The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-06-19
I H L R = P u BLIC.
SPEECH
MIR. BENTON, OF MISSOURI,
tx rup SeNArr b,,,e 10 1870


The Senate having under consideration the bill
providing for the admission of California into the
Union as State, for establishing Territorial gov
ernments for Utah and New Mexico, and making
proposals To Texas for the settlement of her north
ern and western boundary
Mr.. BENTON moved that the further considcra-
ton of the bill be postponed until the 4th day of
March, 1851.
The motion being stated by the VICE PREsI-
BENT, and declared to take precedence of all amend
ments-
Mr.. BENTON then addressed the President of
the Senate, and said:
make the motion which supersedcs all other
motions, and which, itself, can only be superseded
by motion still more stringent-the motion TO lie
the table. move the indefinite postponement
of this BILL and in the form required by our rules,
which is to day certain beyond the session; and,
TO make sure Of that, propose day beyond the
life OF the present Congress. II is the proper mo-
ton TO test the of the Senate the fate of
measure, and to save time which might be lost in
useless amendments. have waited month for
the larger amendments to be voted upon, and
now deem it my duty to proceed with my mo-
ton, with view to proceed with the bills singly,
If this bill, Of many in shall be put out of the
way; but will Withdraw it at any time to admit Of
votes on vital points 1t is bill of thirty nine sec
tions--forty, save one-an ominous number; and
which, with the two little bills which attend it, is
called a compromise, and is pressed upon us as a
remedy for the national caamites. Now, all this
labor of the committee, and all this remedy, pro-
ceed upon the assumption that the people of the
United States are in miserable, distracted condi-
ton; that it is their mission to relieve this national
distress and that these bills are the sovereign rem
edy for that purpose
Now, in my opinion, all this is a mistake, both
az TO the condition OF the country, the mission OF
the committee, and the efficacy Of their remedy.
do not believe in this misery, and distraction, and
distress, and strife of the people. On the contrary
believe them to be very quiet at home, attending
to their crops, such of them do not mean to feed
out of the public crib; and that they would be per-
fccty happy if the politicians would only permit
them to think know Of no distress in the
country, no misery, no strife, no distraction, none
OF those live gaping wounds OF which the Senator
from Kentucky made enumeration on the five I'm
gers Of his left hand and for the healing OF which,
all together and all at once, and not one at time,
like the little Doctor Taylor, he has provided this
capacious plaster in the shape of five old bills tackled
together believe the Senator and myself are alike
in this that each of us has but five fingers on the
left hand; and that may account for the limitation
of the wounds. When the fingers gave out they
gave out; and il there had been fingers, there
might have been more wounds-as many fingers
and toes also. know nothing of all these "gap-
ing wounds, nor OF any distress in the country
since got rid of the Bank of the United States,
and since got possession of the gold currency.
Since that time have heard OF no pccuniary or
business Distress no rotten currency, no expansions
and contractions, no deranged exchange, no de-
cline of public Stocks no laborcrs begging employ
ment, no produce rotting upon the hands of the
farmer, no property sacrificed at forced sales, no
loss OF confidence, no three per centum month in
terest, no call tor a bankrupt act Never were the
people-the business doing and the working peo-
pleas well off as they to-day As for political
distress, sit Is al IN my eye" Il Is all among the
politicians. Never were the political blessings of
the country greater than at prcsentcivil and reli
gious liberty eminently enjoyed; life, liberty, and
property protected; the North and the South
turning 10 the old belief, that they made for
each other and peace and plenty reigning through
out the land.
This is the condition of the ecountry-happy in the
extreme; and listen with amazement TO the re-
citals which have heard on this floor of strife and
blood,
distress and misery. feel mystifed The Sena-
tor from Kentucky, (Mr. CLAy,) chairman of the
committee and reporter Of the bill, and its pathetic
advocate formerly delivered us many such recitals
about the times that the tariff TO be increased,
the national bank charter To be renewed, the depo
sites TO be restored, bankrupt act 70 be passed
He has been absent for some years, and, on return
ing among us, seems TO begin where he left off He
treats 10 the old dish of distress! Sir, il is mis-
take. There is nope OF II; and II there was, the
remedy would be in the hands Of the people-in the
hearts of the peope-who love their country, and
mean 10 take of itand not in the contriyances
of politicians, who mistake their for their
trys distresses. II ia all mistake. II looks to me
like joke. But when | recollect the imposing
number of the committee, and how "distinguished"
th,v all were, and how they voted themselves free
from instructions, and allowed the Senate TO talk,
but not to vote. while they were out, and how long
they were dc !tbcrating when recollect all these
things am constrained 10 believe the committee
are in earnest And, as for the Senator himself,
the chairman of the cofnmittee the perfect gravity
bills and the reportOthc pathos with which he en-
forced them, and the hearty congratulations which
he addressed to the Senate, to the United states,
and all mankind on the appointment OF his com
mttce, preclude the idea OF Intentional Joke on
his part. In view of all this, find myself COM
PEELED TO consider this proceeding as serious, and
bound 10 treat il parliamentary, which now pro-
ceed 10 do. And, in the fret place, let see what
il is that the committee has done, and what II
s that il has presented 10 the sovereign RENE
dy for the national distcmpers, and which we are
70 swallow whole-in the lump-all or none-under
the penalty Of being treated by the organs as ene-
mics 20 the country.
Here is a parcel Of old bills, which have been
lying upon our tables for some months, and which
might have been parsed, each 10y itseli, IN some
good form, long ago, and which have been carried
out by the committee, and brought back again,
sundled into one, and altered just enough to make
each worse; and then called compromise
where there is nothing to compromise-and sup
ported by a report which cannot support itself.
Here are the California State admission bill, re-
ported by the Committee on Territories three
months ago-the two territorial government bills,
reported by the same committee at the same time
the Texas compact bill, originated by six years
ago, and reproduced mt the present session-the
fugitive slave recovery bill, reported from the Ju-
dietary Committee at the commencement OF the
sesson-and the slave trade suppression bill Tor
this District of Columbia, which is nothing but a
revival Of an old Maryland law, in force before the
District was created, and repealed by an old act Of
Congress These the batch--fve bills taken
from our files, altered just enough TO spoil each,
then tackled together, and christened compromise,
and pressed upon the Senate as a sovereign remedy
for calamities which have existence. This is the
presentation Of the case and now for the case
itself.
II il the work Of majority Of the committees
the report informs us; and, from the demonstra-
tions ON this floor, may suppose IT TO have been
as lean a majority as parliamentary proceedings
exhibited. tits the work Of majority OF that
committee; and seven is majority OF thirteenj 80
that this compromise, which is 70 be swallowed
whole by the Senate, is the work of Senators.
And If Il should happen 10 be that the committee
was purpossly composed half and half-six Of one
and half dozen Of the othcr-somethng like jury
de medietafe HnguG, first introduced into British law
for the safety of the Welch against the Euglish-n
shis should happen 10 be the case, and half and
half committee was actually appointed, with the
precaution Of a border member 10 give casting
vote in the case Of a tc-then il may be, that the
work, in fact, is the work of ono member OF the
committee! But that does not appear in the re
port II says majority; and, upon that basis, il
,s the work of seven. And hereby comes a new
Lesson In political arithmetc-seven TO govern the
Committee OF Thirteen first and the Senate ofsixty
afterwards. For, be il remembered, this batch OF