The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-05-06
SUMNER a LOVER OF MANKIND,
from schurz's Eulogy.

of their social and moral existence, as the
source Of their prosperity and greatness
the unsparing enemy of the rebellion,
whose success was to realize the fondest
dreams of their ambition the never rest-
ing advocate of the grant'of suffrage to the
blacks, which they thought to be designed
for their own depreciation Thus they had
persuaded themselves that Charles Sum-,
ner was to them relentless foe. --..,,
They did not know, as others knew, that
he whom thew cursed as their prosecutor,
had a heart beating warmly and tenderly
for all the human kind; that the efforts Of
his life were INCREASINGLY devoted to those
whom he thought most in need of aid; that
in the slave he saw only the human soul,
with its eternal title to the same right and
dignity which he himself enjoyed; that he
assailed the slavemaster only as the OPP
pressor who denied that right; and that
the former oppressor ceasing to be such,
and being oppressed himself, could surely
count upon the fullness of his active sym
patty freely given in the spirit of equal
justice; that it was the religion of his life
to protect the weak and the oppressed
against the strong. They knew not, that
while tiercely combating wrong, there was
not in his heart spark OF hatred even for
the wrong-doer, who hated him. They
knew not how well he deserved the high
homage involuntarily paid to him by car
toon during the late Presidential campaign
"a cartoon, designed to be malicious,
which represented Charles Sumner strew-
ing flowers on the grave of Preston
Brooks. They foresaw not, that to vel
come them back to the full brotherhood of
che American people, he would expose him
self to blow, wounding him as cruelty as
that which years ago leveled him to the
ground in the Senate Chamber. And this
new blow he received from them The peo-
pie OF the South ignored this long Now
that ne is gone let them never forget it.
From Europe Mr.. Sumner returned late
in the Fail of 1872, much strengthened,
but far from being we'll At the opening
of the session he introduced two measures
which, as he thought, should complete the
record of his political life. One was his
Civil Rights bill, which had failed in the
last Congress, and the other, a resolution
providing that the names of battles won
over fellow-citizens in the War of the Re
beilion, should be removed from the regi-
mental colors Of the army, and from the
army register. 1t was indeed only rep
etltion OF resolution which he had intro
Queen ten years before,in 1862, during the
war, when the first names of victories
were put on American battle-hags. This
resolution called forth a new storm against
him. 1t was denounced as an insult to the
heroic soldiers of the Union, and a degre
dation Of their victories and well-earned
laurels. 1t was condemned as an unpatri
otto act
Charles Sumner insult the soldiers who
had spilled their blood in war for human
rights Charles Sumner degrade victor
les and depreciate laurels won for the cause
OF universal freedom How strange an
imputation
Let the dead man have a hearing. This
was his thought: No civilized nation,
from the republics OF antiquity down to our
days, ever thought it wise or patriotic to
preserve IN conspicuous and durable form
the mementoes OF victories won over fell
low-citizens in civil war. Why not? Be-
cause every citizen shall feel himself with
ali others as the child of common conn
try and not as defeated foe All civil |
llzed governments of our days have in |
stlnctively followed the same dictate of wis
dom and patriotism The freshman when
lighting tor old England at Waterloo, was
not to behold on the red cross floating
above him the name of the Bovine. The
Scotch Highlander, when standing in the
trenches of Sebastopol, was not by the /
c0lors OF his regiment to be reminded of |
Culloden. No French soldier at Austen
hts or Solterino mad to read upon the tri.
color any reminiscence of the Vendee. No
hungarian at Sadowa was tainted by any
Austrian banner with the surrender nj
y ilagos. No German regiment, from
Saxony or Hanover, charging under the
iron hail of Gravelotte, was made m ra
mem Der by words written on Pruss, /
standard that the black eagle b. Ian
quered them at Koniggratz az al con
salza Should the son of . ii Langen-
when at some future do 1outh Carolina,
public against some j defending the he
by an inscriptir foreign toe, be reminded |
him that ~ I'll on the colors floating over
hat y Ider this flag the gun was fired
81 .hled his father at Gettysburg?
.Juld this great and enlightened Repub-
lie, proud of standing in the front of hu-
man progress, be less wise, less large
hearted, than the ancients were 1000 years
ago. and the kingly governments of Eu-
rope are to- day? Let the battle-hags of
the brave volunteers, which they brought
home from the war with the glorious rec
ord Of their victories, be preserved intact
us proud ornament of our State Houses
and armories. But let the colors of the
the army, under which the sons of all the
States are to meet and mingle in common
patriotism, speak of nothing but union, not
q union Of c0nquerors, and conquered, but
a union which is the mother of all, equally
tender to all, knowing Of nothing but
equality, peace, and love among her chill
dren DO you want shining momentos of
your Victories They are written upon the
dusky brow of every freeman who was
once.a slave; they are written on the gate
posts Of a restored Union, and the most
shining of all will be written on the faces
of contented people, reunited in common
national pride. -.-s.
Such were the sentiments which inspir-
ed that resolution. Such were the senti-
ments which called forth storm of oblo-
guy. Such were the sentiments for which
the Legislature of Massachusetts passed q
solemn resolution of censure upon Charles
Sumner-Massachus his own Massa-
chusetts, which he loved so ardently with
hlial love-of whom he was so proud,
who had honored him so much in days
gone by, and whom he had so long and so
faithfully labored to serve and honor Oh,
those were evil days, that Winter days
sad and dark, when he sat there In his
lonesome chamber, unable to leave it, the
world moving around him, and in it 20
much that was hostile-and he Frustrated
by the tormenting disease, which had re-
turned with fresh violence-unable to de-
fend himself-and with this bitter arrow
IN his heart Why was not that resolu-
ton held up to scorn and vituperation as
an insult to the brave, and an unpatriotiC