The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-07-11
N u NI B II Hs q a :.

fore we did not perceive any advantage
which could accrue from his presence
or counsels. Indeed, he ayows that
he would not have. attended the meeting
had lie been summoned. Therefore,
no consequence, good or Dad, could
have proceeded from our. not inviting
him. It is most evident, now ut least;
fit was not so before lis late speech;
that VIC could not have at all profitel
by his suggestions; for does he not,
evenin that same speech, use this Ian.
guage; "Ihavc seen no DANGER to tho
slave property Of any State in this ac-
ton by the action of Congress, and can
not contribute to alarm the country by
engaging in discussions which assert OF
imply danger?" These are his very
words; and, if sincerely spoken, his
presence among us wonld lave been as
little beneficial as are his present Free
Soil speeches in Missouri.
But is he sincere in thus dcclaring2
I cannot believe that he is not, and most
approved speech of hie poli,icallife.
allude to the ore lie delivered in the
Senate of the United States during the
winter Of 1S30-ninetccn years ago
upon Foote'S resolutions. Then, there
was not single mcmbercf either house
of Congress who was an open and avow-
cd Abolition;st. The Free Soil qucs.
ton, in its present terribles form: had
not been evil heard of. Wilmot him
self was boy; Hale, Seward, and Tuck
were, should suppose, scarcely grown
up to manhood. John Quincy Adams
had not concluded to figure in the
House of Representatives. Giddings
had not yet become u name of fearful
augury. Full six years after the de-
livery of this speech, Martin Van Buren,
in his inaugural speech rs President,
voluntarily pledged himself to veto any
bill providing for the abolition Of slavery
in the District Of Columbia, if such a.
monstrum horrcnaom of congressional
legislation should ever dare to show its,
accurscd visagct at the White House.
Then Mr.. Benton, who now secs no
'sdangcr whateverto the slave property
of any State in thesU y Mon from the ac--
ton of Congress- whilst making
speech en- the subject the public lands,
went out of his way to express himself
as follows:
sThe annihillation of the, States, un-
der doctrine which would draw all
their conflicts into The federal judiciary.
and make its decisions binding on the
States, and subject to the penalties of
treason all who resisted the execution
Of those decrccs, would produce that
consequence; it would annihilate the
States! It would reduce them to tho,
abjectcondition of provinces Of the fed:
eral empire. 1t would enable the do
minant party in Congress at any mo-
mcnt to execute tho most frightful de-.
signs. Let US suppose case -one by
no means improbable; on the contrary,
absolutely certain, in the.evcnt Of cer--
tain measures now on foot: The latet
Mr.. King, of New York, when mem.
bcr Of the American Senate, declared
upon this floor that slavery in these
United States, in point of law and right
did not exist, and could not exist, un-
der the nature of our free form Of gov
mcnt; and that the Supreme Court of
the United States would thus declare
it. This declaration WAS made about
ten years. ago, in the crisis and highest
paroxysm of the Missouri agitation.
Since then we have seen this declara.
ton repeated and enforced in every
variety Of form and share, by an organ
iscd party in all the nor.slaveholding
States. Since then we have seen the.
principles of the same declaration devcl-
opcd in legislative proceedings in the
shape of committee reports and public
debate in the halls Of Congress. Since
.thea we have had the D'hutefiye case,
ami srsa- petition presented from tho
chair of the ffssaasa af Rcpis ssentatiyes,
Mr.. John w. Taylorbeing s;slIs,'' lseaGer, IN
which the total destruction of ali sssss s.
States that would not abandon slavery
was expressly represented as sublime,
act. With these facts before rs, and
myriads of others, which are seen by all,
the probability Of a federal legislative
act against slavery rises in the event Of
the success of certain designs now on
foot. So much fer what may happen
in Congress"
'Then, in 1880, Mr.. Benton, the
present dclivercr of Calhounias, said in
the same speech:
ga geographical rarty, and chiefly
arolitical caste, are incessantly at work
on the subject. Their operations per-
ations pervade the States, intrude into.
this chamber, display themselves in in
numerablc forms, and the thickcning Of