“In this work of clearing away the rubbish of lies which
Slavery has heaped upon the real doctrines and purposes of
the Fathers, and bringing out into clear, glorious relief
the great truth and work of the Revolution, Mr. Sumner has
performed a service which no public man of our politics
has equalled. The whole of our history is searched and
illumined, and the most overwhelming mass of evidence
produced to the point, that a true construction of the
Constitution gives all men who pay taxes representation and
the ballot, thus basing free government upon the consent of
the governed. No such argument for free government has been
made in our day. For learning, cogency of logic, wealth of
illustration, felicity and splendor of diction, nobility
of tone and sentiment, and genuine eloquence, it will take
rank with the highest of forensic efforts. Already its
effect is visible in the political atmosphere. The public
feeling and thought have received an obvious elevation.”