Excerpt from Alleged Assault Upon Senator Sumner: Report; June 2, 1856 The committee have extended to the parties implicated the fullest facilities for taking exculpatory testimony. There is no proof to show, nor has it been in any way intimated, that Mr. Brooks at any time, in any manner, directly or indirectly, notified Mr. Sumner Of his intention to make the assault. There is no evidence that Mr. Sumner ever carried weapons, either for the purpose of attack or defence; on the contrary, it appears that he did not anticipate personal violence until at the instant he received the first blow, and that he was not armed or otherwise prepared in any respect for self defence. There is no evidence beyond the character Of the attack tending to Show an intention on the part of Mr. Brooks to kill the Senator, his expressions being that he did not intend to kill, but to punish him but the committee cannot but regard the assault as a most ?agrant violation, not only Of the privileges Of the Senate and of the House, as co-ordinate branches of the legislative department Of the govern ment, and the personal rights and privileges Of the Senator, but Of the rights Of his constituents and Of our character as a nation. It was premeditated during a period Of at least two days, without any other provocation than words lawfully spoken in debate in the Senate chamber, not ruled out Of order by the President Of the Senate, nor objected to by any Senator as violative of the rules established for the government and order of that body. The act cannot, therefore, be regarded by the committee otherwise than as an aggravated assault upon the inestimable right Of freedom of speech guarantied by the Constitution. It asserts for physical force a prerogative over governments, constitutions, and laws; and, if car ried to its ultimate consequences, must result in anarchy and bring in its train all the evils Of a reign Of terror. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. |