The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1851-12-27
Letter from Col Rpt.on.

Col. Benton has written long and charac.
,cristic letter TO the democracy Of Jefferson
county, Mo. in reply to recent invitation
from them to hin, to visit that county and ad.
dress the people upon their present political
condition. The letter is pure "bulIion," and
comes down on his opponents with an almost
superhuman power.
His letter is divided into four parts each
part referring to Il separate resolution adopted
be the democracy Of Jefferson county. The
Substance of the resolutions was as follows:
LIST, In favor Of the repudiaiion Of the null.
ication, secession resolutions of 1919. %, Re.
pudiaton Of those, calling themselves demo.
Gratis, who voted for the present whig l.. ;.
senator from that state. Sd, Adhesion to the
right Of instruction within the limits OF the
constitution, aud according to the will of the
people. And ith, Adhesion to the Baltimore
platform Of 1913.
u reference 10 the fist resolution and its
reasonable character he says:
"Increduty was excusable two years ago,
and even honorable to the hearts of those who
could not then believe in the enormity of a set.
tied design to break this Union, and to estab.
lish new confcdcracy of the slave states
Few could believe then, even upon the strong
proofs which exhibited; but the season for
incredulity has passed by The events of 1850
have proved everything which proclaimed in
1919, and which / know in 1916. That was
proud day for Inc--tho Friday, 9Th day of Feb.
ruary, lSl7-whcn Mr. Calhoun first produced
in the American Senate those disunion rcsolu.
nfiqrHurt. u,lNutgI in NiSsn,r; md
some other states. ! struck them upon the
spot-proclaimcd them firc.brands, and in
fierce passage with their author, told him
where | should be found when we came to
their trial: "OR the side ofmy eo,DltryP Where
WIRE the great defenders of the Union then
Sound asleep and sleeping on till 1850, when
the thunder OF dsunon, loud enough to waktn
the dead wakencd them up. | saw tho cloud
which was charged with that thunder when it
first appeared above tho horizon in lSi7, and
drove it out Of the senate 1t was then sent TO
Missouri to be gathered by the little Jupiters
here, TO be sent back to drive me ont of the
senate: and they were sent back accordingly.
Gut the end is not yet saw what they were
Gt--came home, aud appealed to the people.
And although that appeal shared the usual
fate of movements which are ahead of the
times, and what said c,u d not be credited,
yet 1t found credit enough TO do one thin--tO
sdvc tie STATE Of Missouri from the intdny Of be-
ing represented in tic NdShUiiie Lonvsatioa"
In reference to the second resolution and
those democrats who voted for the wing scna.
tor he says:
at was crime against the party. II was
not anti-Bonton, but au,t.dcinocratic. II was
against the democracy of Missouri-agains,
the state character and position, which had
much better been wlreprcsented two years
than Diis-reprcsentcd SIX"
lie denounces them as traters to the demo
cratic party, and no longer worthy Of being
trusted, &C..
lilo goes in for the right Of instruction by
the People and not by legislative bodies, and
strongly supports the Daltimarc platform.
The whole document is exceeding pointed,
powerful, and severe. And it winds up in the
following manner.
AS 10 the nullifers, no return is expected
from them. Their separation from the demo.
cratic party is fixed, and would advise them
to act the manly thing, and form third party,
under the chot en- hume Of anti Benton u name
truly distinctive Of II party which has no prn.
ciple, and only hangs together upon the dia.
bolical feeling ofhatcrod to one man and that,
because no was bling block in their road
To the dissolution of this Union. If too weak
for that, and afraid to expose their insight.
canoe in separate organization, or unmesk
their motives in longer wearing name which
announces personality and malice then let them
do the sneaking thing-slide Of into the whip
ranks, disappear from all distinctive view, sub.
merge into whggcry, and dangle forever at
the tail of party which will scorn TO permit
them to approach its head. In either even,
either as allies or recruits TO the wings, the
purified democracy viii hc,y them both out in
August next to tho old tuneo $4,000 ma jority
and be stronger and cleaner by the opera
ton"