New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-16
CHARLES SUMNER THE YORKER.

Gorernor Ciafn at TIE Meeting ef the Aassaehusetts CsA
Certainly that was an event which placed man
in the Senatorial chair unequalled IN al those
things that make great statesman: fSr the ms
tons. My impression Is that be only made one
speech. bnt that speech, Like all bic
speeches. was remarkable t one. one: hs
stern purpose of bis character. and the Same dli.
gence that he always showed throughout his life.
He showed this latter quality when went down q
10 he was Whiting Of speech to
liver to small company OK yCnng men who
SAID to HIM, Mr.. Sumner, on all such occa-
sions as this do you write your speechesr
he rspsS wGs % s b aT Ss
done By hard work.; and certainly no man
accomplished more by hard work than he His
power to hold speech which be had written seemed
immense to me at that day: and has seemed 90 eyer
since. How man could sit down quietly and wntS
a speech that would occupy two hours and quarter
in delivery of the force aud research OF his speeches.
finish it only o few hours before delivering It, and
then stand up and declaim 1t without note, was
and is almost incomprehensible to me- and yet hs
did it. On the I'd Of October, 1862 was the time
when We had that celebrated meeting, when be do
livered speech he had written out tho preyious.
evening. and which nearly covered the whole OK
Brother WOrthingtOn's paper. A gentleman sat by
my side, following the speech 10 printed 10 IM
Trarellcr. or some other paper and compared IT, >.
asked him, Does he make many cnangesr
Scarcely change from beginning to end" was his
answer"
Then. again. his capacity for labor! Scarcely
man ever wrote him line which required an answer
which he did not give to him immediately. NO inat-
ter how much work he might have IN ,he oehale 70
always found time in some way OF other 10 ansmt
letter If 1t was OF any sort OF Importance, ete
these observations as they come to me. Wnen 10
IN de the famous San Domingo speech IN tine senate
happened fortunately to be IN his room next night
and he said :" have made speech ID the senate
which my brother Senators have told me was . !ns
best speech ever made. Here are four lines wnc1
l wrote last night about IL o'clock, aud lnSenoed
but spoke four hours Nobody ofcourse will ever
See the speech. it was not written. ana was n9s
reported being delivered in executive session. Snen
was the result of the culture and energy Oh M
Hc said to me one day. while speaking Of his labofs
In Cambridge at college: All through my c1l.esSs
lie abored eighteen hours day. Ineyer laooIee
less in any one day." We all know what tnS fc0si'
of that labor was upon him. .,,.
lie loved to talk about SIMPLE things. about tnlng
that Were common to all meu. One time inYh set
him out to my house to an evening meeting OF MI
we called the Jersey Stock Club. IL was ni'le
club formed to keep the of tho Jersey cattle ina
originally came from Newton and that vicinity. anu
We had herd book that the oldest IN the coun-
meu lelonQing to our club. Well, he came ana
spent tho evening with US. Mr. Wiley EdmunSus
there, and Mr.. Burr. who had been across .u
Atantic,tifteen or twenty times collecting Lss~
more about Jersey cattle than any man present
There was not man in the room who couio ~ ~
the characteristics of Jersey cattle, ana OF ~ ~
different herds of Europe. as Mr. Sumner couo. sas
We often recur to that evening with the deepSs
interest. We have never heard a man since VIZ IVY
displayed such perfect knowledge OF cattle Is ~
Mr.. Sumner on that occasion. Why' no -
"many years ago. when was a young man. walIs,s
clear around the Island OF Jersey and on TO nesny
every farm in it," Whatever subject was below
him, he seemed TO get right to the bottom OF IT.