Charles Sumner: “Pardon me, but I never tire of reminding my fellow-citizens, that, when Washington took his first oath as President, the…”

“Pardon me, but I never tire of reminding my fellow-citizens, that, when Washington took his first oath as President, the Constitution nowhere on the land, within the national jurisdiction, covered a slave; and surely the Republican party cannot err, if it seeks to bring back the condition of things under Washington.”