The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1874-03-12
Charles Sumner.

Charles Sumner is dead. This simple an
nouncement brings to every man, woman and
child in the whole Lind, who has sufficient in
telligence to read it, picture of the history of
the nation for the past twenty-five years. What
matter of any importance has transpired with
in that period with which he has not been
prominently identified, in almost every instance
upon the right side-the side of truth, justice
and humanity. To give history of the dead
statesman would be to give the history of the
country during he term Of his active life, SO
strongly has he left the impress of his power
full intellect upon everything. To attempt to
tell citizens of New England anything about
this man seems work of supererogation. Do
we not know all about him and are not his
words and acts household words among us?
Yet it may be we'll to recall some of the statis
tical points in his life now that he is gone. His
great achievements are emblazoned on the
minds ard hearts of all men; we seek to pre-
sent only some of the minor details.
Charles Sumner was born in Boston. January
6, 1911, and therefore was sixty-three years, two
months and five days old at the time of his
death. He was fitted for college at the Boston
Latin School and graduated from Harvard in
1880. He studied law and was admitted to the
bar in 1884, rapidly attaining large practice.
He was appointed Reporter of the U. s. Cir
cult Court and published three volumes, known
as Summers Reports" containing the decis.
ions of Judge Story. He also, at the same
time, edited the American Jurist, a monthly
law periodical of high reputation During the
first three winters after his admission to the
bar, while Judge Story was at Washington,
Mr.. Sumner was appointed lecturer to the law
students, and, part of tho time, during the alb
sence of Prof. Greenleaf, he had sole charge of
the school. His favorite topics were those re-
lating to constitutional law and the law of ma
tions. In 1886 he was offered professorship
in the law school and also one in the College,
both of which he declined. In 1887 he visited
Europe, where he remained till 1910, travelling
in Italy, Germany and France and residing for
nearly year in England. On his return to
Boston he resumed practice and in 1916 pub
lished an elaborate edition, with annotatious, of
Vesey's Reports in twenty volumes Although
voting with the Wing party, he took no active
part in politics until 1916, when he declared
himself strongly in opposition to the impending
Mexican difficulties and the annexation of
Texas. From that time, till the day of his
death, he has been actively engaged in politics.
Becomming more and more hostile to slavery,
he gradually became separated from his Wing
associations and allied with the Free Sellers.
After the withdrawal of Mr.. Webster from
the Sepate, on his taking Office in Fillmore's
Cabinet in 1850, Mr.. Sumner became the candi-
date of a coalition of the Free Sellers and
Democrats in the Massachusetts, Legislature,
and, after protracted and bitter contest which
attracted the attention of the whole country,he
was elected. Here he speedily became distin-
guished and fought the good fight for freedom
against slavery, always well in the fore front
VI 'he BATTLE. So terrible a scourge did he be-
come 10 the sons of Bea that one of them.
Preston D. BROOKS, a member of the Hopse
from South Carolina, on May %, 1856. mada
cowardly, brutal and murderous assan,t nno,,
him with club while he sat at his desk in tho
Senate Chamber-iustrating to an outraoad
nation, even more effectively than had been
done by Mr.. Summers words of fire, the Spar.
barism of Slavery" From the effects of these
injuries he never fully recovered. In 1857 bo
was reelected Senator by unanimous vote of
the Massachusetts Senate and with only sevon
dlssenteht voices in the House. Under advice
OF physicians he went to Europe in March
1857, returning in the autumn 70 resupo III;
seat in the Senate. His health being s,;u IT,,
paired he went abroad again in Nav 1879 ara
submitted to course of extraordinarily sorose
medical treatment in Paris, which did not ter,,,-
mate till the autumn of 1859, when he ao,i,
returned home. He took an acti We part in the
campaign of 1860, has remained in the Senate
ever since and died in Washington with the