The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-09-13
7 H E RE P u B Lie.
WASH N GT0N:
THURSDAY MORNING, SEPT. Is, ls49
MIR. Benton Locof0cO Dissolution
dent Taylor.

| ueht lHyioT.
| The Locofocos are quite at loss to dis
pose of the case of the distinguished Sen
ator from Missouri. There is great differ
ence of opinion among them on this sub
| ject. The Union does not know exactly
whether to assai him or to let him alone.
Not only do the Locofocos differ among
Ithemselves-each differs from himself on
the subject, at various times, and in
looking at the honorable Senator from diff
ferent points of view. Witness the two
portraits, drawn within twelyemonth of
each other, by Mr.. Senator FooTE. In the
| one, Mr. BENTON is drawn as practical
statesman, in many respects superior to
EDMUND BURKE-the companion in glory
of JEFFERSON and JACKSON; in the other,
he is man of feeble and confused reason
ings"-of "tawdry grandiloquence''-of
unmannerly dogmatism," nauseating
egotism," and "infernal malignity. p
Now, upon which of these portraits does
Mr. FooTE intend to rest his reputation as
an artist
We have before us two very character
istic productions of Mr.. BENTON, to which
we desire to call the attention of the Dem
ocratic press. One is his letter to the cit
liens Of Daviess county, Missouri, bear
ing date August 10; and the other an ad-
dress to the people of Missouri, dated at
Boonville, August 80. They are import
ant, because they seem to bring matters
to crisis between Mr.. BENTON and the
Locofoco press and because they show
the entire alienation between the honora-
BILE Senator and large portion of the Lo-
cofoco party.
voted to the consideration of topics grow
ing out of the resolutions of the Missouri
Legislature of the last session. Mr.. BEN
TON, in the letter to which we refer, in
forms his correspondents that he has Wis
tied his constituents for the purpose OF
ascertaining their sentiments on two points
Wllitu NOnltIH tlltI OWh Ntudlt dIlu
that of their posterity to the latest genera
ton, viz: the resolutions Of the last Gen
eral Assembly Of Missouri, and the disso-
luton of the Union, if the $50 called) Will
mot proviso be passed by Congress. The
object of his visit be states to be to ascer-
tain if the resolutions, presented to him as
instructions, are the instructions of the
people of his State and whether or not
they mean to act up to them by committing
high treason against the United States, in
the event of the contingency therein men,
+ toned. If such he should find to be the
case, it is his intention to resign his seat
in Congress, and to join all good citizens
of the State to expunge the resolutions
from the statute book, and to prevent the
State from mourning the guilt of high trea-
son by joining a combination to resist
law of Congress.
, Mr.. BENTON then proceeds to charac-
terize the resolutions in question. He says
that their temper is to pick quarrel with
the northern States, with or without cause.
Their facts he alleges to be unfounded and
erroneous. In their essence they are nul.
LITIGATION; for the principle Of notification
is, that the minority must rule the major.
ity, and resist acts of Congress by force
, and violence, instead of submitting then
|, to the test Of the ballot-box and the Judi
ciary. Their object he AYERS to be dis
union, and to ''fsh for pretexts to declare
it." Their remedy he AYERS to be high
treason-the military resistance of an &C
|, OF Congress msdein pursuance of the Con
stitution, which is punishable by death un
der the law of the land. The proviso
MIR. BENTON says, called Wilmot's, is no
/ thing but the Jefferson proviso of 1884
and has been in force for sixty years; tina
Z It has been twice sanctioned by a maiorit,
oiboth Houses of Congress, Including him
B self and by President Polk and his cabi
n net, within a twelvemonth-onc in tn,
. Oregon territorial bill, and once in tn,
a A''i''oohd ttiillOildi Ollls MI. DENTON con
: cludes his letter, as far as the resolutions
. are concerned, by denouncing them TO
the usurpstion by the General Assembly o
= the original, inherent, sovereign power o
n the people Of Missouri
o Leaving the letter to the citizens of .Da
!. vIess county, we will turn for a momen
|
n to the still later address to the people o.
! Missouri, in further illustration of the pre-
t vailIng harmony in the undissolved anc
immortal Locofoco party This address.
= is devoted to a development Of the conspi
J. racy against Mr.. BENTON, at Jefferson
! city, last winter. The object of this con
d splracy was TO pass resolutions, through
!. the Legislature, Of such character, thai
! Mr.. BENTON could mol obey them, and
then to attack him simultaneously in all