Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1847-03-25
senator Benfou.

The Wing and quasi Wing papers are publishing
their customary yarns about Mr. Bentons declinaton
of the appointment Of Major General; his personal
relations with the President in consequence, &c. &c.
All this stuff is worth just much and more than
the humbug in which is their vocation to deal gene
rally. The poor devils however have something
TO gable about, and perhaps this subject will do as
well any. But we doubt whether they will be able
to shake the confidence of single good Democrat, in
either Mr. Benton or the President. Their object is
too easily fathomed. The Washington Union re-
marks, in publishing Mr.. Benton's notes, which
appeared in our last semi weekly:
1t is subject of much regret, that circumstances
have prevented the employment of his talents in this
branch of the public service The President regrets
ii, because he has the highest confidence in the mill
tary talents the great skill, and the great energy of
Gen. Benton. He had hoped to have it in his power
to place him at the head of the army. The House Of
Representatives had expressed, by very large majo-
rity, their desire to have Generalin-Chief selected
by the President HIMSELF but the whole federal party
Of the Senate, in coalition with that " balance-of-
power party" to whose gracious dispensation are
indebted for exclusion from the honor of olling
on their privileged sofas defeated the proposition
and placed the President in embarrassing relation
to the whole subject. This important measure having
been thus rejected by the coalition in the Senate he
of Congress, that be had no power TO " designate
General Benton-a junior major general-to the
chief command of the army in the feld,'' without
slperSedlng four other generals who hold senior
commissions. and who are at this time employed
actively In the field to have done it this critical
Juncture would have been to leopard the success Of
our arms, and TO embarrass the military operations
now in process of execution. Under these circum-
stances, much as he regrets the loss of General
Bentons services in the field the President felt him.
self compelled to pursue the which his reply
of the 9th points out Upon the receipt of this letter.
General Benton promptly, and frankly, and in terms
pointment of major general in the army which the
President had offered to him, and which the Senate
had so honorably and unanimously confirmed.
1t is possible that this measure, deemed of vital
importance by the President, might still have ult-
mately been passed by majority of the Senate, if
1t had not been announced Gin converSaton) by
of the federal Senators that they would have spoken
out the remainder of the session on the last night of
Congress, and thus defeated not only this bill, but
the passage of some of the appropriation bills, just
the two million bill had been defeated at the last
day of the long session, by Senator Davis speaking
against 1t. Rather than lose those bills, so ndis-
pensabe to keep the wheels of government in motion
during the war, the friends of the measure (of the
appointment of a commanding generaD were COM
PEELED to abandon it.
BY this result the country does not lose the services
Of Mr.. Benton, but he remains in the high Office of
Senator of the United States, which he has so long
and honorably graced