But he had an interest in the question of eternal
justice involved, and he was free to say that it was not correct to fry,
boil, or in any way cook a Jew as a Jew. Mr. SUMNER then sent to the
clerk's desk, and had read the statements of Shylock, which, he
observed, were written by the immortal SHAKSPEARE, relative to the
endowment of the Israelite with the usual limbs and features of other
members of society.
Mr. SPRAGUE mentioned that the Jews were persecuted because they were
rich. If the Senate were to allow this sort of thing to go on unrebuked,
the whole population of Rhode Island might say of their solvent Senator,
"Come, let us kill him, and the Pequashmeag Mills shall be ours." Let
the Senate think what an awful privation that would be.
This completely overcame the Senate, and it passed resolutions of
inquiry and indignation.
The Indian question came up, closely followed by THAYER, (of Nebraska,)
who observed that his constituents had the most rooted objection to
being scalped, and that they did not even contemplate with pleasure the
prospect of having their horses stolen or their habitations burned down.
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