The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-05-12
THOMAS HART BENTON.

Before proceeding 10 the main question UNI
der consideration, we will briefly expose some
Of the prominent motives which have actuated
the Missouri Senator. II is generally known
in Mis- ,ouri, at least, that Mr. Benton will be in
minority when the next Legislature meets, and
that he has ruled with fear, not love, and many
who have supported him despised him at the
same time Seeing that the Administration
divided the Democratic party in Missouri, nay,
"akes the lions share" we confess we have
marveled for several months that some neap
humbug had not been started by the Senator
under review.
At length, finding that the principles and prac-
ices Of the President were so purely Republi-
can that even his mind, SO prolific in the arts of
assimilation and misrepresentation, could find
no honorable means to njure him in the estima-
lion of his constituents, he resorted 70 the base
expedent Of publishing confidential letters to
the Executive Letters, too, which the Presi-
dent never read But luckily the MadIsonian
circulates pretty extensively in the very hot
bed OF Ben,onism, and Benton himself will
stand disgraced and repudated by the very
friends and supporters that made him what he
is. He knew this fate awaited him, without he
could extricate himself by some trick. That he
might the more eftctually accomplish his de-
sign, he joined with Mangum and Clay to per-
secute the Madlsonian. With them he Joined
10 rob il of its implied contract TO execute the
Executive printing, and exhibited the will, if he
did not in reality contribute to plumber and rob
all g. al, nr
means they possessed. But falling to check the
career Of the paper by such unworthy means,
and exasperated al the execution it continues to
deal among his long cherished friends, he re-
solved to aim an nquisitorial blow at the person
of the editor To effect this, he was to get
resolution adopted that would cause us to be
taken before committee sitting in one Of the
lower rooms Of the Capitol Here he was
either to provoke US to assault him, or other
wise prove contumaclous, so that he might have
us thrown into prison, and thereby put stop 10
our pen The resolution is still pending and
wemost earnestly desire that he may succeed.
Another reason why our triumphant exposure
Of Mr. Bento4's nelarious arts in the publica-
lion of the letters surreptitiousy copied, has
irrated and stung him past all endurance is that
he combined with Clay and others to reject the
nomination of DR.. Reed, as Surveyor General,
a moderate Democrat. The letters written by
the Dr.'s enemies al ST. Louis, which were
made the pretence for his rejection, the DR.. was
not permitted 10 see, and was unable TO reiute
the charges made against him. Mr.. Benton
never cares about the sacrifice of individuals-
his party is every thing. For this reason, we
knou that at this moment nothing could annoy
him more than appointments by the President
from the Democratic ranks in Missouri. We
will give his democratic constituents full intor-
nation on this subject at the proper time. But
Or. Reed was re-nominated by the President,
and the nomination was confirmed. And this
confused and COMPOUNDED Mr. Benton beyond
precedent. His recent folly and prohigacy at
test it.
We will now recur 10 the debates in the Sc
nate. On Tuesday, Mr.. Benton rose in tow
enng passion-a Robesplerean fury--and ragged
ike chafed BULL His face was red and pale
by turns He was so, much confused and con-
founded that he contradicted his own admission
OF the day before, "thdt he had rritten the let
ter TO Mr.. Yam Buren, recommending Mr..
Watson on The ground Of PARTY SERVICES"
Nay, he contradcted himself in every para
graph. He distinctly charged the Postmaster
General with the authorship Of the article scor-
ing him TO the quick for the degrading act of
publishing confidential letters. He said the
Postmaster General mast have written it, be-
cause no one else could have access 10 Mr.. BIS
letters on fle--that extracts had been given
from these letters-theretore it must have been
the Postmaster General In the very next SEN
ence he declares he neper Wrote the letters!
A mere child would blush to be guilty Of such
absurdily.
Again, in the next breath he acknowledges
that he wrote such letters. He continues:
He wished to ascertain how it was that the edi-
tor Of the Madisonan had obtained possession of pa
pers which had been withheld from him There
were two ways in which the editor could have OBJ
tanned copies of them; one WIS, from the Committee
on the Post Office and Post Roads-the other, from
the Post Office Department. The article in the Mad
isonian to which he had referred, must have been
written by person who had access to the Post Office
Department negatively and afirmatively.n
Now, if these letters were not in existence,
why was il necessary for the writer" to have
access &c.
Next comes the famous epistle to Mr. Van
Buren, He proceeds:
That newspaper said that he Mr. Benton) would
not deny that he addressed President Van Buren, in
Mr. Watson's behalf, and urged his appointment on
acc unit of his party Services" Now, these words
party services" purport to be literal copy Of his
letter 10 President Van Buren, on the subject. This
was not true, for he had written such letter;
and he would here say that he was perfectly willing
that every letter which he had written when his
friends were in power, and which were in any De-
partment or office of the Government, should be
made public"