Evening journal., 1914-12-31
New News Of Yesterday
Why Senator Sumner Was
Up All Night
By Holland.

The Senate of the United States was
sitting at a special session in March,
1867, and nothing of Importance was
in progress in the morning hour. 1t
was noticed, however that Charles
Sumner. Senator from Massachusetts
and chairman of the Foreign Rela-
tions Committee of the Senate, ap-
peared to be unusually alert. This
was regarded as all the more strange
in view of the fact that Senator sum
ner confessed to colleague that he
had been up almost all the night be-
fore.
Senator Sumner did not give the
reason for this nocturnal vigilance,
although those who knew him well
could have surmised that he was
busily occupied in preparing a speech.
That, however, was not the occupa-
tion of Senator Sumner the night
previous He was, in fact, about to
20 to bed, having entertained few
friends at dinner that evening and the
last guest having just departed, when
a visitor was announced who asked
that Senator Sumner be told that he
had an important message which de-
manded immediate attention and that
he was sent by the Secretary of State,
Mr. Seward. That was a summons
which Senator Summer was sure TO
heed. for at that time he was on ex-
cellent terms with Mr.. Seward. When
the Senator appeared. the messenger
who was presumably the Assistant
Secretary of State, Frederick w.
Seward-deliverd the important mes
sage. Years afterward, when Assist
ant Secretary Seward was asked If
il were not he who carried the mes
sage from the State Department to
Senator Sumner he merely smiled.
No verbal answer could be obtained
from him.
The message was substantially as
follows: "Mr. Seward has been in
formed by the Russian minister that
Pussia is willing to sell the Alaskan
peninsula to the United States for
S7.2O0.OO0 The minister is with the
Secretary at the State Department
now. The treaty is being drafted. Mr.
Seward regards it as of the utmost
importance that you be present 50
that you. as chairman of the Foreign
Relations Committee, can explain the
treaty to the Senate"
Senator Sumner needed no further
urging and in few moments he was
at the State Department. The treaty
as it was finally drafted, embodied
some of the Senator's suggestions
This was the reason why Senator
Sumner was occupied until dawn thu
night before and why he nevertheless
seemed very alert At last a mes
senger from the White House an
nounced a message from the Presi
dent. Senators looked queerly a
one another, for the presumption
was that the message was anothe
of the many vetoes written by tn
President. Instead of that, however
the President pro tempore, Senate
Wade. of Ohio, announced that tn
President had submitted treaty Z
tile Senate for its consideration. In
stantly Senator Sumner was upon hi
feet and his maner as well as hi
words indicated that he knew wha
the treaty contained and that 1t ha
his cordial approval. In great meas
ure due to his influence and argu
ment, the treaty was ratified a fey
days later, the money paid to Russi
and Alaska became the possession G
the United States. at a cost consider
ably less than the aggregate valu
of the gold taken from the Alaska
mines in a single year.
Copyright. 1914, by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved)
Tomorrow Mr.. Edwards will tel
How Secretary Seward Made tn
Alaska Purchase"