, 1874-05-02

HlA9Cb, GbVhpluH mQEGlY hcIubo q bt"so7shHo
porativoly demnndod, 8iavcry could not protect
fss intorogta In tho Union ,1nloss ita power bal.
encoa hat Dt the Free statss H. ino National
quest tho number Of blavo statoa Ind to be aug
lnontod henoo tho annexation Of Toxns hloxt-
oau War. and mtriguos for the nc9liaitlon OF
Ouba. Slavery could not maintain lts of'liG-
rum Of powortf # permitted itself to 10 exend-
cd from tho National Territories. l1onco tho
broaklng down OF tho Missouri Compromise aul
tho usurpation in KauHas.
Thus Blayory waB pushed on md on by tho ln-
oxorablo logic OF It's oxistonco; tho alavomnsters
wore only tic slaves OF tho noceBHises OF s!ayery
and all tholr aeomiug. exaotopa and uaurpatlons
woro noEoy struggle for its life. Many OF their
demands had boon satisfied, on tho part Of tho
North, by submission or compromise The
science, had acQuiescod in the continuance Of
politicians, for tho aalo OF poaco. But when tho
6avo.power wont 30 far as to domand for slayory
tho great domain Of tho nation which had boon
Of the North suddenly understood TINT the ne.
consities Of Slavery demanded what they could
not ylold. Thon tic conscience Of tho masscs
waa ralloved al tho doubts and fonrs which had
hold II 80 long In ohoolk their moral impulses
were qnickened by practical perceptions; tho
moral ldsn became practical foroo, and tho final
htrugglo began. It wns mtde Inevitable by the
nocosHities Of Slnyory 1t was indeed an irrepYoas-
t0l0 conGict.
TIE SUCCESSOR OF DANIEL WEBSTER.
These things woro impending when Henry
O!ay and Dauiol Webator, tho architects Of tho
last compromise. loft tho Sonate. Had they, With
NIL their far-seaing ssatosmaushlp, never undor-
atooa this logic Of things7 When they made
pono the final struggle until thoy should 10
gone, 90 TINT they might not witnosa tho torriblo
concuHslon? Or had tloir great aud manifold
achievements with tho asatesmanship Of organ
ization and expedienoy so doluuod their minds
that they. rcally hoped comnpromiso which only
ignored, bat did not Bottle tho great moral quoa"
tion, could furnish an enduring basis for future
developments One thing they aud their con-
tomporartos had indeed accomplished under
their ca,o tho Republic had grown 30 great end
strong, its vitality Ind bocomo 40 tough, that It
could endure tho final struggle without falling
to pieces under it's shocks. Whatever their or
rors their delusions. and, perhaps, thcir misgiv-
ings, may have been, this they had nccompBll-
bohinl thon, and turned thoir faces to tho wall
and diod. And with them slapped into the back
ground tho Htatesrnnnship Of organization OK
pedionts, and compromises; and to the front
to fight out tho great conflict, and to opon new
epoch of American history,
That was tho historic Significance OF tho re-.
markahle Boene which showed III Horny Clay
walking out Of tho Souate-C Chamber, nevor to
return, when Charles Sumner aat down there ~
tho successor Of Daniel Wobstor. No man could,
in his whole being, have moro etrikingly portray
ed that contrast. When Charles Sumner hal boou
olaotcd to tho Senate, Tloodoro Parker said to
him, in q letter Of oougrntulation: You told
mo once that you were in morals not In politics.
Now hopo you will show TINT you ore still in
morals, although in politics. hope you will bo
tho Senator with conscience" That hopo was
gratiiied. Ho always remained In morals while
Ia politics. He neyor Was anything elso but the
Senator with n conscience. Charles Sumner
ontorod tho Senate not ns moro advocate.
but as tbs very embodiment Of tho moral Idea.
From this fountain flowed bis highest aapira-
tions, Thoto had boon great Anti i-slayory mon In
--men like Seward aud Chase. But they had boon
trained IN different sohool. Their niuda had
| ranged over other political folds. Thoy undor-
stood politics; ho did not. He know but ono
political object; to combat and overthrow tho
liberty aud equality OF mon and to establish tho
universal roign Of "peace, Justice, aud charity"
He brought to the Senate q studious mind, vast
learning, great legal attanmonts, q powerful olo-
6e vowed to ono service. With all this he was
not mere oxpounder OF q policy; lie was wor'
ahipor, sincere and dovout, at tho shrine. Of his
ideal. Iu no public man had tho moral idea OF
tho Anti-slavory movement such ovorruling
strength. uo made everything yleld to It.. no
did not possess It; it possessed him. That was
tho secret OF his peculiar power.
He introduced himself Into the debates Of the
senate--the Slavery question having boon
Bilenced forever, Al politicians then thought-by
tion Of Kossuth, tho 1aud Policy, Ocean Post
ago ;.but they we're not remarkable, and attract
Cd but little attention.
LII. SUMMERS ATTACK ON TIE FUGITIVE SLAVE
lay.
At last he ayatlod himself Of an Appropriation
bill to attack the Fugitive Slave law, and ut onco
spirit broke forth III that first word on tue
great question which Btartled every listener.
Thus ho opened tho argument:
Painfully convinced Of tho unuttorab1a wrong md
70 The 10 ruo spirit 1t tho Constitution aud tic sentis
ents Of the fathers, 1t can And no place under our
to Tosch s close Without naEing or SELLING an oppor.
Injustice, and cruelty Of he lite nto1osant enactment
for tho recnvcry Of fugitive slaves.
Then this signiioant declaration:
Whateycr atm or may be- 7 freely offer to this
causo. 1hava neyor boon politician. Tho slave Of
principles call no party master " sentiment ed'l-
embraced tho Democratic idca-not indeed, rcpre-
Y @ e
Independence, and In tho nunostons OF Christianity
II this idea 500 no narrow advantage merely for III
uivtuals oasses but tile sovereignty Of tho people,
uul tho greatast hRppness Of ali secured by equal
lava.
A vast array Of historical resoarch and OF legal
argument was thon callcd up to provo tho SOC
dom, aud the uncoustitutionalty Of the Fugitive
Hlnya act, followed by this bold declaration |:
"By the Supreme Law, which commando mo to
do no injustice; by the comprehensive Christian
lavo sworn to support, nm bound to disoboy
this INV" And the speech closed with this Hol-
emn quotation, Beware Of the groans OF
wounded souls, since the inward sore will at
lougth break out. OpproHs not to tho uttormost
single heart; for aolitnry Sigh haa powor to
nv artlirr Il wb0to Wnrli.n