The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-03-12
Death Of Senator sumner,

called upon 10 announce the death Of an
other conspicuous American citizen, th
Hon. CHARLEs SUMNER, who breathe
his last yesterday afternoon at his resi-
denCein Washington city, aged 83 years
II Is no dlsparagement 10 the Just fam
OF the former to say In such connection
as this that his death leaves no such voll
and will awaken no such keen sense o
bereavement as the death Of senato
SUMNER. Mr.. FILLMORE was a man o.
another generauon-oC past order o
thipgs-and had lost his place in Amer
lean politics and In the public attention
Mr.. SUMNER, on the contrary, was q mar
Of tho living present-part Of the livery
age and body of the times" who hat
constantly grown in tho public attention
and public favor for many years past
His long career has been most event
lul one. First elected Senator in 1850
to succeed DANIEL WEBSTER, who went
into Mr.. FIIIMoRE's cabinet in that year,
he has been reelected three times since,
and was near tho end of his Path year oil
service when he died. When he first
took his seat in the Senate in 1850 the
Free Soil sentiment Of the United States
had, with himself, but four representatives
in that body, viz: WILLIAM q. SEWARD,
nominally Whig; SALMON P. CHASE, a
Free.soll Democrat; JOHN P. HALE, also
q Free.soil Democrat; and, himself, an
Anti.slavery man Of Wing antecedents.
These four men were the nucleus of the
great and powerful Republican party
then only a grain of mustard seed, but
now tree whose branches have over
spread the nation, and whose roots have
struck deep and wide into American soil.
These four men sustained the unequal
contest with slavery for ten years, and
were either wholly excluded from Com
mittees or put at the tail Of some unim-
portant ones, like so many outlaws, on the
ground that they did not belong to any
healthy political organization" Mr.
SUMNER was especially unpopular with
the Southern Senators, and Tor two
reasons, one Of which was that he came
from Massachusetts,, and the other was
because he was not conciliatory in his
tone on the Slavery question. He was
hardly more radical than either CHASE or
HALE, but these two we're more men Of
the world than Mr.. SUMNER, and were
more careful as to how and when
they expressed Themselves. They were
all unpopular enough, however, Mr..
SEWARD being the least so Of the four. He
never dealt in personalities and never un-
der any circumstances replied 10 language
that was not strictly parliamentary. In
this way he disarmed such men as
TooMBs, MASON, IvERsoN, WIoFAL1 and
SLIDREL. Indeed MIR. SEWARD was quite
intimate with Senator RUsK, ol Texas,
and perhaps one or two other Southern
Senators.
The first speech that made Mr. sUM-
NRR specially prominent in the great sla-
very contest was his speech entitled 1.-THE
Crime against Kansas" in 1855, the speech
that brought down the vengeance OF
BROOKS, Of South Caroline, on his head,
and that came near costing him his lie.
His next great speech was the one entitled
"The Barbarism OF Slavery" delivered in
1859, q speech that stirred Senator CHEs-
NUT, Of South Carolina, and other fire
eaters, to their profoundest depths,
During most of the war Mr.. SUMNER
held the leading and highly responsible
position OF Chairman of the Com mittee
on Foreign Relations, and in this posi-
tion he was almost member Of Mr.. LIN,
coins administration. At very step Of
the contest with the rebellion he was,
like THADDEUs STEW Rms, a little in ad-
vance Of the Republican party on the
slavery question. He was not afraid TO
be in the advance, either as 10 giving the
slaves their freedom during the war, or
as 10 giving them their civil and political
rights, afterwardi and, as will be seen by
our dispatches this morning, his last
words were take care Of my Civil Rights
Bill" 5t'l-
Mr.. SUMNER had strong elements Of
character. First, he had decided abilities;
next, he had moral courage; third, he
was inexorable in his pertinacity, and,
fourth, he had purity OF character, He
never once turned back on the slavery
question from first to last throughout his
career. We never heard Of him getting
scared In the secession panic Of 1851. He
believed that whatever was right In polt-
tics was expedient, and hence he was
not a man Of policy. In all respects his
character was above reproach. No
breath Of scandal Of any sort ever tran
nished his reputation. He devoted him
self studiously to the great question in
volved in the" new birth " oil the Nation.
His religious and political creed was sub.
stantally, athe fathefhOod Of God and the
brotherhood oI man.
With all Mr., suMNRR's radicalism, he
declared in favor oil and supported Mr.
GREELEY for President in 1879, He did
not believe in Gen. GRANTS Republican.
ism. He thought he had no moral con.
victions on the subject oil slavery and
reconstruction, and he believed Mr.