The North-Carolina standard., 1849-07-18
MIR. BENTON's SPEECH.

MIR bENION y SFEECHo .s
Extracts from the Speech of the Hon. Thomas II. Ben
ton TO the pegpe Of Missouri, deErered TN the City
of Jefferson, Nay 26, 1S49.-s
CITIZENS: have received certain resolutions from
the General Assembly of Missouri denying the right
of Congress legisate uponthe subject of slavery
in territories; asserting the right of the citizens of
ry State to the territories acquired by the
blood and treasure ofthe whole Union with their prop
erty declaring it to be insult to the States to
clude any of their retzens from removing and set
Ting with their property; alleging such insult to be
cause of alienation among the States and ultimately
of dsunon and insructng the senators of the State
and requesting its representatives to vote in conor
nifty to the resolves adopted. 4sH
These Instructions (of which now only give the
substance) were adopted by the General Assembly
after the adjournment of Congress- and after the time
that it must have been believed that the subject to
which they refer had been disposed of in Congress,
and while other resolutions Incompatible with them
had been given by the previous General Assembly,
and had been complied with by me, and were still
on hand. They are mere copy of the Calhoun res
olutons offered in the Senate in February, l947 de-
nounced by me at the time frebrand, intended
for eectoneering and dsunion purposes, and aban-
doned by him after their introduction without ever
calling vote upon them, for reason which will be
hereafter shown. i produce them in order to justify
the character give of them, and to show them to be
the original of those which have received from the
General Assembly of Missouri:
The CALHOUN RESOLUTIONS.
Resoired, That the territories of the United States
belong to the several States composing this Union,
and are held by them their joint and common prop
Resolued That Congress, as the joint agent and
representative of the States of this Union, has no
right to make any law or do any act whatever that
SHALL directly or by its effects, make any discrmina
ton between the States of this Union, by which any
of them shall be deprived of its full and equal right
in any territory of the United States acquired or to
be acquired. - so ,f.-,- ~ s-. ri = -
ResoEred That the enactment of any law which
should directly by its effects, deprive the citizens
of any of the States of this Union from emlgratlng
with their property into any OF the territories OF the
United States, will make such discrimination, and
would therefore, be violation of the constitution and
the rights of the States from which such citizens
emiqrated and in derogation of that perfect equality
which belongs to them as members OF the nlon and
would tend directly to subyert the Union itself.
Resolred That, as fundamental principle In our
political creed people, in forming constitution,
have the unconditional ght to form and adopt the
which they may thihk best calculated to
secure liberty, prosperity, and happiness and that
in conformity thereto, no other condition IS imposed
by the federal constitution State m order to her
admission into this Union except that It's constitution
be republican, and that the imposition OF any other
by Congress would not only be in violation of the
constitution, but in direct conflict with the principle
on which our political system rests" -. 49,
These resolutions were brought into the Senate
February 10. 1S47, and are the prototype OF those
sent me by the General Assembly of Missouri. L
see no difference in them but in the time contemplate
ed for dissolution of the Union, Mr.. Cahoun's tend
ing directy'' and those of Missouri s. ultimately
to that point In other respects they are Identical
and this difference is material, the Missouri
resolutions pledge the State to cooperate " with
other saveholding States, and, therefore, to follow
their lead which may be directly, as the Accomac
resolutions, youehed to be the voice OF the Soutl'
call for State convention as soon as bill can be
passed for the purpose organize the mode of action
consider the Calhoun fesolations as the parent OF
those adopted by legislature and entitled to the
e. ol.aDo 1oo1D
first attention and in that point OF view, small speak
to them first and begin argument against them
derived from the conduct of that gentleman himself.
:. sEt>aI x s4 -eGta - y .z1 + n
This is nv second personal reason for dwelling on
Mr.. Calhoun. 1t is to ,rePef his attacks upon nae;
Public duty In the Senate of the United States would
have required me to reply his resolutions. if he had
ever called them up there. Their passage through
the Missouri Legislature makes it still more my duty
do so. These resolutions are his, copied from MS,
with such exactifude of ideas, that some transPoson
Of clauses and variation of phrase can deceive no
one 1t only betrays design to disguise where dis
guise is impossible. have read the original; here
Is the copy: y ~ .ifaa2 - & s.i.s.>
RESOLUTIONS ON THE SUBJECT OF SLAVERY.
"ResoZred 61lthe General assembly of the State of
Missouri That the federal constitution was the result
Of compromise between the conflicting interests OF
the States which formed it. and in part OF that IN
srument is to be found any delegation OF power to
Congress to IepsIate on the subject of slavery except
ing some special provisions having in view the pros
pcve abolition of the African slave trade, the
securing the recovery of fugitive slaves any atePt
therefore, on the part of Congress to legslate on the
subject SO as to affect the institution of slavery in the
States, in the District of Columbia, or in the Terri
tories, is to say the least violation of the principles
upon which that instrument was founded <st
SO. That the territories acquired by the blood and
treasure of the whole nation, ought to be governed
for the common benefit Of the people of all the States
and any organization of the territorial governments
excluding the citizens of any partof the Union from
Knowing to such territories with their property would
be an exercise of power by Congress inconsistent
with the spirit upon which federal compact was
based, insulting to the sovereignty and dignity of fac
States thus Affected calculated TO ALLEVIATE one por-
on of the Union from another and tending ultimate
y to disunion. .,,,,;r .t.. III
SO. That this General Assembly regard the con-
duet of the northern States the subject of slavery
sreeasng the slayeholding States from all further
sdheance to the basis Of compromise fxedon by the
act of Congress of March 6, 1920, even if such act
ever did impose any obligation upon the siayeholding
States and Authorizes them to insistuPon their rights
nAder the constitution but, for the sake of harmony,
and for the preservation of federal Union they
Will still sanction the application of the principles of
NE Missouri promise to the territorial ac-
aIsitions if by such concession future aggressions
upon the equal rights ofthe Suites may be arrseted and
we Esprit of anti-sayery fanaticsm be extngulshed
/. a. The right to prohibit slavery in any territory
'eOngs exclusively to the people thereof and on