[Tired of Taxes]

Thank you, x.

I saw that part of the speech before I replied. Because Sumner used the word mistress as a metaphor for slavery in that passage, I figured either Sumner was misunderstood, or Brooks overreacted, or Brooks was reacting to something else Sumner said.

I, too, see no justification for the beating of Sumner. That beating sounds more like attempted murder.

[DiogenesLamp]

Brooks probably shouldn't have hit him in the head so much, but Sumner definitely deserved to get beaten.