The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1843-01-21
A SAMPLE OF SENATOR BENTON

A SAMPLE OF SENATOR BENTON.
The speech of Senator Benton, on the late
Treaty, considered with reference TO its extent
merely, is assuredy one of the greatest speeches
ever delivered on earth. Some doubts have
been expressed indeed, whether this speech,
occupying no less than seventy nine closely
printed columns, ever was, in fact, delivered
orally, and in the presence Of any wide-awake
audience some doubts exist whether even Sen
ator Benton possesses the lungs of leather and
face of brass which would have been necessary
to the accomplishment of such task. BE that
as it may, no one can help feeling some degree
OF admiration at the unwearied industry and in
genuity with which such a stupendous super
structure has been raised upon no foundation
whatever.
This Boanerges of the West is, in one point
Of view, quite formidable antagonist. Uniting,
in fearful combination, "a forty -parson pow
err Of pressing, with forty -peutifogger power of
quibbling, travestying the truth, and making the
worse appear the better cause, he has the advan
rage of being able to make, upon any subject he
chooses, an unansperdble speech. For, who
can pretend to follow him in such vast and
complicated labyrinth Of misrepresentation p
A commentary on his speech would as much
exceed the speech in length as the speech itself
exceeds the Treaty, and would spoil as much
paper as, If cut into strips like Queen Dido's
hide, would be sufficien, to environ, not only the
disputed territory, but the whole area of the Re
public.
The most that we can do, therefore, is to Sc
lect sample from his speech, point out the
beauties Of il, and say, ab uno disco omnes !;
and, in order that not the slightest injustice may
be done to him in the selection of this sample,
We shall choose that portion of his speech in
which he evidently seems to have taken most
delight himself, and where his exultation runs
riot in contemplating the dishonor which he
fancies and hopes that the late negotiation has
heaped upon the country. We allude TO the ten
columns devoted TO the case of the Caroline
Ii is in this case, he thinks, that the reputation
OF the country has most signally, most deeply,
and most obviously suffered. OF the seven sub
jects Of difference with Great Britain which he
enumerates, none in his opinion have been set
tied honorably-but, in the case of the Caroline
above all, he thinks that "Messrs. TYLER and
Webster" have most shamefully and fagranty
lent themselves to the humiliation of their coun-
try. Accordingly, he reserves it as bonnie
bouche.
4" The Caroline" says he, ais The last of the
seven subjects, in The arrangement which
make Of them. reserve il for the last; the ex-
IRENE isnoniny of its termination, making it,
in my opinion, the natural conclusion of dis
graceful negotiation. Ii is case in which all
the sources Of national degradation seem TO have
been put in equi.ition-dip lomacy, legisla-
ton, the judiciary, and even the military"
Now, if this csp-sheaf of the laborious sena-
tors immense stack Of arguments, should hap
pen to prove mere bundle Of straw, without
SINCE grain of reason in it, the value Of the rest
of the chat and rubbish which he has heaped
together may Re easily calculated.
Few of our readers can be ignorant Of the
circumstances attending the destruction of the
steamboat Caroline; and most Of them will well
recollect the condition Of our Northern frontier
At that tme-the meetings of "synpalhizers,n
the banding together of armed ''patriots,n the
robbery OF arsenals, and other occurrences which
called forth the strongly -worded proclamation OF
President Van Buren,, and caused the passing OF
a special act Of Congress, for the purpose of re-
stralning military incursions into the British
provinces. There are few, therefore, who are
not able 10 form their own opinion, without any
assistance from the CLOSES Of either Senators
or diplomstists, Of the degree Of prdeocation
under which the Canadian authorities acted 10
invading our territory for the purpose Of destroy
ing the Caroline. That there was an outrage
committed on us, for which atonement was due.
no American will pretend to deny. The ques-
tion is, what was the degree Of outrage and
what should have been the measure of atone
ment7 Was it wholly upprovoked, unmhi.
gated outrage, for which instant and complete
satisfaction should have been exacted
1t suits the purpose Of Mr. Senator Benton,
nor, to represent this affair Of the Caroline in
the most lively colors-to describe il in the most
exciting and exasperstng language. The Ca.
madam authorities, he says, ''in attacking the
Caroline, attacked the United States-smote IFS
hsg-s,ruck its Government-struck the whole
Un'on-and emphatically said 10 us, they would
ehast'se our citizens for US, and Great Britain
would back them 10 doing h7p
The destruction Of the Caroline took place in
December, 1897, more than three wear, previ-
Gus to the close Of Mr.. Van Buen's admin stra-
ton. Where was Senator Benton at that time ?
Was he abroad, or at bone, sick and bed.rd-
dent The records of the Senate show that he
was in his place as usual but they bear no evi-
dsnce OF any highly wrought feeling on his part
on the subject Of This 'atrocious ouiragen upop
the nag and Government Of our country. If his
rccolleclions of the occurrence are now. after the
lapse Olive years, so lively and excitns on.