearance in
the Senate in December, 1851. At that
| time John P. Hale and Salmon p Chase
were in the Senate, and these three were
| the sole representatives Of the Free-Soil
party. Neither party recognized them
and they were assigned to no committees.
| On bill to repeal the Fugitive Slave law
OF 1850, which had been passed as one of
the compromise measures, Mr.. Sumner
made an elaborate speech, attacking the
whole institution Of slavery. In 1854,
upon the proposition to abrOgate the Mis-
souri, Compromise line of IS 80, he and
Mr.. Chase were conspicuous Ii the de-
bates. The bill, however, passed, and
then began the war in Kansas. In 1856
he delivered his greatspeech, "The Crime
Against Kansas" taking two days in its
delivery. The speech was delivered May
10 and 90 and on May %, while sitting
at his desk in the Senate chamber, en-
gagged in writing, he was approached by
Preston S. Brooks, Representative in
Congress from South Carolina, who pro-
ceeded to beat him over the head and
shoulders with a heavy gutta- percha cane.
Mr.. Sumner was SO seated that he
could not rise, and in few minutes he
fell insensible to the floor. From
the injury thus received Mr.. Sumner
never fully recovered. He was unable
to resume his seat at that or the sue
ceeding session; but his term expiring
in March, 1857, the Legislature of
Massachusetts,, by a nearly unanimous
vote, reelected him. He went to Europe
in March, 1857, and the succeeding win
er occupied his seat in the Senate for a
brief time. In May, 1858, he again went
to Europe, and placed himself under med
zeal treatment in Paris, and remained
there until the close of 1859. His health
was then seemingly restored. In the ses-
| sion of 1890 he made his celebrated
speech entitled the Barbarism of Slav