The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1849-07-22

me. There is no term in the language by which such a
combination of nsincery, inconsistency and brazen ell
roniery can be characterized The way IN winch he at
Temps 10 make out his assertions Is IN keeping with
He irs assumes that the wilmot Provso and the Mis-
souri, compromise ndenicay the same, and then
deak prove that am the author OF the latter and
of course also OF the former This be piece of
strange intelligence 10 Mr. Clay and his friends and adj
mirers had supposed that there was no doubt what
ever as TO his being real author OF the Missouri
promise II was he who devised the measure, intro.
duced il into the House of Representatives, carried il
through, by his address, and goried in the reputation of
being its author II is little cruel TO strip him OF the
honor of being its author at this late day. and to bestow
upon another whom no ever suspected OF being
until Colonel Benton discovered it.
Butif he could really make out that am the author OF
the Missouri compromise he must 20 step further to
make me the author Of the Wimot Proviso. lie must
prove the two measures TO be dencal this he has not
done attempted Instead OF that, he has adopted
his usual oil assuming what he is incapable OF pro-
wing. II is very easy way TO reach conclusion that
is desired In this too he has disclosed his wonderful
aptitude what ever before saw suspected
Heretofore all had supposed that they were very different
thingsthat compromise was essential to one, while
the other necessarily excluded tlha one presupposes
conflict OF opinion between parties, question OF right
expediency, 10 have been adjusted ground in which
neither surrendered its right or opinion. The other on
ns ~ q
the case Of the Missouri compromise, the North and
South differed on the constitutional question whether
Congress had the right to prohibit the introduction Of
slaves, condition OF admitting State into the Union
One contended that Congress had the right to impose
whatever condition il might think proper territory
about become State and the other that it had right
impose any, except that prescribed BY the constitution
that its Government should be republican The North
in that waived the claim Of power on the proposal
made by Mr.. Clay to fix the northern limits of the terri
tory, into which slaves might be introduced, at $50 30
This proposal, although made by Southern member,
taken up and carried by the vote OF the North and thus
acquesced- without, however, yielding her principles
asserting dissenting to the power OF Congress 10
exclude slavery IRON the territories u was compro-
mise in which both waived but neither yielded its opn-
ion as to the power of Congress.
Very different was the in reference to the Oregon
BILL passed at the session preceding The last There the
North coniended for the absolute right 10 exclude slavery
from all the territories and announced their determination
10 do against the efforts of the South TO compromise the
question BY extending the Missouri Compromise line to
the Pacific ocean The offer was scontully refused, and
the hll passed without any compromise II was intended
indeed to be the practical assertion OF the naked principle
that Congress had the power claimed TOR by the Wmo
Proviso II the first act OF the kind passed.
and was carried by the deseon from your cause OF Col
Benton and Gen Houston not surprising that the for
should be DESTROYS of conoundng this far more odous
measure with the Missouri Compromise, much less
odious one, IN the hope OF mitigating your deep indgna
ton, occasioned by his betrayal OF you on question so
vital to the South. But he had another monve, which
will be explained hereafter and which makes still more
desirable him that the two should be confounded and
regarded Identical When comes TO be explained it
viii be seen that was necessary that they should be- in
order to exricae him IRON very awkward dilemma IN
which be has placed himself Job exca med, :. On that
mne adversary had written bookp and well might !
have exclaimed I" Or that my adversary might make a
Speech His adversary must have been very much like
nine We have heard whether his had the folly
to accommodate him. as mine has had TO accommodate
me.
have now eectually repealed his preposierous charge
thai the author OF the Wmost Proyso, for il is nj.
tery impossible that he ever can show that am the an-
thof OF the Missouri Compromise, or that thai compro-
mise and the WImot Proyiso are the same but, as he
has made il the position from which TO assail me with
the charge oil dsunion and through me YOU including
hall lnllnt SiA stau
through the long process by which he makes the despe
rate endeavor to establish his preposieous charge by at
tempting to show that have changed my opinion as 10
the powers OF Congress the territories But my purpose
is 10 expose bis inconsistency, contradictions, and
absurdies, than 10 refute what he advances as aTgu
ment II be could prove TO demonstration that have
changed my opinion 1t could have no weight whatever
towards showing that my resolution aimed at dsunlon
Nor do deem II matter OF any importance, inths con
nexon. whether my opinion has has not undergone
change, in the long period OF thirty years, since the aop
ton OF the Missouri compromise. At that time the powe
OF Congress over the territories had received but little con
sideraon, while for the last few years has been sub
ect OF vital interest 10 YOU and as such has heen thor
oughy investigated my myself and others, whose duty
has been to defend your rights in the councils OF h'
Union in reference to IT
introduces copy OF what purports to be draught OF
letter found among the papers oil Mr. Monroe sals
TO be his handwriting u Is without date, not signed
addressed to any person by name, but contained ex
pressons which leave doubt that was intended To-
General Jackson This paper was found hed away WITT
another, endorsed -Mssour-March Sd
1870" "To the heads OF departments and Attorney Gen
era" II contained two questions, OF which the one per
tnen 10 the present subject is in the following words
"Has Congress right, under the powers vested IN thu
constitution, 10 make regulation prohibiting slavery y
terriioyw The only material sentence IN the draugh
Of the letter. in reference to tbs point under cons'dera
hon, is in the following words: al took the opinion -
writing OF the administration 10 the constituuonaltl
OF restraining territories, which explicit in favor o
H." These the exact words Of the sentente as hnall,
corrected BY its author IL explicit TO the staemen
that the administration as body. was IN favor OF tn
constiutonay, but furnishes proof whatever oil III
members being unanimous, and OF course no evdenc'
that !, or any other particular member OF the cabinet
|, was inits favor
This deficiency Col Benton undertakes TO supply frs
from the nierlinng, and next from statement puport
ling TO be from the diary OF Mr. Adams First, to th
interning, instead Of the expression (which exp
Cit as II now stands, IL read in the original draug ht
"and the vote OF every member was explicit" Thes'
words all struck out except explicit" and in thei
place the following words inerned in the first in
stance, switch were unanimous and" afterwards th
words 'nianimous and" were struck out which left tn
paper il now stands. Now, hold IL to be clear tina
the inerinng and striking out, so far from strengthen
ing the inference that the cabinet were unanimous,
Col Benton contends strengthens and susans the yer
opposite So FAR them Il is certain the draught oil III
letter. standing by ITSELF instead OF furnishing proof tina
the cabinet unanimous, furnishes proof directly
the contrary. Even Col Benton himself seems TO hav
been conscious that il furnished satisfactory proof az
the unanml,y OF the cabinet. and endeayors 10 suppl
this defect from statements purporng 10 be taken Iron
the diary OF Mr.. Adams. From these II would appea
I, that meeting OF the cabinet held on the 80
March, for the first time, TO consider the compromis
bill; and that according to the statement OF Mr. Adams
. tulionay Il also appears that the President sent h
. the two questions on the 5th OF March, informing him