Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1849-09-20
For the Times.
For The Times.
LOCOFOCOISM IN MISSOURI

,hen the movements on the political u
hess board were watched with greater {
nxiety or we're more fraught with I
,ssons of instruction, than at the pres.
Mt. The fact can't be disguised, that ,
.ocofocoism in Missouri is passing {
through period of intense and thrill t,
ny interest. Always welding the des.
inies of the State over the heads OF
depressed minority and now grown
corrupt on power long used End very
,flen abused TO the incaculable detri-
men, of the best interests Of the people.
the Locofoco party is now ready to
fall TO pieces of its own inherent weak
ness. ............. ....... ...
The contest between the opposing
factions, wakes warmer and warmer
every day, and for bitterness of anlmos-
i,y--has rarely been equaled in The an
mails of partisan strife. To say there is
any thing like reasonable prospect OF
rumor of these hostile wings of the
Democracy. would be to form our
opinion in opposition TO all the evidence
now before US and Of the developments
that are daily taking place around us.
On the contrary, the signs of the times
90 to show, that the breach is Perma-
nent--wih no chance of reconciliation
with no truce-no compromlse--in
the language of Col. Benton-"a high
wall and a deep ditch between them
forever"
To one w no has watched the current
of political events in our State, all this
seems strange enough. Truly, 'old
things are passing away and behold all
things are becoming newt Who would
have supposed that Col. Benton whose
praises for the last quarter of century
have been on the lips Of every Loco,
from the meanest corporal in the ranks
up to the highest functonary-whose
right to rule, until recently, none has
dared dispulc--whose mere nod has al.
ways sufficed to control his obedient
train of followers--whose individual
will has given shape TO the entire legls-
lation of the State--l say who would
have supposed that this great embodi.
ment of craftsmanship, wisdom and pa.
triotism (at least in the esteem of his
drilled followers) should now be de-
nounced and secuted by these his quon
dam friends, as a Tyrant worthy of the
days of Caligula and on footing with
the traitorous Arnold of the revolution
But strange as it may seem, the naked
fact stares us full in the face and stands
out a striking instance of the muiabil
! ity in the fortunes OF political mem
And what has been the cause Of this
sudden and unlocked for division Of
Democratic sentiment! Why this war
of mutual denunciation, which is heard
all over the State, and which bodies SC
much evil to the "unierrified" and sc
much good TO the cause of sound Wing
principles? Now, that Col. Benton If
his Senatorial capacity has done mucf
bad service to his Country and but III
tie, comparatively, that is good--lhat he
has called The people of missouri for The
past thirty years, mostly at his owr
will and pleasure--that he has givcr
lone and character TO much of The leg
islalon which has crippled our energies
as State and held US back in tina
high career of prosperity, which W.
might have run under different system
of public policy-that he has done al
this, the observing and rejecting of al
parties are bound to confess
But all this while, what has been the
course Of these men who are now
leading in the cry of ''down with Ben
lon-lhe traitor and lyranll" Why
their loyalty until now, has always beer
above suspicion-they have chung tc
their redoubtable leader, with yea
and steadfastness worthy of better
cause. There has never been any dirty
work Of the party, which they were
not willing 10 do, TO advance the inter
ests and pcrpetuate the power of Their
lord, whose obedient vassals they have
prided themselves on being. They
have applauded his acts, big and small
with an enthusiasm equal to that Of the
infatuated followers of Mahomet him.
self. And yet now-all Of sudden
by some strange process-they turn