Year: 1866




Charles Sumner is peerless illustration
of the maxim of Beaumarchais "My God,
what idiots these men of talent are" His
Oratory is polished, elegant aud pedantic, but
hopeless impracticable in its teachings. He
is invariably as rhetorically correct as he is
radically wrong. All that labor can achieve,
all that patience can accomplish, is brought
into requisitiOn in the accomplishment of his
objects. No pent up Utica contains his de-
signs and he theories for the whole race to
which be belongs, and would extend bis
schemes to the planet Neptune if communi-
cations with that celestial body could be ef-
fected. His generaizations are far-reacbing,
and no limited ambition contracts the ap-
plicstlou of his principles. He would, upon
the least provocation, frame a code of laws
for the government of the inhabitants of the
whole uuiyerse after the prescribed formulas
laid down at the Hub of the Universe. One
remarkable feature in the political diagnosis
of his case is the extreme passion which he
exhibits when he finds that his teachings are
disregarded, and like Malay running muck,
he strikes friend and foe until exhaustion is
the result. He rails at the President like a
very Therstes in the camp of his party,
aud will doubtless continue his deuunciations
until some Odysseus administers a chastise~
ment equally abusive.


At the present time he seems bent upon
forcing upon the South a principle OF suf.
lrage which has not been adopted outside of
the first five New England States The
late defeat Of the measure in Connecticut
ought to convince Mr.. Sumner of the nar-
row circle over which his influence extends.
The controlling political power Of this coun-
try must in future rest in the West, and the
gentlemen who receive their inspiration
from the collective wisdom of the radical
club, had better 6rst ascertain whether their
ideas will SUIT the atmosphere Of the parties
Ii this precaution is not adopted they may
often 6ud their political dove returning to
its Bostonian ark without an olive branch
for their encouragement. When the West
adopts the theories of New England, it will
be time for their originatOrs to think of en-
forcing them upon the nation at large.


, 1t is useless, however, to deny the earn
estness of the great radical chief The sins
cerity with which sentiments are entertained
is nevertheless, with many the best warrant
for their adoption. Throughout the length
and breadth of the land we find many Dom.
inie Sampson ready to shout "prodigious" at
whatever Mr. Sumner may do His great
error lies in wishing to move faster than his
age The time may come when his theories
will be applicable, but at present they are en-
tirely out of place. Whenever any change
is to be effected, the object sought must be
in harmony with existing conditions. If it
is not, no permanent change will be brought
about. To expect to establish negro suf'
frage at the South in the present condition
of the black population, would be about as
lasting an experiment as the creation Of
republican form of government among the
people of the Saxon Heptarchy Whenever
claim is supported by the intelligence, the
moral and intellectual strength necessary to
understand that a right exists, that right
must be granted. Do the negroes sufficient
y understand the benefits or the necessities
of suffrage? The answer. in all candor and
fairness, must be in the negative.