Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1912-08-24
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Famous Senator Who
Stood Isolated for 3 Years
By Holland

told yesterday, on the authority
Of the late Senator William =. Frye
OF Maine. what the real reason was
for the quarrel between President
Grant and Charles Sumner United
States Senator from Massachusetts
from 1851 until his death in 1874.
That quarrel took place in 1871. and
arose from the fact that Sumner, in
opposing the treaty of annexation
that President Grant had negotiated
with San Domingo, spoke twittingly
and sarcastically of Grants private
secretary, General o. y. Babcock, who
had negotiated the treaty with au-
thorities Of San Domingo Grant took
Summers references to Babcock as a
personal insult and announced at
once that all relations which we're
strictly personal between him an
Sumner were ended
There were, of course" said Sena-
tor Frye. "a great majority Of the
Republican Senators who were bound
warmly to support Grant in his quar-
rel with Sumner. The feeling became
so intense that at last it was sug-
gested--I think by Senator John
Sherman of Ohio-that Sumner be re-
moved from his place as chairman of
the committee on foreign relations,
which has the handling of all treaties
submitted by the President to the
Senate for ratification.
1.-THE Senator'S, you know, elect
their own committees. and early i'm
March, 1871, shortly after the quar-
rel between Sumner and Grant began,
the Republican Senators held a eau
Gus for the purpose of making the
committee appointments. At this
caucus. and by a large majority of
the votes cast Sumner was removed
from the craftsmanship which he had
held for eleven years, and General
simon Cameron Of Pennsylvania was
named in his place
Sumner felt the attack far more
grievously than he felt the personal
attack with a cane which was made
upon him in the Senate chamber in
1856 by hot-headed member Of Con-
gress from the South Yet his cor
duct was very dignifed In fact he
acted in such a manly manner that il
was decided by the Senators i'm caucus
to create new committee on privil-
eyes and elections and to name Sum
ner as chairman of that committee
But when he was. told that he had
been shifted 10 the Craftsmanship of
new committee he simply shook his
head. He would not accept that chair
manship.
Then happened a record which Is
/ n no ru IIrIN Ii -
American Congress. The great Sena-
tor from Massachusetts. as distin-
! guished a member of the United
states Senate as ever sat in that body,
served the remaining years Of his life
as senator without being chairman or
even member OF any committee. He
did not have committee room. He
was obliged to go direct from his re-
sidence to the Senate chamber be-
cause he did not have the convenient
workshop which the committee room
affords the chairman Of a committee.
He had no clerk. He was simply a
member Of the Senate. standing isol-
ated for the remaining three years of
his life.
1.-THE public did not realize this.
Even among Senators there was very
little reference to the strange situa-
tom in which the Senator from Mas
sachusetts was placed. Yet In all of
those three years OF isolation and of
practical ostracism Summers conduct
was dignihed and manly. nor did he
IN any manner reveal to a Senator
that mortal wound had been given
to him when he was dcposed from the
committee on foreign relations
but those who know Summer In
the last years Of his life were per
suaded that this blow was mortal
one. and was really the cause of his
death in 1874"
Copyright. 1912, by Il. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)