Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, IA [i.e. Ind.]) 1839-1854, 1849-07-04
BENTON'S SPEECH.
The Fad Of the New Caihorniai.

cdibouhs resolutions. l am CERTAIN not FIX
members Of the body had the scienter Of their
origin and design; or meant harm to the conn
try or myself. But that is no impeachment TO +
their evil effect. They are the act Of the Gen
~rai Assembly. Upon the record, they are the I
will Of the State. Abroad, they are the pledge
Of the State to back Mr.. Calhoun in hrs designs
Ito put the State under his lead-aud TO stop
my opposition to his mad career. And, although
know that the event VIII deceive his hopes, get
The mischief will b. done, in the fatal enrour-
agenen nj he Will receive, before another Gene
"a! Ass" mbly can correct the error.
consiGer my proposition--thc one WIN
which commenced my sPeech-no" mac
good. namely, that thu resolutions Of tl- ofhr.
raj Assembly Of which ! complain, are COPIED
from those Of Mr.. Cnihoun-tha, to understand
fcir desien. you must understand h's dfstgh-
and TINT, from the words Of his own re7oiHt"hs
and from his conduct for twenty year, past h'
subversion Of the Union Is Intended IL thf ex-
~cution Of his design cannot he an Instrument,
nor can I believe that the people or the mass Of
the General Assembly wish il; and | deem II
right to have a full unde rs,anding with my con
stisuenfs on the whole matter.
], therefore, appea! from the Instructions,
have received, because thcy are in conflict " IA
instructions already received aud bry"'.-be-
cnuse they did not emannte from any known de-
sire, or understood will Of the peop'e-becaus-
they contain unconstitutional eyposttons Of u"
constitution which | afn sworn TO support
because they require me 10 promote Gisnhion-
because they pledge the state TO co opethts WIN
other eventual
copied from resolutions hatched Tor greet
mischief. which have right 10 oppose, AMI
did oppose in my place Of Senator ~ tfir senate
Of the United states, and winch cannot case
opposing without personal disgrace aud oiiictii
derecton Of public duty-and because think
il due TO the people to give them an opportunity
to consider of proceedings so grave!y affecting
them, and Oh which they have not been consul
ted.
appeal to the people-the whole body Of lhe
people. It il question above party aud should
be kept above it. mean to keep II theTr.
And now have Il secret to tell, III relation 20
these resolutions, which have guarded long e
nough. ] marked their FIRST appearances IN tie
Gene raj a assembly, knew their origin aud de-
sign, and determined TO let them 90 on. IL so
happens that there few citizens IN tbs
State, successors TO others who have passed a.
way, md who are denonnated n the hcromac
resol Ms, adIuncts to Mr.. Calhoun. The de-
nomination rs appropriate. Adjunct, English
il from nd aud janctas LATIN and signifies pm
ed to; which this set Of citizens seems TO be- both
soul and body, with respect to their southern
leader. These few IN state Of permanent
conspiracy against me, either on their own &C
count, or that Of their "leading friend al tie
..ouih =" or both, and hatch perpetual success
sion Of plots against me.
To go no further back, / refer to tho summer
of 1874, and the plot the Texas annexation
question, which shall call the JewsharP plot,
in consideration of the music which was To be
then made upon that instrument. and to discrin-
mate il from others. That plot showed It's head,
but hid itself afterwards. 1t failed. and It's con-
trvers we mt back into their perpetual state OF
incubation. Whcn the Calhoun resolutions were
,noved in the General Assembly, and that
ut the commence ent of the session. l saw that
n new plot was Matching, and determined to let
il quit the she'll knew that if gave hint
Of what they were nbout--if had connunica-
ted the 1.-THE Of what have said to you to-day.
it would have stopped the proceeding. But that
would have done me no good. 1t would only
have postponed, and changed the form oil The
work | determined to let 1t go on, aud TO DO
nothing to alarm the operators; and for that rea-
son w rote not a " ord-not il word ON inc sub
,ect--to any one of the hundred members who
Wteti hua YavW VIZ Yno i''s s'4tlons sky high II
not even answer letter from my friend VINO
ats there, Lieut.. Gov. PrIce.l The resolutions
were introduced at the very beginning Of the
session: they lay torpid until its end. he plot
tiers wero waiting Tor the signal from the '!eadng
Misunderstanding the Calhoun address. The mo-
fnent they got IT, they acted, although It was too
lato for the resolutions to have the effect of IN
structons. They were passed alter Congress
had adjourned, and after 1t must have been be
loved that the subject to which they relate had
been disposed Of; Tor it was notorious that the
territorial government bills were III process o;
enactment and in fact, they only ialcd alter
mid tight the last night oil the session, anu
that on disagrc me mt between the two Houses;
and their future on the Sd OF March, was moi
known at Jefferson on the 'tl--the day pass
inp the resolutions. 1t was too late TO pass the
resolutions for the purpose vi Ihstrucihs me
how to vote ut Washington. II was too late for
that; but was early enough for the summer cam
paign ut home; and therefore they were passed,
and now have them. l mean the piotters; and
between them and ne, henceiorii and forever,
hgh wall ana u deep ditch aud no couiIHotion,
no compr omise, no caucus 18th them Nor does
it require any holiness Oh my part TO give them
defiance. They are only about dozen OF them
IA bakers dozen, pcrhaps,-and halt OF them
outside Of tn, Legislature. " oe TO Judges, H. any
such the re- are in this work! The children OF
nd he II OF
es; nor can We.
Citizens. have finished the view which pro I
posed to take Of the subject which has Induced
my appeal to the people; but there are other
matter - upon which my constituents desire 10
hear from me, and in which desire II is night |!
they should he gratihed.
"The W ilmot proviso." Well think !, is
the Jetie rsou prov iso--the same that Mr.. Jeher-
son drew up Tor the north western territory in
i7S4-which was adopted i'll the congress OF the
confederation OF 1857, with the unanimous voice
Of the slave holdins Statss-was ratified by the
Virginia General Assembly the SUN vi Decem I
ber l1oS-which was appied by the Congress
Of 1920 to all the upper hall OF Louisiana
which applied by the Congress OF ISIS to
the Oregon Ierritory--w Inch " as recommend
ed for the new Territories by the Missouri Gen
erai Assembly, February 10Th, le41--and never
attempted to be condcmned until FRIDAY tacay
Of omen) the 18th Of February. lsii-just tour
days after the date Of the Missouri recommeu-
daiions--when Mr.. Calhoun brought IN his res
olutions declaring it unconstitutional. insulting
10 the States, and subversive TO the Cpion. 4
think Mr. Jefferson, and not Davy Niimot, was
the author OF this provso, and that 1t should bear
his name, and not Davy's. With respect 10 the
character OF tho proviso, if il should be pres
crbed by Congress for any new territory, thnk
il will remain Just what IT has been for sixty
years-a constitutional provision. made IN pur-
suance to the constitutions. and that, being SO
made il is binding upon all law abiding citizens
aud that its resistance by force and arms. mill
tariy, would be treason against the o.Staies
aud punishable by death under the laws OF The
land. w It'll respect to the expectancy OF the
act, ther is necessity for 1t and there are
pruden initial reasons why 1t should not be passed.
California and New Mexico now free from
slavery both by law ana by fact; and Wi. forever
remain free from 1t. both by law and III fact. rs
q genera! proposition unnecessary law ough; not
to be passed: bat if it is passed, it is an empty
provision, having no practical effect whatever