The North-Carolina standard., 1849-08-01

-
Ihave andertaenait signally failed. Others, lik
Col. Benton, have taken the prudent course t
cry out d--disunion--Instead of attemptn!
to Tefute them. = t-ssis0,Hs ses t3islsaaa 9&
Fl But if he means thatI wasdeterred fromiRtToduc
ing my resolutions at the next session, by the cauS
which he assigns,i simple statement of facts viii
give his assertion fat contradiction He has made
his statement TO ma ake the impression that Mr.
Dix introduced the paper the mertime that in
troduced my resolutions at arthest early in the
next session for otherwise itweuld not suffice Il
show, that it owing to its introduction, and the
disclosures it ade, that i deferred from intro
ducing them, as he states. The fact is not The
session commenced the first Monday of December
l847, and Mr.. Dix did not introduce the paper until
the 26th of July, la49; nearly eight months subse
quent and one month after had fully discussed the
principles of my resolutions. Did he See that all
this would have been manifest at once without a
word from me, if he had given the dates Z and was
not1that his reason for not giving thema gs4 sfff
] Col. Benton seems to be conscious, that it was
necessary for him toexplan why he had not assaled
my resolutions and the base and corrupt motives he
attributes for introducing them long BEFORE and
lin his place in the Senate; and, accordingly, he has
attempted to make He asserts that g Mr.. Cal
houns resolutions those of the Missouri LegisIa-
ture. They are identical. One is copied from the
other. When the original is invalidated, the copy
| is of no avail. am answering his resolutions and
choose to do it. 1t is just and proper thai should
do He is the prime mover and head contrlveT.
have had no chance to him in the Senate,
and it will not do to allow him to take snap-judg-
upon in Missouri, in carrying disunion feso-
lutions in my own State, which he has been forced
to abandon in the Senate. Duty TO the country re-
qures me answer him, and personal reasons rein
force that public duty" ,7 .s -. .s-.s..s.- ~
His explanation then is, that notwithstanding his
burning zeal to defend the Union and hisown char
against these wicked resolutions she could get
no chance before to answer thenl.''- What could
get chance from February, l84 Z, until June 1849,
(thedate of his Speech period of upwards of two
years Could get no chance, when they were first
linfrn oyad cpd1 tho
session which followed, and which lasted more than
eight months None, during the long and4fuLl dis
cussion on the Oregon Territorial Bill: when the
principles the resolutions formed the basis of the
argument the side of the South None, to reply
to me, who fully discussed ahdI may say establish
ed them beyond cohtroyersy! None, during the
discussion of the report of the select committee, OF
which Mr. Clayton was chairman! None, on the
discussion of the bil-from the House ofRepresenta-
tives, which applied the Wimot proviso to the Ore
gon territory, and which passed by his vote and
by his friend General HOuson's None, during the
whole Of the last session, and still wonderful,
none in making his last speech say none, for he
confined himself to denunciaton and abuse of the re-
solutions without even attempting to answer them. ;.
No, he never could get and never can get chance to
answer them. For every other purpose, he can get
chance whenever he pleases. No one is better at
getting chance when he is disposed. He had no
difficulty In getting chance to pour out torrent OF
abuse empty seats. against the late General Kear
ney, day after day., for the greater part of week,
and that just at the close of session, the utter
disgust of the Senate and the hazard of defeating
many bills then ready for final action. l>might go
and repeat similar questions, until they would fill
pages but enough has been said to prove that his
explanation is puere and hollow. ..s-.s ..- a.
He had many and fair chances to swerthe reso-
lutions, and could have made one if he desired it at
any time; but there two reasons which prevent
ed him. The first is, that although he had made up
his mind to desert you and your before the In
PRODUCTION of the resolutions, he the hazard and
was unwilling to take that step hastily. The Mis-
h:e /
tions, and proclaim his deserton before he was
fully prepared his design, and hence the
depth to which they have excited his ire. The 9th
that he had too much discretion to adde snch
farrago to body too well informed to be imposed
upon by old, stale, and oft-repeated charges. He
knew besides, that they would have been promptly
met and repeed, and that the aDtdote would go with
the poison. He knew this from experience. He
had tried it before. 1t failed most signally. b
1t was In the session. of 1877; few days after
had Introduced the resolutions. In that attack he
paraded nearly In the words, all that he has
charged in this, about the Florida treaty, Texas and
almost every other subject. He had taken time and
prepared deliberately. 1t given out that he |
would denolish me- The Senate was crowded by I
those who wished to" witness the sacrifice. / rose
and -repelled oH-haHd his charges, / leave those
who were present to decide with what effect. It'll
was certainly not to his qualification satisfaction.
he did not even attempt a relolnder But what be-
comes of his apology, that he had chance to reply
to my resolutions z? They had been introduced but
shortly before and then he had full chance
swer them. He then assaied every, act of my life
which he thought he could distort, to- make "a
plausible charge against Why then omit to an
swer resolutions which he now holds up the worst
and most Questionable of all? Can any answer be |
given, except that he is either not sincere what
he asserts, that the time had not then ar
rived, at which he could safely venture to betray
You! .fl5,ss -z,. -. .-@ st...s- s...-.. .-...z
But, according to his statement, he is mpelI-
ed in making his attacks, by private grief we'll as
public considerations. He says instigated attacks
him for twenty years. nstigate attacks on him!
He must have very exalted opinion of himself.
never thought of such thing. We move in different
spheres. My is, and has been, to have moth
ing to do with him.. never wanted his support nor
dreaded his opposition. He took the. same ground
his speech just referred tos and endeavored to es
tablsh the charge by what purported to be extract
from letter; which he states was delivered to hun
by some person unnamed, and was written by an un-
known person to an unknown person. He introduc-
ed it into the Senate, in manner to make the i'm
preston that L was its author / and asked
him, if he intended TO assert that was. He stood
mute at first, but was forced to admit was not. /
then repealed his charge with scorn which the
base insnuation that had any knowledge or eonnec-
ton with it whatever, deserved. He was covered
with confusion and yet he has the erontery to in
troduee it again to the public accompanied with
same insinuation which covered him with disgrace /
at its first introduction. ~. -
But the deepest wound. it seems, was inflicted by
statement in my address to the people of Charles-
my return home, after the session of AZ and
49, that he voted for the bill establishing the territo
ry of Oregon, containing the principle of the Wilmot
provso, and that he and General Houston were the
only two Southern members who voted for it that
without their votes, would not have been defeated
followed BY the expression of opinion that for SO
doing, they deserved the reprobation of the whole
South. Neither of them has ever denied the truth