Edward L. Pierce, Memoir and letters of Charles Sumner: volume 3

[320] gentleman, and a friend of mine. I trust his hardness against antislavery may be changed in England.

To Miss Wortley, London, November 10:—

Two events of importance have happened here,—Mr. Webster's death, and General Pierce's election. the first has caused in this part of the country a profound sensation, vying even with that caused in England by the death of the Duke of Wellington. It is evident that he did not die too soon. The business of his office had of late been neglected, and several matters seriously compromised by mismanagement,—among, which was the affair of Lobos and the fisheries question. Mr. Everett, who has taken his place as Secretary of State, has been moved partly by the desire that a friendly hand should close the business of his office. I am glad that Everett is there;¹ he shrinks from no labor, and is full of knowledge, to say nothing of genius. Mrs. Everett's health will not permit her to accompany him to Washington.

I think that your father² anticipated General Pierce's election. So did all here, except the more active partisans against him, and General Scott himself, who continued to the last sanguine of success. I remember at, the dinner at the Calderons, where we met. that he said to me that he should be “hard to beat.” Remember me kindly to your father and mother, and to your Uncle James.³

The session of Congress, beginning Dec. 7, 1852, and ending March 3, 1853, was undisturbed by any debate concerning slavery. Chase, Hale, and Sumner, the three Free Soilers, were omitted from the list of committees which was agreed upon by the Democratic and Whig senators, with the explanation that they were ‘outside of any healthy political organization.’ Vacancies were left for these senators, but on a ballot being taken to fill them, though each received some votes, there was no quorum and no election. The President, being authorized to fill them, assigned a place to Hale, but not to the other two.⁴ Sumner, though then as always faithful in attendance, was inactive during the session,—a fact true of other senators who were not charged with important committee work. He spoke briefly, February 23, in favor of giving the President a discretion to appoint civilians as superintendents of armories.⁵ In the special session he spoke briefly, April 6, against secrecy in the sessions and proceedings of the Senate, except for special reasons, and concluded his remarks⁶ as follows:—