New-York daily tribune., 1849-06-09
Mr.. Benfon's charlottesville. Calhoun and

| slavery.
We have at length received the first nstalment
Of Mr. Bentons great speech the subject Of Slavery
the Wnot Proviso, Disunion &c. delivered at Jeier-
son City, No on the 26h alt. 1t occupies nearly five
and a half columns Of the 81, Louis Union, in small
| type, and more il promised in the next number. We
should like 10 publish the speech but possibly
spare the it would occupy in The Tribune Mr..
Benton commenced by saying that he had received
tain resolutions from the General Assembly of Missouri
DENYING the right of Congress to legisate upon the
subject Of Slavery Terrtorcsassertng the right Of
the citizens of every State remove to the Territories
ACQUIRED by the blood and Of the whole Unon
with their property (save)-decaring il TO be an in
suit to the States exclude any Of their citizens from
80 removing with their property-aleging such insult
10 be the cause Of alienation the States, and u
tmately of disunon; and instructng the Senators Of
the state and requesting its Representatives, to vote
in conformity to the resolves adopted.
These Instructions were Of exactly opposite char
acter from those passed by the Assembly the year pre-
yous, which Mr. Benton had obeyed, and he could not
now change his position without gross Inconsistency
and dishonor Moreover, they transcript, with
mmateral alterations, from the resolutions introduced
into the t. ; Senate by Mr. Calhoun in February s47,
and denounced by Col b. at the time as irebrand IN
tended for oectoneering and disunion purposes His
(Col Bs) course at that time was warmly applauded
by the People OF Missouri The speaker quotes Mr.
Cahouns Resolutions at length, and then shows by the
written testimony Of James Monroe and John Quincy
Adams that nearly 80 years ago. Mr. Calhoun gave his
assent in writing the very principles or practices
which he denOunces as an unconstitutional inya-
sion of the rights of the South
In 1920 Congress passed the act for the admission Of
Missouri as State. The 9Th section of this act applied
NJ Of 1897 more
than half OF the whole Territory of Louisiana. Pres
dent Monroe called his Cabinet together and requested
written answers two questions lst, Whether Con-
gress has constitutional right to prohibit Slavery in
Territory; and 3D. Whether the eth section OF the Mis-
sour bill (Which nterdicts Slavery ororT in the terri
tory North Of 3Gi north atitude is consistent with the
| Constitution These questions were answered in the
affirmative by all the members of the Cabinet, (>lr.
Calhoun being then Secretary OF War; and the
were deposited in the state Department by Mr Adams
who WIS then Secretary OF state. The territory refer
red to-thcn hRaHy Slave territory. aud which was
made torerc free by OF Congress sanctioned by
John G. Calhoun, of South Carona-SXtends from 30
30 to 49o north latitude and West from the Mississippi
River the Rocky Mountains, embracing about 1000
miles square l0OOOOO square milcs-terrtory sum
cient to form 20 Of $1,000 square miles each.
Attempts have been made to discover in the State
Department the written opinions referred to, but they
have thus far proved unavailing; nevertheless Col b.
considers the evidence OF Mr.. Monroe and Mr. Adams
conclusive, and remarks that Mr. Calhoun IL the only
| member of M0nroe's Cabinet who has since been at
the head of the state Department. The great Mis-
sourian then handles Mr. Calhoun rather roughly for
his advocacy OF the Florida Treaty, by which 100000
square miles Of Slave Territory Iexas) ceded to
Spain and then for making war on sister Republic to
| III al laf Mr. all
also while Secretary of War; surrendered 40 the In
dians strip of Slave Territory Qargc enough for two
respectable States lying upon the Arkansas and Red
Rivers and between Texas and the Compromise line.
Altogether Mr. Benton contends that Mr.. Calhoun has
done more to diminish the of Slavery In the United
states than any other man earth. And now he (Mr
| c. contends that the General Government may not
onsttutionally restrict Slavery in its territory
and in the breath claims to be the very pink OF
consistency Mr. Benton AYERS that Calhoun has been
hostile to him for nearly quarter OF century be-
of his devotion to the Union, and that the Caro-
lnian nstigated the opposition which was manifested
against him in Missouri at the date Of his last election to
the : Senate He very boldly and broadly asserts the
authority of Congress to legislate the subject OF Sa
very the Territories and that the authority exists no
where else and shows that the power has been exercised
in the of the Ordinance of l7s7n the celebrated
Missouri Comp rOse in the bill for the organization OF
Oregon and by various other acts of Congress organ
izng Territorial governments since our existence
as Nation This power, though constantly exercised
was never questioned till Mr.. Calhoun introduced his
frebrand dsunion Resolutions into the Senate In re
gard to Slavery in California and New Mexico, Mr. B.
takes the common view that cannot exist there
without positive act OF Congress sanctioning it-at
least while those countries remain Territories OF the
United States He shows by documentary evidence
that slavery was abolished by solemn decree through
ou, the Republic of Mexico in ls and has ever since
remained So and that the Mexican Constitution OF lcl
prohibits slavery from being established or INTRO
duced into any part of the territory of that Republic
slavery does not now exist in California or NewMeS-
ico The old citizens in those Territories are unsni'
mously opposed TO it, as large majority OF the
emigrants from the United States Nj b. says that
neither California nor New Mexico is at all adapted 10
Slavery-that they must inevitably remain Tree tern
tory and of course come into the Union as free states
such being the facts he considers the adoption oi the
Wimot Proviso mere abstraction not oi the slehes
practical consequence still abstraction which IS
seized upon by the enemies of the Union and used for
dangerous purposes The speech is very elaborate ana
evinccs much research and little bitterness to
ward Mr. Calhoun. This last might very wen nave
been dispensed with Mr.. Benton having plenty OF
solid facts and hard arguments there seemed 10 DC no
| necessity for hard words.
,af