The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1849-11-21

at the meeting; and it was said that h,
concerted with them for two days previ
Gus. It may be that this is the reason
why there was comparatively little ap
plause from the audience during the do
livery Of Col. Benton's speech, or, which
is more probable, perhaps they expected
the usual quantum Of defamation; but
in this they were disappointed, for it was
composed of entirely historical matters OF
fact, interspersed with occasional spar
kles Of wit and anecdote, with some beau
fully eloquent passages which could not
be surpassed by his best efforts in the U.
S. Senate.
AS he walked slowly from the stand
through the crowd, Green commenced,
and said distinctly, in Benton's hearing,
"Fellow-C Citizens, claim our indulgence
for few moments while prove to you
that Col. Benton's speech was compound
Of egotism and falsehood." Here with
drew, but on retiring I heard him COM
pare Col. Benton's political principles to
his roundabout. He would make Col
Benton take water, &c. but Benton NOV.
ed off slowly and majestically as if moth
ing had happened. Here l noticed
circumstance which COMPOUNDED me,--not
single citizen Of Missouri left the cro,cd
wiA Col. Benton! On the contrary, ma
ny who were preparing to go home, and
otherwise scatteredpromiscuously around
hocked close to tho stand where Green
commenced. Four or five Of US, citizens
Of Iowa alone, accompanied him to the
Hotel. Here had an opportunity of ask
ing him why he did not remain. and re-
pei the ISLANDERS Of Green, and his other
assailants on similar occasions? He re-
piled, 81 handy words with no such liar"
But, said I, you have told the people that
Green was liar, and Green has told
them, in your hearing, that you were a
liar. How are the uneducated masses to
determine? "Sir,' said he, 81 have told
them truth, and if they do not believe me.
it is their loss?"
Here, then, is the predicament IN which
the masses Of the State Of Missouri are
placed. They have implicit confidence
in Mr.. Benton, because they know him
to have been their Iong-tred and fast
friend; but they find nearly every dis
tnguished man in the State, his colleague
in the U. S. Senate, uli, or nearly all, the
Representatives in Congress, Judges,
Lawyers, Doctors, &C., arrayed against
him. Benton, they know, is great man:
but very many Of these, like Green, are
no common men. They are excellent
disclaimers, and garble extracts from Con-
gressional documents, and from his own
speeches, TO prove that he is inconsistent
with himself, unfailhful to them: and bar
terins their interests with view to the
Presidency. Many, too many, ofthe De-
mocra:ic newspapers Of the State, are in
open opposition to him. In Saint Louis,
where the Democratic paper should give
tone to the whole State, they have thing
which is neither fish, flesh, nor fowl, and
the Metropolitan, weekly paper publish
ed at the Capital, is now issued daily to
supply the demand Of his adversaries. |
see but one freak which good fortune can
possibly take in his favor, and that is he
settlement Of the slavery question by the
admission Of California and New Mexico,
as free States, at an early day. He pro-
misses to return to his constituents carly
next summer, and should these States be
admitted before that time, he can then
proudly refer them to the truth and JUS
tice ofall that he had previously told them
and his enemies will be dumbfounded for
ever. Such is the consummation ode.
voutly to be wished for.' C. c.
P.S.-About 90 persons leave here this
week for the Gold Mines. Many Of them
are the first families of keokuk in wealth,
enterprise, and intelligence. Hon. w.
C. Reed, representative from Lee, is gone.
Col. Royston, Senator from Wapello, is
going, with his sons.
THR WORLD may crush US, our love be-
tray US, our hopes which we have cher
ished in joy and tears-like the gold of
the fairy table-prove but withered
leaves, poverty may s'arve and persecu-