The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-06-22
High Commentator for a Southern
Senator.

The Boston Emancipator, one Of the
most rabid Abolition prints in the country,
passes the following high eulogium on Mr..
Benton's late speech in the Senate.
We learn also that cold DR. Jacob Town
send" has forwarded box OF his Sarsapa-
rilla, accompanied by complimentary let
ter, to the same Senator Having secured
the aid and countenance of such endorscrs,
how can the murmurs of his own constitu-
ents, or the Indignation Of the section he
has abandoned, affect his imperturbable
equanimity' The Emancipator says:
This speech should be read by ereru Northern
man. We shall endeavor to present it to
readers next week. We publish to-day short
extract from it, showing his views i'll regard to
the extension of slavery. Col. Benton Of course
does not come up TO our standard, but chen
slider that he ras born IN STARE SiHe-thoi he
Tires in and represents STARE Sfate-and irhen ice
contrast his present efforts Duh the efforts IF Clay
Cass and Webster, cannot but erpress our respect
and admiration for his conduct We make the fol-
lowing extract from his noble speech:
"My opposition to the extension of slavery
dates further back than 1S44--forty years further
back; and as this is a suitable time for general
declaration, and a sort Of general conscience de-
livery, will say that my opposition TO 1t dates
from 1904, when was student at law III the
State of Tennessee and studied the subject Of
African slavery in an American book-a Virginia
book-Tuckers edition of Blackstone's Com
mentaries And here it is, (holding up volume,
and reading from the title page) 'Backstones
Commentaries with Notes Of Reference to the
Constitution and Laws of the Federal Govern
ment of the United States and Of the Common
wealth of Virginia, with an Appendix to each
volume, &C., &c. By ST. George Tucker, Pro-
fessor of Law in the University Of William and
Mary, and one of the Judges of the General
Court in Virginia In this American book-this
Virginia edition of an English work. found my
principles on the subject of slavery.
Among the short tracts in the appendices, is
one of fifty pages, i'll the appendix to the first
volume, second part, which treats on the subject
Of African slavery in the United States, with
total condemnation Of the institution, and plan for
its ertnciion in Puginia. In that work-in that
school-that old Virginia school-which | was
taught to reverence-I found my principles
slavery, and l adhere to them | concur in the
whole essay, except the remedy-gradual enamel
pation-and find in that remedy the danger which
the wise men of Virginia then saw and dreaded,
but resolved to encounter, because 1t was to be-
come worse with tme-the danger to both races,
from so large emancipation. The men of that
day were not enthusiasts fanatics; they were
statesmen and philosophers. They knew that
the emancipation of the black slave was not
mere question between master and slave-not
question of property merely--but a question of
white and black-betwcen races-and what was
to be the consequence to each race from larger
emancipation And there the wisdom, not the
philanthropy, of Virginia. baked fifty years ago;
there the wisdom of America balks now. And
here find the largest objection to the extension
Of slavery-to planting it in new regions where it
does not now exist. The incuabiHfy Of the eru
is The greatest objection to the extension Of slarery
is torong for the legislature to infict an eri ohieh
can be cured; hou much 10 inJlict one that IS
imcurabIe and against the ,ciH " The people 'cho are
to endure it .torerer! quarrel with no one for
supposing slavery blessing; deem il an trii,
and ,coud neither adopt IL nor impose IL on others.
Yet am STAKEHOLDER, and among the few mem
bers Of Congress who hold slaves in this District.