Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-06-27

ana noineSpun graNS. Lille Is thiliH Oh
change. and he who is down to- day, may
be up tomorrow.
BENTON'S SPEECH.
\ New Calho uniud. from the Jefferson City
Epic.
Mr.. Calhoun came into public life TO be Pres
dent Of the United States. The weired sisters.
in the shape of the old that taught HIM
grammar had whispered in his ear-thon shalt be
President Upon that oracular revelation he
CONNIE need his political career, no has toiled at
It's fult ment for forty years-at first openly,
and, II may be, fairly, by putting himself at the
head of all the movements which promised adj
vancemcnt in the public favor. In 1916, protec-
ton of domestic INDUSTRY popular, he put
himself at the head of the protective policy, and
went for the minimum provision-the cotton
minmum-which was the father of all the rest.
and the only real injury to the cotton growers by
suppressing for thirty years that class of cotton
the largest cotton consumption-the corduroys
and veIvets, universally worn before lcl6--
; totally suppressed under the Calhoun mini
mum Of that year-and Just beginning to appear
again under the tariff of 1916. At the same
time (lSI6) a national bank-the State banks
having failed, and brought odium on the State in
stituiions-was much called for; Mr.. Calhoun
put himself at the head of the call, and carried
through the bank charter. About the time
Internal improvement, by the federal govern
ment, became popular: he seized upon the sub
lect; and in 1923, as Secretary at w ar, made
elaborate report in favor of a general system of
roads and canals pervading all parts Of the Union.
In ISl9-20 the Missouri controversy ragged, and
the whole north stood up Que man for curta-
ing the of slave soil: he took the free soil
current-and expunged slave soil from all the
territories Of the United States by Joining in the
abolition of slavery in Upper Louisiana. giving
Texas to the King Of Spain. and giving the rest
of Louisiana to the Indians. AT the same Jack
son became the favorite of the people for Presi-
de mt: he withheld and postponed. his own pre-
tensions to the presidency, became the advocate
Of Jack son. rent upon his ticket, and was elect
ed Vice President with him. But this was the
end of his popular movements to gain the Pres
idency. He expected to succeed Jackson, and
that he would only have to wait and serve eight
years That was only one wear longer than Ja-
cob had to wait, and serve Laban for Rachel
Bat, oh. the disappointing nts in love and politics.
Like Jacob, when he woke up, he found it was
Leah! little mag cian of the north had got into
Unlike Jacob, he could not wait and serve an
other long eight years, and determined to clutch
the prize at once.
Then came notification No. l, (pretexed by
that tariff of which he himself was the main
thor.) and that scheme fo- dIssolving the Union
which Jack sons proclamation put down. The
tariff failed to bear him through: more inflam
mable subject was wanted-and was found in
the sensitive question of slavery. Then came
that long succession of abolition plots for blow
ing up slavery in the United States. compared
to which all the popish plots in England for
blowing up the Protestant religion-the gunpow-
der, rye house, tub, and other plots. so for
mdable in their day--were tame and impotent
inventions. First, there was the London aboli-
ton plot of Ashbei Smith, John Andrews, and
Lord Aberdeen, for lighting the train of aboli
ton in Texas, and thence running it into the
United States, where it was to explode and blow
all up! and to prevent which il became Il of
".elf-defence,'' admitting of no delay, to jerk
Texas instanter, by treaty, out of their hands,
before the plot vas ripe--something like jerking
the fuse out Of the loaded bomb before il would
explode. The treaty did not stand the jerk, and
was broke; and the plot evaporated without harm.
Duff G reen had been paid a thousand dollars, by
the Tyler administration. out of the United
States Treasury. for bringing that plot from Lon
don; but it was money lost. Then came the
w orid's Conve ntion plot, also coated in Lon
don, for the abolition Of slavery throughout the
world-the United States inclusively, but it
came up feebly, and had no run. Then came
the ince ndiary transportation mail matter plot:
and that for a while threatened to break up the
transportation Of the mails and to leave the two
halves Of the Union in a state of non-intercourse.
It rpened into bill for searching the mails;
and then expired. Then came the incendiary
petitions plot: that occupied the time Of Con-
gress for several years, and considerably alarmed
the country, until every body that it was a
game performed by two sets Of players, playing
into each others hands. for their own benefit at
home, and getting up an agitation Of which the
tim 1t then died out. Thus all the abolition
plots-pret- KITS for a second nuilficaton-failed.
They were, what the New York law reform
statute, aboshing latin, interprets the writ of
Great to be-no GO.
In the meantime. there was an episode which
will require full history some day, but which
can only be limited at now, to complete the pic
ture. 1t happened that after Mr. Van Buren's
election, Mr.. Calhoun became a sort of a sup
porter Of his ad mi nstraion; and, upon the prtn-
Al. b.
ed his support for the succession. That involved
sche me for n orthern votes. There was a slave
subject which prevented 1.-THE liberation OF
American slaves by the British authorities in the
Bahama Islands who bad revolted against their
owners. committed murder and piracy, and
ried their masters vessels into British ports
When these enorm;ies occurred. Mr. Calhoun
took up the cause of the South with justice and
vehemence, and stood by him. When he took
it into his he ad to become Van Burens successor,
he abandoned the South, and left me- and few
others alone, by the side of the Inflated owners
of the Comet, EnconiuIn. Creole, Enterprise,
and otherE. In this new born ze al the to please
the North he shot ahead--he must always be
ahead-besting w oodbury, Buchanan, and 9TH
Northern Senators in his votes and speeches
on the Northern side of the question. Some view
of this may be seen in my speech on the Ash
burton treaty: but the subject requires . sepa-
rate examination, and shall receive il, but not
now. 1t will be curious episode, and will place
Mr.. Calhoun second time where he in
lsl9-'20--on the Northern side Of the slavery
question; but only for a brief space. Mr.. Van
Buren, preferred to try to be his own successor;
and the Texas treaty having gone over without
making its author President, and tho Mexican
war promising large crop of popular Presiden-
tial candidates, a new political test became no
cessary; and. the tariff question being settieo oy
the act Of 1916, recourse to slavery and abcli-
ton became indispe nsabie. Hence the fire brand
resolutions of lS47-a fre-brand which has had
the singular fate of dying out where 1t was put,
and of raising eonh'gration a thousand miles
off.
TIL. design Of these resolutions then point d.