Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1852-06-03
COL. BENToN's SPEECH AT JACKSON


May, there was meeting held in this town,
"without distinction Of parties," in which
certain resolutions Of the proceeding Gen
eral Assembly of Missouri were approved
and sanctioned; and in which all persons
who asserted there was any design TO dis
solve this Union were styled ''aboliionists,
free sollers, provisosts," and calumni-
ators of the South; merely seeking to cover
their abolition designs by false accusation
against coed men. All this was ain9d at
me, for had charged that design of disu-
MON, and had charged these resolutions pas
sed in the General Assembly of Missouri
to be conspiracy of nuifers to sustain the
cause Of notification and TO get me out of the
Senate, as being chief obstacle TO the Sue
cess Of that cause. charged that cons pra-
cy, and have often given proofs of it; and it
is now my design to charge it more speci-
proofs. And at this point wish the atten-
tion of the Circuit Judge Of this circuit, Mr.,
Hough, if he is present. want him as a
witness, although it is case in which he is
not bound to testify, for he is party con-
cerned; and by the humanity of our law no
man is bound to criminate himself Pro-
foundly respecting, as do, that right Of the
citizen to save himself from confession, |
should put no question to Judge Hough, ev-
en- if present, but only make a statement of a
transaction of which ne is alleged to have an
opportunity to make his own explanation or
vindication. 1t will do as well whether
present or absent.
The statement which make is this: That
on certain Sunday morning, about the be-
ginning of January, in the year of 1849, a
squad of confederate nulifiers met in a small
room adjoining the Supreme Court room in
the capitol in Jefferson City, of whom two
were Judges, and the rest wished to be, and
the most of them got to be. Among those
present in that meeting, the whole number
not exceeding dozen, were Judges Napton
and Scott, Of the Supreme Court, James H..
Birch, Claude Jones. Claibe Fox Jackson,
VIM. H. Burlington, Mr.. Hough, and others.
At that meeting, SO appropriately held (for
its object and actors) of Sunday morning,
when christians were at church, in a court
room sacred to justice. and by Judges bound
10 render Justice, and 10 hold themselves
aloof from politics and crimes, the whole
a conspiracy against me, and | may say
against the State, was organized. Man
drafts of the resolutions to be brought into
the General Assembly, all moulded upon the
plan of those previously brought into the
Senate of the United States, and there killed
by me at one lick, were produced at this
meeting-comp pared-and then all put into
the hands of Napton to digest and make one
out of the whole. He did so, and when it
was brought to suit all the confederates the
approved draft was given to Jackson, after a
question for that honor between him and
Carly Wells, had been decided in his favor.
At that same meeting. and those subse-
quent, the spirators adopted their whole
plan Of operation against me. Knowing
that would not obey their intended resolu-
tions, and that they were Numerically oppo-
site TO those adopted at the previous session,
on the same subject of slavery, they deter
mined upon most extensive plan to de-
strov me. An the presses nthe State. that
could be bribed or intimidated the Bank of
Missouri and its branches. (Which needed
neither bribery nor intimidation TO league it
against man who condemned them, the
State University. through its President and
Curators; all the State officers he appoint
ted. and above all Judges, all-all-were
to be formed into one harmonious crusade
against me! TO pursue and attack me over
the State! TO lie upon me. and especially 10
| lie in concert according TO the plan agreed
upon, and Of which the three phrases ''aho-
! litionism. free soil. nrovisoism." constituted
| not only the stanle. but the whole web-the
chain and the filling, woof and warp. But
of these present at the first meeting. one
| Judge Scott) did not return, and we shall
see the penalty which that default cost him
pretermit all other parts Of the machine
~ Of attack to dwell unon the Judges. II
50 happened that al the State Judgeships. in
consequence Of the constitutional amend
ment limiting the term of the judicial office
because vacant at that time, and nearly TWEEN
tv in number; and consequently requiring
corresponding number Of appointments 10 hi
made. The conspirators had the au1acitN
TO conceive the design of making nearly the
whole judiciary suhservient TO their Grim ma
design; and, what is more, they succeeded
in that design, at least to the number o.
fourteen out Of seventeen; the other three
being spared, one because he was believed
TO be inimical to me, and two because they
were believed to be indifferent. Now, how
could that be accomplished, seeing that the
appointment of these iudgeS--their nomina
ton at least was in the hands OF the Gov
ernor, and their confirmation in the hands O
the State Senate? Very easily was it ac
complshed, and in this wise: 1t had so hap
pened that the Governor had taken, pretty
much as his rule in making appointments
the strength of the recommendations a rul,
which at once nearly divested him of the ap
pointing power, and putting it ordinaril!
into the hands of the best runner of sub
scription paper--always the meanest ap
plicant in the whole crowd. This was tn,
, ordinary effect of the rule. In the particu
lar case under consideration, it threw tn,
appointing power into the hands of the con
spirators as an organized body, intensely in
terested, and counting in its ranks the bcs
subscription members in America-chap
that could run a DaDer either lIDon Whii