The daily gazette., 1877-10-23
GRANT VS.. SUMNER
+ rom the Baltimore Gazette

From the Baltimore Gazette. a, '.l-.
The coarse way In which Grant spoke
of the dead Senator Sumner, and of Mot
ley, produced a. strong feeling of disgust
in the breasts of those who held these
men in esteem. r., Even those who enter
tained no sentiments of respect or admir-
ationi for Mr.. Summer, were shocked at
the gross indelicacy of Grants language.
1t was most unseemly thing for an Ex-
President, touring in Europe, to say that
an eminent Amer c IN Senator had sslied,
I TO him in a matter Of business OF state.
Grant never forgave Sumner for spelling
his. San Domingo job. Beyond doubt
that was the most enormous piece of po-
litical swindling that was ever attempted
in this country. BY what political black
legs 1t was invented and worked up in
detail, is only partially known but
Grant was its responsible indorsef and
working man. He and his greedy followers
would have gathered a golden harvest
from it had 1t been ''put through" There
were millions in it. Now Mr. Sumner
saw through the crookedness of this
measure. He saw the rings that could
be formed In it, and the divvies that
would be handed around, so he used all
his great powers to defeat it, The dis
appointment and chagrin of Grant were
extreme. His greed had been thwarted,
his arrogance humbled, his power defied
and defeated. He used all his official
power to humillate Summer, and with
partial success. But he never ventured
to say while Summer was living that he
had "lied;" and now that that eloquent
tongue is silent in the grave, it is shame
full for Grant to use such term, MOI
does the re- enforcement which Mr.. Ham
ilton Fish brings to Grant statement
help it at all. He only shows that he
was sharer in the duplicity of the ad-
ministratlon toward Sumner; and that
while wearing the mask Of friendship he
twas the emissary of Grant. Summers
Indignant outburst at the time Of Mot
ley's removal must ring in his memory.
"Sir, you are tool of the President for
base purposes, and this removal is out OF
spite" Sumner had his faults; but he
! you'd not have stopped to so paltry an at
tack on character as Grant and Fish have
made. When he was assaulted with
physical violence by misguided and
hot-headed man, he never harbored re-
sentiment. He never wounded his as
sailant except with his forgiveness. 1t
was Sumner, too, who was exiled from
his own state by vote of censure passed
by its Legislature, because he had advo-
Gated the destruction of the trophies of
war captured from the southern states by
the victorious northern armies. He
showed personal and political magma
nimity. Grant delighted to punish his
personal enemies with his political pow
er. Summer was man incoIruptible in
office, whose hand was never contamina-
ted by bribe. Grant was the patron
and protector of every ring fraud and ras-
cality that was wrought while he had
power to aid them. Sumner was liable
to bursts of oratorical extravaganza.
Grant, in his conflict with Andrew John
son and with Summer, and in his relations
with the whiskey rings, repeatedly was
guilty of falsehood. If it should come to
a question of veracity between Grant and
dead Sumner, the public verdict will not
be fattering to Grant as to which has
| s.Iied"