Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1874-05-21

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never distrusted Lincoln's fidelity.
Always agreed as to the uItim ate
end, they almost always differed as
10 times and means but while diff
erlng, they firmly trusted, for they
understood one another. And thus
their mutual respect grew into an
atfeetionate friendship, which no
clash of disagreeing opinions conld
break. Sumner loved to tell his
friends, after LincoIn's death--and |
heard him relate it often, never with
out an expression of tenderness
how at one time those who disliked
and feared his intimacy with the
President, and desired to see it dis
rupted, thought it was irreparebly
broken. 1t was at the close of Lin
coins administration, in 1865, when
the President had proposed certain
measures of reconstruction, touching
he State of Louisiana. The end of
the session of Congress was near at
hand, and the success of the bill de-
pended on vote of the Senate be-
fore the hour of adjournment on the
4th OF March. Mr.. Lincoln had the
measure very much at heart But
Sumner opposed it, because it did not
contain sufficient guarantees for the
rights of the colored people, and by
parliamentary man@uvre, simply
consuming time until the adjourn
ment came, be with two or three
other Senators succeeded in defeat
ing it. Lincoln was reported to be
deeply chagrined at Summers action,
and the newspapers already announ-
ced that the breach between Lincoln
and Sumner was complete and could
not be healed. But those who said SO
did not know the men. On the night
of the 9th Of March, two days alter
Lineoln's second Inauguration, the
customary Inauguration ball was to
take place. Sumner did not think
of attending it. But towards eve
ming he received a card from the
President, which read thus: "Dear
Mr. Sumner, unless you send me
word to the contrary, | shall this
evening call with my carriage at
your house, to take you with me to
the Inauguration pail. Sincerely
yours, ABRAHAM LINCOLN" Mr..
Sumner, deeply touched, at once
made up his mind to 60 10 an inaug>
uration ball for the first time. Soon
the carriage arrived, the President
invited Sumner to take seat in it
with him, and Sumner found there
Mrs. Lincoln and Mr.. Colfax, the
Speaker Of the House OF Representa-
tives. Arrived at the ballroom, the
President asked Mr.. Sumner to offer
his arm to Mrs. Lincoln, and the as
tonisbed spectators, who had been
made to believe that the breach bes
tween Lincoln and Sumner was ir.
reparabIe, beheld the Presidents
wife on the arm of the Senator, and
the Senator on the occasion Of state,
invited to take the seat of honor by
the Presidents side. Not q word
passed between them about their
disagreement. The world became
convinced that such friendship be-
tween such men could not be broken
by mere honest difference Of opin-
ion. Abraham Lincoln, a man Of
sincere and profound convictions
himself, esteemed and honored sin
cere and profound convictions in
others. It was thus that Abraham |
Lincoln composed his quarrels with |
his friends, and at his bedside, when
he died, there was no mourner more
deeply afflicted than Charles Sumner
Let me return to the year 1862.
Long, incessant, and arduous was
SUMMERS LABOR FOR EMANCIPATION.
At last the great Proclamation,
which sealed the fate of slavery,
came, and no man had done more TO
bring it forth than he. Still. Charles
Sumner thought his work far from
accomplished. During the three
years Of war that followed, so full of
vicissitudes, alarms, and anxietiee,
be stood in the Senate aud III the
Presidents closet as the everwatch-
full sentinel of freedom and equal
rights. No occasion eluded his
grasp to push on the destruction of
slavery, not only by sweeping dee
crees, but in detail by pursuing it, as
with a probingiron, into every nook
and corner Of its existence. 1t was
his sleepless care that every blow
struck at the rebellion should surely
and heavily tell against slavery, and
that every drop of American blood
that was shed should surely be con-
secrated to human freedom. He
could not rest until assurance was
made douDly sure, and l doubt
whether our legislative history shows
an example Of equal fidelity and de-
votion to a great object. Such was
the character of Mr.. Summers legIs-
lative activity during the war. As
the rebellion bed, new prob
lens arose, To set upon their feet
again States disorganized by insur-
rection and civil war ; TO remodel q
society which bad been lifted out of
its ancient hinges by the sudden
change Of its system of labor to
protect the emanoipated slaves
against the old pretension of absolute
control on the part of their former
masters; to guard society against
the possible transgressions Of large
multitude long held in slavery and
ignorance and now suddenly set free;
SO to lodge political power in this IN
fammable state of things as to pre-
vent violent reactions and hostile
collisions to read social forces so
disoordant into orderly and fruitful
cooperation, and to infuse into COM
munities but recently rent by the
most violent passions new spirit OF
loyal attachment to common ma
tionality-tbis was certainly one OF
the nost nernlexinC tasks ever I'M