Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume XV.djvu/489

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SUMKER est mode of bringing the war to a close. He based his arguments not only on moral and historical, but on constitutional grounds, and always claimed that his positions were in strict accordance with the constitution of the United States. In March, 1861, when the republican party obtained the control of the senate, Mr. Sumner was made chairman of the commit- tee on foreign relations. On Jan. 9, 1862, he delivered an elaborate speech arguing that the seizure of Messrs. Mason and Slidell on board the steamer Trent was unjustifiable on the principles of international law which had al- ways been maintained by the United States. This speech had great influence in reconciling the public to the surrender of the confeder- ate envoys. Later in the war he made pow- erful speeches on " Our Foreign Relations " (1863), and on "The Case of the Florida" (1864), and in 1865 he pronounced a eulogy on President Lincoln. A speech upon our claims on England, April 13, 1869, caused great ex- citement and indignation in Great Britain, where it was erroneously supposed to threaten war and regarded as an attempt to excite pop- ular feeling against that country by exagger- ating the "consequential damages" she had incurred in recognizing the belligerency of the seceding states and in allowing the confederate cruisers to sail from her ports. In the same year his opposition to the Santo Domingo treaty, against which he delivered a speech in the sen- ate, brought him into collision with the admin- istration of President Grant, and led to his removal in March, 1870, from the chairman- ship of the committee on foreign relations, and ultimately to his separation from the re- publican party and his support of Horace Gree- ley, the liberal republican and democratic can- didate for president in 1872. In the spring of that year he had delivered in the senate an animated speech against the renomination of President Grant, which did not have the weight he expected with the republican con- vention that met shortly afterward. On Sept. 11 a convention of democrats and liberal re- publicans, held at Worcester, Mass., nominated him for governor of the state ; but he had al- ready gone to Europe for medical advice, and when the news of his nomination reached him in England he declined it. He returned from Europe late in 1872, and on taking his seat in the senate reintroduced two measures which he had unsuccessfully proposed before. One was the civil rights bill, the other a resolution providing that the names of the battles won over fellow citizens in the civil war should be removed from the regimental colors of the army and from the army register. This last resolution was strongly denounced, and led to a vote of censure on him by the legislature of Massachusetts in 1873, which was rescinded in 1874, shortly before his death. He died of an- gina pectoris, after an illness of a few hours. Mr. Simmer's addresses were first collected un- der the title of "Orations and Speeches" (2 SUMTER 469 vols. 12mo, Boston, 1850), to which was added " Recent Speeches and Addresses" (12mo, Bos- ton, 1856). During the last years of his life he prepared a final and complete collection entitled " The Works of Charles Sumner " (12 vols., Boston, 187l-'5). Two or three more volumes are to appear, under the charge of his executors, of whom the chief is Prof. Longfel- low. See "A Memorial of Charles Sumner," published by order of the legislature of Massa- chusetts (Boston, 1874), and "Life and Public Services of Charles Sumner," by C. Edwards Lester (New York, 1874). SOLVER, John Bird, an English clergyman, born at Kenilworth, Warwickshire, in 1780, died in London, Sept. 6, 1862. He graduated at Cambridge, and in 1820 became canon of Durham, in 1828 bishop of Chester, and in 1848 archbishop of Canterbury. He was a leader of the evangelical school in the church of England, and while he was primate of Eng- land occurred the controversy about the work entitled "Essays and Reviews," and also the revival of the synodical power of the convo- cations. He published an essay on " Apostoli- cal Preaching " (London, 1815) ; " The Records of Creation" (2 vols., 1816), which won the second Burnet prize of 400; "Evidences of Christianity" (1824); and a volume of selec- tions entitled "Practical Reflections" (1859). SUMTER, the name of four counties in the United States. I. An E. county of South Car- olina, bounded W. by the Wateree river, and drained by Black river and its affluents ; area, about 900 sq. m. ; pop. in 1875, 31,480, of whom 23,086 were colored. The surface is generally undulating and the soil fertile, and there are extensive forests of pine. It is in- tersected by the Wilmington, Columbia, and Augusta railroad and its branch. The chief productions in 1870 were 189,039 bushels of Indian corn, 36,113 of sweet potatoes, 7,212 bales of cotton, 245,325 Ibs. of rice, and 2,282 tons of hay. There were 905 horses, 1,126 mules and asses, 1,699 milch cows, 2,630 other cattle, 1,075 sheep, and 658 swine; 6 man- ufactories of carriages and wagons, 4 of tar and turpentine, and 5 saw mills. Capital, Sumter Court House. II. A S. W. county of Georgia, bounded E. by Flint river ; area, about 600 sq. m.; pop. in 1870, 16,559, of whom 10,639 were colored. The surface is level and the soil fertile. It is traversed by the South- western railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 280,379 bushels of Indian corn, 22,085 of oats, 11,516 of peas and beans, 40,- 924 of sweet potatoes, 12,823 bales of cotton, 61,031 Ibs. of butter, and 15,310 gallons of molasses. There were 634 horses, 1,796 mules and asses, 1,768 milch cows, 3,878 other cattle, 832 sheep, and 12,624 swine. Capital, Ameri- cus. III. A central county of Florida, bounded W. by the Withlacoochee river ; area, 1,370 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 2,952, of whom 980 were colored. The surface is generally level and swampy, and there are several small lakes.