, 1840-03-07
SALT DOCUMENTS-DU TIES-FlSH.
ING BOUNTIES, sc.
Feb. IA, 1910.

in relation to Fishing Bounties and Aliowan-
ces, which had been referred to the Commit
tee on Finance, and reported back to the
Senate.
Mr.. Benton took occasion, as usual. TO al
Jude TO his great exertions to abolish the du.
ties on Salt, and these fishing counties and
allowances, DC. lie went back to his ear
" efforts in this cause, g. reminded the Sen.
ate o: the decided stand which had been Ia
ken against all his movements for his mo-
menious objects by Senators on all sides,
friends and foes. lie had stood alone-yes,
solitary and alone! He now only wanted
a clear stage. For that purpose he wished
the documents before the Senate, SO impor-
tant to the great end which he contempla-
ted. He wished TO send these documents
all over the country and therefore asked
that an extra number Of cnpeis should be
printed.
Mr.. Clay Of Kentucky opposed the mo-
ton. He said that If these documents were
not more valuable than the salt documents
of which so many copies printed at the last
session, on motion of the Senator OF Mis-
souri,, a more was.cful and proii;less eypen-
diture Of the public money could not tie
made than IN printing them. the most Of that
document had been taken up by The questions
AMI answers, tending 10 show that salt was
very important and necessary IN the pre-
p~aralion of food for different kinds Of cattle!
We had to send to England for this intorma-
tion!-to give 10 our Western graziers, for
the guidance in preparing food for the an
imals they raised. lie was opposed to this
C,sn g, 3D., ,.ap,ncai in p-in.rn.r-
Mr.. Benton then rose, and made another
speech in his characteristic style, denouncInS
the duties as most diubolicdl and danndbts
m~onopolles, g.. g., and worthy to have
conceived only by devils ont of he'll" and
no, by statesmen or by men!
When he finished, Mr.. Allen, the 'young
Demosthenes" of OHIO, got up, and entered
into a elogium of the documents about salt.
fishing bouniies. &c. and of the exertIons
Of his friend Of Missouri. III. h ID MT been
able to supply half Of his constituents who
sent 10 him Tor the salt documents. lie then
launched out into general denunCia,ions OF
the owners of salt property as '~'monopolIstS,
as combinations to Cypress the people,"&c
DC. For half IN hour we heard nothing bnl
monopoly! monopoly!-popular ri.hts-iew
against the many, DC. Sc.-all the common
place stuff that Is IN the mouth oil every
shallow demagogue from one end Of the
country TO the other.
When this blast Of agrarianisn was over,
Mr.. Clay rose, and pu, 10 Mr.. Allen the
question. whether he could state 4 single fact
contained ia the salt document. which he
was not already in the possession OF every
man among his constituents. Was there
any thing in it not perfectly we'll known 10
the whole yeomcn Of the country, The
whole substance Of the document was TO
state that salt was 4 thing 10 put in the food
of cattle. That was truly an important
piece Of intelligence 10 send 10 the kelwicks
of Ohio, the C~unninghams of Kentucky,
and other great g%taziers Of the West!-and
10 do so; an enormous quantity oil docu-
men,s is to be printed!
NJ. Clay turned TO another part Of The
speech OF Mr.. Allen-tliat which manifested
the spirit of destruction so life Of late, He
noted it as 4 sign of the times. 1t was a
new cry-,hat the owners of salt property
are not to sell at the prices they can procure,
without being denounced rs monopolists!
And how, asked Mr.. Clay,) are they to
be put down? BY repeating the duties on
salt-by taking off six cents a bushel.
Mr.. Clay protested against these doc
trines, and this clamor the Senator from
Ohio had made against those whom he nc
cused of being monopoIists. He said that
the Southern Convention that had recently
assembled for the purpose Of increasing the
value and the prices Of their staples, was in
the Senator'S view. a body of manopolists!
So are the Hemp Growers Of Kentucky,
who have been struggling for n similar object
in regard to their products! lie could not
hear such doctrines without meeting them
at the threshold, and denouncing them as in
spired by the levelling, deleterous. Obstructive
spirit abroad, which attacked one institution
to-day another Tomorrow, and which, unless
arrested, would overturn all the establish
ments Of the country. 1t was time, said he.
for Senator's TO put their faces against all
these dogmas, pernicious in their charater,
and abominable in taeir consequences.
Mr.. Benton made smother long and more
than usually egotistical speech in defence OF
his own course on the matter, and IN expla-
nation Of his salt documents.
Mr.. Webster said he hoped the time was