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Any shock to them, as in the present case, becomes a precedent by which liberty and justice suffer.
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gutenberg.orgEditor's note · Context
Sumner warns that any disruption to established rules can set a dangerous precedent for liberty and justice.
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More from Charles Sumner
I agree with the Convention in the importance of the new organization; nor do I think there are many candid persons, recognizing morals as the soul of all true politics, who will hesitate in this conclusion.
At Baltimore the delegation of the most important State in the Union, known to be in favor of the Wilmot Proviso, was refused admission to the Convention.
As the Brotherhood of Man is practically recognized, it becomes impossible to restrict the feeling within any exclusive circle of country, and to set up an unchristian distinction of honor between civil war and international war.
In this contest, we may borrow from the ancient Greek, who, when his hands were cut off, fought with his stumps, and even with his teeth.
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