On the record
The common man may counterbalance the vote of the great statesman or great judge, but he cannot counterbalance this influence.
Source
gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Sumner asserts that while the common man can vote, he cannot match the broader influence of a prominent figure.
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More from Charles Sumner
Above all, welcome to the united regenerated Democracy of the North, which spurns the mockery of a Republic, with professions of Freedom on the lips, while the chains of Slavery clank in the Capitol!
Men are erring and mortal; principles are steadfast and immortal.
They belong to a system so essentially irrational, that all the admitted virtues of many of its agents cannot save it from judgment.
Controlled by such a code, employing such representatives, sustained by such agencies, animated by such Furies, and producing such fruits of tears and bitterness, it must be open to question.
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