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Chapter 56: San Domingo again.—the senator's first speech.—return of the angina pectoris.—Fish's insult in the Motley Papers.— the senator's removal from the foreign relations committee.—pretexts for the remioval.—second speech against the San Domingo scheme.—the treaty of Washington.—Sumner and Wilson against Butler for governor.—1870-1871.
Sumner, it may be repeated, had kept hitherto strictly within the line of his right and duty as a senator in his discussions of the
San Domingo scheme.
He had given the
President by word or act no just cause of offence, the latter's friends as well as the record being witnesses.
He felt—and in this he was justified by common belief—that
Motley's removal was a blow struck at him personaly; but that wound would have healed with time, explanations, or the intervening of other questions.
He was still a Republican, loyal to his party, and so avowed himself.
The scheme which had divided the party was wanting in public favor, and had been rejected by the decisive vote of the Senate.
Without its further agitation there would be harmony; its revival was sure to bring discord.
The President, however, acting wholly on his own motion or more or less by the instigation of others, decided to bring the disturbing question again to the front.
His decision was deeply regretted by the mass of the members of his party in Congress and in the country, and it was fraught only with mischief.
In his annual message, in December, 1870, he earnestly urged upon Congress early action for acquiring ‘the island of
San Domingo.’
1 His estimates of the capacities of the territory were wildly extravagant.
2 Its acquisition would in his view reduce our imports by one hundred millions of dollars, turn the balance of foreign trade in our favor, stimulate enormously commerce and industry, open a market for the products of our farms and
