Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-23
OCCURRED SAME DAY.
Clay's Last Speech, Summers
Entrance to Senate.
-FIFTY-TWO YEARS AGO
"ToM" BENToN's PREDICTION
THAT DIDN'T PAN OUT.
One Day Astride a Horse Was Enough
Active War Experience for
Henry Wilson.
FIFTY-TWO YEARS AGO

eIt Is a coincidence worthy Of record
and yet think no historian has ever men
toned the fact, that Henry Clay spoke II
the United States Senate the last time
and Charles Sumner was sworn In as
member of that body on the same day.
said an old Washingtonian. who was
daily visitor to the galleries Of Congress
In the long ago.
ut was December /. 1851, and well do
remember 1t. Gen. Lewis Cass of Mich1'
gan presented the credentials OF Sumner
who had been elected by one Of the coali-
lions between the anti-slavery knownoth'
ings and the democrats. which gave the
latter the local offices in New York. Ohts
and Massachusetts,. and elected Seward
Chase and Sumner to the Senate.
Thomas Benton Of Missouri was then
as he had been for years, a leader of the
Senate. Soon after Sumner took his sea;
in the body. which had been made famous
by great men, Benton one day said IT,
Sumner in a patronizing way:
Benton's Arrogant Prediction.
Sumner, sir, you have come upon the
stage too late. Not only have our grea,
men passed away, but the great issues
have been settled also. The last Of these
was the national bank. and that has been
overthrown forever Nothing is left you
sir but puny sectional questions and petty
strffes about slavery and fugitive slave
laws, involving no national interests
Sumner had only two coajutors in oppos-
Ing slavery and in advocating freedom
when he entered the Senate. When he
died he was the recognized leader of more
than two-thirds of that body. A leading
whig newspaper of Boston denounced HIN
as an agitator' when he left that city to
take his seat in the Senate. Indeed. he
was refused a place on any committee OF
the Senate, as being outside of any healthy
political organization
Conditions changed slowly but surely.
Sumner lived to exercise a controlling in
f1uence in the politics of the old bay state
and to be the chairman Of the Senate COM
mittee on foreign affairs. 1t is a fact that
Sumner disappointed many of his friends
in Boston during his early life as a United
States senator. They expected him to jump
into the fight against slavery the first
day. and this he did not do. As soon as
he considered 1t practicable for a new
member to make move he began to &C.
cupy the floor of the Senate chamber.
Sumner a Handsome Man.
Summers speeches were able, exhaustive
polished. It was a pleasure to hear him in
their delivery. The holiness of his Language
secured recognition as the chosen champion
of freedom.
cat that time Sumner was strikingly pre-.
possessing in his appearance. He was more
than six feet In stature, with a broad chest
and graceful manners. His features, though
not perhaps strictly regular. were classical
and naturally Of an animated cast. His
hazel eyes were somewhat infiamed by night
work. He wore no beard. except a small
pair of side whiskers. and his black hail
lay IN masses over his high forehead. ~
Ben Perley Poore. who saw Sumner ani
Salmon P. Chase as they came together tc
a dinner party at the British legation one
evening, each wearing a blue broadclott
dress coat with gilt buttons, white waist
coat and black trousers, declared he coulG
not remember ever having seen two finer
looking men in Washington.
II remember well the excitement that at.
tended the assault upon Sumner by Preston
Brooks of South Carolina. 1t was cow
ardly act. The debate in the House of Rep
resentatives over resolution censuring
Brooks for his murderous attack was mark.
ed by acrimonious alterations.
"Anson Burlingame, member OF the
House from Massachusetts,, accepted G
challenge from Brooks, and selected a hote
at Niagara Falls as the place of meeting
Brooks friends in the south declared thai
Burlingame chose that place that the due
might not take place, as 1t would not be
safe for Brooks to pass through the north
ern states, where the people despised him.
Prominent Names for Vice President
"Do you know that in the republican CON
vention at Philadelphia, which nominated
Fremont and Dayton for President and Vice
President the names Of Sumner. Abraham
Lincoln. Nathaniel P. Banks and David
Wilmot of tproviso fame were also voted
for for the second place on the ticket? Well
they were.
Il recall with pleasure mingled with sad
ness when I reflect that those towering oaks
are all gone. the exciting debates on the ad-
mission Of Kansas and the powerful
speeches of Sumner, Henry Wilson, William
Pitt Fessenden and William H. Seward par
ticularly. 1t was just about this time that
the venerable Galusha Grow of Pennsyl-
vania had a physical encounter with Rep
resentative Keitt of South Carolina, knock
Ing him down.
"Fessenden was a statesman of great
power and comprehensiveness. He pos
sessed mental energies Of the very highest
order. As chairman of the committee on
finance he was really the leader OF the
Senate. Sumner regarded his position as
head Of the committee on foreign relations
as superior to all others In Congress.
Henry Wilson. who welded enormous
power as chairman Of the committee on
military affairs during the civil war, was a
brigadier general Of militia in Massachu-
sets before the war. He raised a three
years regiment, which he brought to Wash
ington. Not wishing to take the field, he
resigned the command and solicited from
General Mcclellan a position on his staff.
Kept His Bed for Week.
when Wilson reported for duty he was
ordered to appear the next morning, mount
ed. and accompanied by two staff officers,
for mr. of inspection around the forth
fications con......ccns to Washington. I'm
accustomed to horsemaIs,.-~H: the ride OF
thirty or more miles in single day Uas> TOO
much for the senator, who kept his bed fot
a week and then resigned his staff position
Wilson performed herculean labors on his
committee.
Sumner was a man of tender heart.
During the trying days of the civil war he
was a constant visitor to the military hos
pitfalls. oftentimes going from bed to bed,
cheering up the men who had been wounded
in battle.
Unfortunate 1t was that there should
have been any dissensions between Sumner
and General Grant. Sumner with all his
ability and craftsmanship. was not free
from egotism. He actually thought Grant
should have consulted him in the formation
OF his cabinet. The breach gradually
widened. Wilson. when he became Vice