Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1849-07-25

gwen away, are hHONH W 'i'' an" "o"S
better Than Col. BenIon. They were the
measures Of Mr.. Adams and Gen. Jackson
and ll.cir administrations. One ar the
ol!!cr made all The treaties by which the
old merely possessury titles Of the Indians
to their lands, were converted over the
whole territory, into a permanent right Of
possession, aud property, and male the
permanent home Of HE Indians, 10 use his
own representatives. was no treaty
made while | filled the War Department,
in Mr.. Munroe's administration, which
male any such alterations in the title of
Indians, TO lands west of The Mississippi. or
any where else to my knowledge. The
making Of Indian treaties, containing slip
u~lations for permanent titles, and their
removal west of the Mississippi. cons,iru-
led a large portion Of the doinss of those
administrations, and much Of that on
which they rested their reputation. Much
the greater part was The work of Gen.
Jackson's administration, with which Col.
Benton was intimately associated, and
over which he had sufficient influence 10
make himself responsible for no small share
of It's doiuss, especially as to what related
TO the west. In attempting now 10 shuttle
oil his portion Of the responsibility, and
that of the administration, and 10 place il
on me, who was hostile To it, speaks badly
for his manliuess, or regard for The char
! acter Of The administration Of Gen. Jack.
son, for which he prufesses So much all
tachment aud admiration. He would
hardly have vcntured in The lifetime Of ''lhe
old Hero" to make the heavy charge lie
has. against measures, Of which he was
the author, and on which he so much pri-
ded hirr self.
In his eagerness to assail me. he has
lost: ncl only his discretion but his memo.
ry. In order to make out that the anti.
slavery party of The North. duly npprecia.
| ted the great service that | had done their
cause, he says "lhai they gave proof Of
their gratitude, that l was then a candi-
date for the Vice Presidency, and became
The %ravorile Of the North, beating ever Mr.
Adams himself on The free soil tack" for
getting what he had said just before, that
was Vice President at the lime. when
he well knew, that was elected for The
first time Vice President with Mr.. Adams.
and oCcourse, the vote Of The North could
cot have been given me for The reasons he
assigns.
His next charge is that l supported The
abolition Of slavery in a Stale. Among
his other traits. Col. Benton is distinguish
ed for charging on others, what he knows
he is guilty of himself. Most men from
prudence and a sense of propriety. eau
tiously abstain from assailing others for
whar they know they may in turn lhemse-
selves he Justly assailed. No, so with him.
lie is one of The few who are ever more
! fierce in their assaults when they know
thew can be assailed for the same thing.
They seem TO delight 10 dragging down
others, % their own level, and 10 have con.
cealed joy in thinking that Others parlake
! of their own delnrInity.-Il is a trait 50 de-
lestabIe that those who are distinguished
for i, are usually likencd to a notorious
parsonage reproving sin. Col. Benton has
slrikinely displayed this trait of character
in the present charge. lie well knows
how utterly false he was 10 you through
oul on :the Texas question. He took, as
has been stated, al active part to defeat
The treaty OF annexation. negotiated by me
OIL the part Of the United States. He
knows that il contained no provisions that
c0uu,enanced: the abolition Of slavery in
any portion Of Texas. I was strongly
urged during The negotiation 10 insert a
provision 10 extend the Missouri compro
mise liue across Texas to its western boun.
Diary, and was informed that it would aid
IN securing n constitutional majority in The
Senate, in its favor-l peremptorily re.
fused. lie knows that he offered a propo.
sitlon 10 abolish il in one half of The whole
Of Texas, aud that by a line, not drawn
east and west, but north and south, so as
to hem in The south on all sides by sur.
rounding her with abolition States. He
also knows, that his friend and supporter,
OH the occasion, Mr.. Hayward, Of North
Carolina, went still further, and offered
resolutions 10 extend the ordinance of l77S.
not only over Texas, but even all the Ter
riIorics lying west of Arkansas, and Mis-.
souri,, and south of SO. 80, with however a
proyiso excepting The portion Of Texas
lying south Of a limo drawn east and west
in the 34lh degree of parallel Of latitude.
The presumption is strong that in Offering
his resolutions, he acted with his friend
Colonel Benton, to whose course he adj
hered on The Texian question. But, he
that as it may. certain it is he sat mute.
He raised no vuice Of indignation. against
a measure which proposed 10 exclude sla-
very forever from that very region, which
he charges me with having given away 10
the Indians, and losing il to The South. As
bad as The policy of Mr.. Adams and Gen.
Jackson may be in reference 10 that region.
hey did not exclude slavery. The lndi-
ans. who occupy it. are shareholders, aud
an interest in common with YOU,
may he regarded rs faithful allies on that
vital question. The resolutions of his
fiend MIR. Hayward were designed to de-
'riye you Of this advantage and YET Col.
now raises his voice in loud de-. 1
luncialion against me upon the false
barge Of giving away the territory 10 the {
indians while ho approved, at least by his {
Hence of excluding you entirely from the a
crriIory, and one half Texas TO boot. and !
D extend the principle Of the ordinance of c
over The whole, including Texas and r
,a tnrriIDrioe 60 ~u,h f,r hi, o,yn M 1,