Western union. (City of Hannibal, Mo.) 1850-1851, 1850-11-21
Written for the Western Union.
BENTON.

Col. aen,on's speech came 10 my hands too
late last week, TO enable me TO notice !. in your
columns, but it is Of ,uch character that
cannot refrain from commenting on it.
lie commences by assigning his reason for
failing TO continue, in the Senate Of the United
States, the sl,eck which he began in the State
Of Missouri, during last Summer, against Mr..
Calhoun and the Southern Nunifers. lie s,ates
that when he arrived II Washington, he found
Mr.. Calhoun sinking into the grave, and that
he had no, the heart TO attack dying man. The
people Of the State bad been led TO believe that
their Senator, while he parnded before them his
own pure patriotism, and denounced, in TN
measured terms, the vile schemes of sectional
sgitators at the South, had something higher in
view, than an aiiack upon an individual; they
had been led 10 believe that he had snufTed
treason in the breeze" and that he intended,
| like good and true patriot. TO EXPOSE il 20 the
scorn Of his country men. But it 'ec.ns that his
budding patriotism was wihe, ed, his ocoupa
ton was gone" when l,e discovered that tie
hand Of death was or the gifted Senator from
South Carolina u,'rm he had always been am
bilious OF making his opponent. There were
left i'll !hc Senate many able defenders Of the
sar;e .iIra views entertained by Mr. Calhoun (;
Berrien, Sonle. Butler, Mason, and host of
others, still urged the same arguments, and
pledged their States to the same resistance TO the
threatened measures Of the Northern members
1.-The traitors" as Col. Benton was pleased to
call them, we're quite as numerous. and cutie as
clanorons as ever; yet this patriot, aho has so
cold nose for treason: this warder on the
watch tower" Of our liberties, slept the while,
and left 10 others, until late hour in the SEES
sion the defence OF his country against the
machna,ions of her eneme,. ! have thus far
proceeded, on the suppostion that Col. Benton
has given n truthful account of the cause of his
" mastery inactivity" Nor do mean TO
question his veracty nop. Indeed, feel unal-
Logged pleasure at the thought, that the envy,
malice and unchoritahleness which have usl.
ally ,wayed The heart of our Senator, have in
one instance, been replaced by 4 gener ous mag
Uanimity towards his adversary. Would il
had been so in Kearney's case! When that
gallant General was sinkingein,o the grave, q
victim TO disease contracted in a public service
honorable to himself and valuable to his coun
try, our Senator prosecuted him with the unre.
lenling malignity Of fend, and, hoarse with
disappointed rage, barked his curses into III,
ears of the noble soldier, even on his death bed
: And that was in character will, his past life
d which had been marked with bitter hatred o
a his foes. But when Calhoun, weak, and erfre
d bled by disease, is about 10 leave forever, tn,
i theatre Of his greatness, Col Benton, in u new
:. found msgnanimi,y .torbeors 10 nttaek him
- Look upon this picture, and on that - hi,
, course towards Calhoun - his course toward.
Kearncy. can hardly refrain from returning
thanks to the "Dispenser of all good" for tina
miracle of divine grace which has been wrough
upon tho heart of our nor noble Senator. Con
siIer the case in all its bearings, and his mag
nanm,y enlarges in our view. MIR, Calhoun
; had always been the object of his at,acks--h
had been cmulous Of rvalng the fame of th
$ grsat Sonth Caroinian, aud missing his ain
he had for many years presented in his owl
per. on a notification OF the distich of the poet
/. Her end when emuiation misses,
She turns TO enuy, stings and hsses?'
and now that he had an opportunity Of attack
, IN q the sick lion. and haunting him. in the pet
-, = &c which springs from disease, into motto
which in his full hssl,h and vigor he had dis
1,;,o, o besiow upon pur Senator, i, was Ger
,ainly a q, eat stretch OF "aenanimi'y to ioreg
H. n,,,oL But let us leave this modest exor
,;,,,, ,o hi, reech. He next proceeds TO dis
o,o.o ,o hi. lait. Nrul followers the real cause
,ho n;,,,l,e se,,l, nent Of the dangerous issue
ho.woor NE Nor,i, and the South. He tell
H., ,.., ,,h on Sou,i. 'ern members became nc
onointea with III meml er' from the North the
became continued hat rs 'outhern slave proper
,v wa, ms. as safe under Northern as unde
Southern lepisI.t,on." Nd til At when he mad
his speech ard produced the m''N'o"'' ''"' 'o'
stitutional and statute" North ern 'he"oerS '"'
that slavery was already excl. 'de = '''"
Mexican territory and, having PRIV" "S'y ''
= leved the provisu to be necessary, I''y no
saw to the contrary Egregious VA NIFTY.
have long believed, is almost onnpotent in ma
king men ludicrous, but had not suppos.
: huge as is The vanity Of our mock heroic Sen
, ator, that it could have sufficiently prevailed Il
make him believe that his speech GAINED th'
e wide spread discomfort of the country, and Sc
K cured the passage ofthe California bill! Thi
revelation of its momentous effects was needed
ponc If his EpLIoyfrs fren had eyey NJ, rihut ed