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

ND OtncT cOlHllinn IS lHipnscu ny 'IiE i'"C
raj constitution on II Stale, in order To he
admission into this Uninn, excerpt that it:
constitution be republican, ard that the
imposition of any other by Congress
would not ou1y &c in violation Of the con
srlutiun, but in direct conflict with The
principle on which our political system
resis.'
They arc, rs you see, confined to as
ser:ing principles appcrlaIning 10 the ma
iurc and character Of our system Of Go
vernmcnI, aud raking inlercnccs clearly
tleducibIc from them; aud which are Of
vital Importance. in The question between
ynu aud The North, in relation TO the Viii
mot Provso. If the facts be, as the rcso
lulinns stated, there is 10 denying The inIe-
renee; and if both he trno, then your right
to emieralc with your slaves into the ter.
ritorics becomes unquesIionabie under The
constitution. This he felt, and hence his
bitter dcnunciation OF them. But hc has
ccufinrl himself 10 dcnunci;,on without
making an effort Ia relue The resolutions
by Showing they contain error either az IN
the facts asserted, or initrcuces dcduccd.
lie knew that to he beyond his power and
prulcnrIy avoided il. But, if The rcsolu-
tons DC true, as he is compelled to adj
nit they arc 10y his silence, how eau they
be lirebrai.d. as he calls them, or he
Justly cI,argeablc with disunion :! Colonel
Benton has his own way Of proving things,
which appears to be very satisfactory To
Himself, but 10 no one who will take the
pains TO examine his assertions and rca-
sons.
Dcspairing Of finding any thing like
disunion in the resolutions themselves, he
seeks for il in the motive which he sralui
tous y assigns to me for Introducing them.
lie first asserts, that they are The prototype
of those adapted by the Legislature Of Mis-.
souri, al their late session and then asserts
that the only difference between Them is.
that mine aim directly at disunion, and
theirs ultimately AT The same thing, for
which ':c offers no reason. except lha,iheirs
pledged the State 10 cooperate with the
other savchnldinS Slalos. lie thus rs.
sumes. thai your aim, as well as mine, is
disunon; and this, willie lie is exeI.ns
himself TO the utmost To distrcdit me with
ynu, as disunionisr; fnr it is apparent his
speech was intended TO have its effects on
you generally. rs well as his own c0nsli
Iucnts particularly. He then drass in the
Acconac resolutions to prove, that the OBJ
iecl is a Convention of The Southern States,
and that lie assumes to be proof conc'u-
sve, ll,a, disunion is intended by my rcso-
Iu,ious. lie is quite mortified at The idea
of your meeting IN Convention, in order to
consult on The hest node Of saving beth
Yourselves and the Union; il indeed The
maducss of fanatics, and the lrcachery Of
dcserlcrs should not make the latter i'm
possible. lie next asserts, in order TO
prove that disunion is lhcir object, that
they render The ahuslmentoI of the territorial
question imprac,icahIc, and that that was
! NV motive for Introducing them. lie
makes this assertion, in the face OF lacls
perfectly well known to him; that the
northern members, wi'ha very few honor
able exceptions, had re- jccied every clnrl
at compromisc, and had declared their
fixed determination no, 10 accept OF any.
|, was against this arrogant and uucompro-
missing course, that offered my rcsUIn-
lions. !, was. then, they aud not inc, who
took ground against compromise or ADJUST
menr. So far from this being true. /
have ever been in favor of any fair all jusl.
mcnt, which was consistent with your
constitutional rights. or this gave very
strong proof at The very next session, by
supporting The bill reported by hlr. Clay
ION, which left the DECISION TO The adJudl>
cation of the courts. The bill would have
passed but fnr his associates The aboll'on'
isis ana free suIcrs. and the question in
controversy bctwcc The iwo sections. IN
reference To territories finally adjusted ;
aud vet, he knowing all this, has The et-
rrontcry DO call II by no har-hcr namc) IL
charge me, and nnl Them, as opposed tn
any adjustment. and thar too for the base
purpose of destroying The Onion.
But all these assumptions were hut pre-
liminary TO a charge, still more audaclouS
that am The real author of The WIlnio
Proviso. lie calls it the Calhoun proviso,
and says that am beltcr entitled 10 IT.
paternity than Wilmnt himself, which he
accompanies by strong denunclalions %
the pruviso, aud long enumeration OF the
many aud great evils it has inflicted on The
country. What cii'ronlcry! He, lht
avowed advocate of the Wilmol proviso
accuses mo Of being its author, aud dc
nuunrcs il in the most unmcasurcd terms
in The same speech in which he praises
and declares himself TO be in its Iavur! III
would seem tn be perfectly indifferent %
the rccoil ON himself when his object is It
assail inc. There is no term in the Ian
suase, hy which such il combination
irsinccrily, inconsistency, and hrazcn CT
froutcry can he characterised. The wa.
in which he attempts to make out his Us
, scrlions, arc III keeping with their charoc
ter.
f lie first assumes that the Nimo, Pro
viso aud The Missouri compromise ar
dcnlically the same, and then undertake
f to prove thai am The author of The latter
and, of course, also of the former. Thi
must be piece Of strange intelligence t
Mr.. Clay anl his friends anu admirers.
had supposed there was ~ doubt whatcvc
us 10 his bcing The real author ni the Mis-
| souri, Compromise. 1t was he who dc
/. viscd The measure, Introduced ii lnlo III
: House Of Representatives. carried
through ny his address. an'l %laricl i'll til