Year: 1874

no;nt the following extract from his address is in
teresting as his first statement of plan for the work
of Ambition, which dId not reach completion fol
nearly twenty years


The time has passed when this be opposed on con-
sttutoua grounds. 1t will not be questioned by any
competent authority that Congress may by express leg
islatiop abolish Slavery, first in the District OF Conm
ba second in the Territories il there should be
third that It may abolish the slave trade on tho high
seas between the States fourth, tat may reiuso W
admit any new State with constitution sanctohhis
Slavery Nor can It be doubted tEat the people Of the
free States may in the pointed out by The Con
sutution, proceed to its amendment


In urging that constitutional means should DO
adopted to gain this end he said


There is In the Constitution compromise on tue SUD
ject OF Slavery of character not to re reached legally
and consttutOnally, which Is the only way IN which
propose to reach IT, Wherever power aud jurisdcton
are secured to Congress- they may unquesonaby DE eh
orcsed in conformity with tho Constitution And even
In the matters beyond existing powers and jurisdiction
thero constitutional mode OF action. Tue C0nstltu


on contains article pointing out how, at any time,
amendments may be made thereto. This Ia an impor-
TAM article, giving TO tho Constitution progressive
character aud allowing it to be nodded 70 suit new
exigencies conditions of feeling. The wise
trainers Of this instrument did not treat the country as
Chinese foot grow after Its infancy but antc
pated the chang incident to its growth.


This was shortly followed by public letter, be-
slowing withering rebuke on Robert &. Winthrop.
then member of the House from Massachusetts,,
for his vote In favor of the Mexican war or course
these vigorous utterances rendered it clear that Mr.
Sumner could not long remain with tho Wings, and


in 1913 he joined the Free Sellers, whose principles
he had already promulgated in his speeches, and
supported their candidates. Van Buren, and Adams,
in the Presidential contest of that year.


The crisis which comes in the lives of all men
came to two distinguished sons of Massachusetts, at
one and the same time Under the critical test of
tho Fugitive Slave law agitation. Webster went
down and Sumner, youthful champion of the rights
of man, rose above him. The latter said in his
address oa "Our Recent Antl-Slavery Duties" be-
lore the Free Soil State Convention at Boston in
1850, of the President who had signed the Fugitive
Slave,law: "Other Presidents may be forgotten;
but the name signed to the Fugitive Slave bill can
never be forgotten. There are depths of infamy
well as nights Of fame" And the tide of indignation
which arose in the North was directed no less al
tho President who signed the bill than at the
recreant Senator who pandcred to the shareholders
in the hope Of becoming the slavehOlders Presl-
dent. Webster left the Senate to take Cabinet
place, and Sumner was chosen to succeed him after
q contest in which the principles involved were so
weghty, and the result so sguihcant that the whole
country watched it with eager attention, and the
now growing Anti-Slavery party hailed the issue
everywhere as a decisive triumph. His field of BAT
tie had spread out its borders 50 as to embrace
q whole country. He took his seat in the Senate,
deeply impres ssed with the importance of the hour
and pledged in letter to the Legislature to oppose
all sectlonalism whether ii appear IN uncOnstitu-
tonal efforts by the North to carry great boon
as freedom into the Slave States. or in unconstltu-
tonal efforts Of the South, aided by Northern
allies to carry the sectional evil of Slavery into
the free States; or in whatsoever IT may
make to extend the sectional domination
of Slavery over the National Government
All the courage GOODNESS, and strength he possessed
he needed in the conflict with this powerful and willy
enemy There was no appeal to cOwardice, ambi-
tion vanity or greed that not made to the few
brave opponents of Slavery in Congress. Giddings,
one of the sturdiest Of them ALL said of this blood
less contest: "Tve seen hard fighting with clubs
and bullets; Pve seen men falling all around me
but tell you it takes courage to stand up in
ones seat in Congress and say the right thing than
to walk up to the calnon's mouth There's no such
courage "a that of the Ant-Slavery men here" Soon
after taking his seat Mr. Sumner advocated che
granting fDf aid to railroads through the new
Western States. His first utterances on the subject
nearest his heart made on the 26th OF August,
1852 when he delivered his famous speech on q mo
tion to repeal tho Fugitive Slave law, entitled
Freedom National, Slavery Sectional" 1t was the
more fiery and indignant from the fact that by par
liameltary maneuverlng he was never allowed TO
gain the hOor and was compelled to seize an oPpor-
tunIty when for his opponents were off their
guard 1t is in reference to this speech that 1T has
been said that if Daniel Webster merted the title
of the great expounder of the Constitution Sumner
this crisis merited that of the great defender Of
the Constitution" The concluding passage of the
speech gave perhaps the most concise summary pos
sbo of his arguments to prove that Slavery existed
in violation of the Constitution AS such it is worth
quoting:


this argument ana gather II together. Con-
sdering that slavery of such offensive character
has no such positive" sanction in the Constitution
tsst the Constitution according to s pra@6 gss
blessings OF liberty )" that in the Convention which
ssred not ls TO SANCTION slavery that according TO the
Declaration OF Independence and the address or the
Continental Congress the nation was dedicated TO
liberty" and rights OF human nature" thai
cordng the principles Of common law the Consutu
ally for Freedom that according to the decision OF the
Supreme Court acts upon slaves moi ds proDtrY but
Government, under Washington, slavery had no
national favor, existed nowhere on the national terri
tory beneath the national flag, but was openly oon-
demned by the naton the church, the colleges and hts
rature Of the time and, finally that according TO
amendment TO the Consultation the National Govern
ment can only exercise powers delegated TO IL among
which there Is none 70 support Slavery considering
things, Sir, II Is impossible 10 avoid the single
conclusion taat Slavery is in respect national in
stiuton, and the Constitution nowhere uphoids prop
orty in man.


On the lst of August 1853 Mr.. Sumner spoke at a
celebration of the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers in
which he took occasion again to express his views
on the subject which then absorbed all mems minds
G tba Lotto ba in tba in
speech of great power, the repeal of the Missouri
no he - is ar tho