Democratic banner., 1849-07-23
BENTON IN 1880 & BENTON IN 1849.

ihB HIMSELF q ""'SS oSAS turouSh 'has poP0i
"Wherein does the 'treachery' of Benton
consist? ?" "Has he changed, if so, in what
particular? Why this fellow must have
been asleep for "more than a quarter of a
century," or if awake, he must be the dull.
est dolt in the land, to be just enquiring a.
bout the change of the Hon. Thomas H.
Benton! Why what is it but his change that
has caused a large number of the rankest|
Abolition and Barnburnsf papers of the
North to fall so deeply in love with him since
his Jefferson City speech as to nominate him
for the Presidency? And what is it but the
same change that has caused the whole press
of the slaveholding States, and, out Of Mis-
souri,, so far as an expression has been Civ
en-, to d~isapprove his Jefferson City speech.
Benton's change upon the slavery question
{ and it is all fer policy,) is as apparent to|
the minds Of the public as is the change of
this drOwsy wing upon the Benton question.
The writers for that paper tried to choke
him with the "tie Of his cravat," only threeI
numbers before his appeal from the instruc-
tons Of his party was published. Since
then they have become so ~captivated byl
his "free niger notions' as to become his
eulogists, champions end defenders in Pike.
This writer uses the editorial ave" and
thinks the charges that Benton has changed
"wants the proof to sustain them" If bel
will rouse up, we will carry him back just
nineteen years,to a speech delivered in Con.
.gress by the Hon. Senator upon Foot's reso-
~lutions. To time when the abolition party
was less powerful, and the political wealth
ercock looked to the u South for numeri-
cal strength and protection.
Thus did the Senator then express him
SELF
"The humiliation Of the States, under al
doctrine which would draw all their con-.
|ficts intothe federal judiciary, and make its
decisions binding on the States, and subject
to the penalties Of treason all who resisted
the execution Of those DEGREES, would pro-
|duce that consequence it would annihilate
the States! It would reduce them to the
|abject condition Of p~rorinces Of the der-
'aI empire. II wOuH enable the d~oninGnt|
party in Congress at any moment to ere-|
cate the most rightfuldesigns. Let us sup
pose a case-one by no means improbable 81
on the contrary, absolutely certain, tn Mel
eUent 81 certain measures nO,U on foot
The late Mr.. King, of New York, when a
member Of the American Senate, declared
upon this floor that slavery in these United
States, in point Of law and right, did not ex-
isl, and could not exist, under the nature of
our free form Of government; and that the
Supreme Court Of the United States would
thus declare it. This declaration was made
about ten years ago, in the crisis and high
est psroxysm Of the Missouri agitation.-I
Since then we have seen this declaration re.
peated and enforced, in every variety off
form and shape, by an organized party in
aNMe nOn-sLaveIoiding States. Since then
have seen the principles Of the same
declaration developed in legislative pro-
.ceedings in the shape Of committee reports
and public debate IN the Halls Of Congress-.
Since then we have had the D'Auterive|
case, and seen a petition presented from the
chair of the House of Representatives, Mr..
John W. Taylor being Speaker, in which
Che total destruction of all the States that
would not abandon slavery was expressly
represented as a sublime act. With these
facts before us, and myriads of Others, which /
cannot repeat, but rhich are seen by all, the probo-
billy of a federal Legislative act against slavery
in the scale and assumes the character of a
moral certainty, in the event Of the success ofcer-
tain designs nov on foot. So much for what may
happen in Congress"
Then, in 1880, MI. Benton said, in the
same speech:
"A geographical party, and chiefly a po-
|litical caste, are incessantly at work on the
subject. Their operations pervade the
States, intrude into this chamber, display
themselves in innumerable forms, and the
hickening 9fhe signs announces the forth
coming Of some extraordinary movement"
Again, he said in the same debate:
81 foresee that this subject is to act agreot
part in the future politics of this country;
that it is to be made one of the instruments
IOf N Hnn01en6Ous ,no,onnonf-nof foe HZr:d.