Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1852-05-13
Life Sketches of Prominent Democrats.
pY DEMOCRATIC ARTISTS.

the Senator Of "thirty years." who never
"asked an office for himself or blood" but
is now after seat in Congress from the St.
Louis District:
BESroN's SPEECH AT HILsBoRo'. The
ex-Missouri Senator has lately been to HIS
boro' A meeting at that place, it will be
remembered, some time ago nominated him
for congress, and this speech is a response
to that nomination.
The speech, take it altogether, is Bento-
nian in the superlative degree. He is en-
tirely possessed with the notion that the en-
tire progress of the age has been owing to
him. All the good done and all the evil
prevented, must be ascribed to the one great
agent, the Senator, that was, from Missouri.
1t is remarkable, however, that scarce any
thing was completed during his thirty years
in the Senate. The finishing touch was on
hand Just as his service was Brought to an
abrupt termination by the vile coalition
which knocked him out of the Senate, there
by knocking all the virtue out of that body.
Little can now be hoped for until Benton
gets back to Washington, when the sun,
which now stands still for want Of Apollo to
hold the reins, will start on again in its
journey. Benton sneers at danger to the
Union; but still he has been all the while
saving it. He throttled notification, and
knocked the Nashville convention sky-high,
Just it was Matching treason to the Union.
He thinks he did it sure enough, although
there is hardly man in America, who has
less influence outside of his faction in Mis-
sourl.
His Democracy is of the abstract sort,
however, and suits the Whiggery of the
times as well as anything else. His course
on the Texas question is well remembered,
and his opposition to his party generally on
, the Oregon question. He is now as warm
ly for specific duties as any Wing. His IL
! rade against dd ualoreuas is in the usual
Wing vein, interspersed with the shallow
| sophistry of protectionists generally. He
wants iron protected by specific duty
amounting to fifty per cent. He is, more
over, for the Improvement of rivers and
harbors; it's one of his great objects. He
|, would, therefore, do very well as a Wing
candidate for the Presidency-as well or
r better than Fillmore. The parties have
3 been moving onward for the last twenty
years; Benton has been standing still. The
E thing is now quite different, and is as much
Bentonian as anything else.
He does not let out his choice for Presi-
dent in this speech; but it is manifest that he
' ought to have that high office himself; that it
never will be we'll filled until he occupies
0 the chair of State. Although it is some
= what questionable if he would condescend
t to be President at all; unless the people
5 should be wise enough to find out that they
= could not do without him, and make him
= President by spontaneous combustion. He
e is evidently great man, if he is not mis-
taken, and great whether he is mistaken or
h not; but his self-consequence has gone tc
!, seed. This speech is the rarest specimen
f of signal ability, and laugable self-conceit
= we ever read.
: Benton is man of iron will-of great
self-reliance--has great strength of intellect
t and power Of expression, but in logica
}, acuteness and comprehensive craftsmanship
$ he is wofully deficient. He thinks entirely
e too much Of himself to appreciate other mer
# and can lead only where others will blindly
o follow. His arrogance has thrown him ou
of the Senate and out of his party. His op
/ pletons; he eschews the knaves, but is ready
If to forgive the simpletons. The well dis
/. posed are of course ready to admire him.
What better can they do than to follow th'
light of the world? The rest of mankint
l. are either stupid or wicked; some to be pit
led, others to be cast off as rottens.
e The Platte .Argus speaks of our "mos
Is excellent Governor and amiable gentleman,
!, thuswise:
l. When Governor King was at Platte Ci
IS ty on the first Monday of March he sung:
i "How vain are all things here below,
a. How false and get how fair"
i At that time he thought his plans were $
\. well arranged that nothing could defeat hi
te nomination as the Democratic candidate 70
Congress. But alas, for the uncertainty @
- all things mortal! he now sings his song ou
y. ~ of the other corner of his mouth. lie
y not the the nominee, but a disorganizer,
~ ~ traitor to his party.
es Gov. King in his ddy-has been sue
nd cessful aspirant for office. He has offer
e. by the trickery and management he know
SO we'll how to WELD defeated more worth
n. and better men than himself. And has bee
,s in no wise scrupulous of the means he useC
Of SO that the end was accomplished. Conver
A. tons were then very, very "fair," but no.
as they are 'lalse." He was defeated. II
C. charges James II. Blrch--a man who i
IS has long known-in whom he placed III
"a, bounded confidence whom he appointed
ms one of the most important and responsib
Of offices in the State-wth fraud in gettir
re the nomination over himself at Gallatin.
Ise Col. Birch was anything else than goo
,e. man, and good democrat, when Gov. Kr
ate appointed him judge of the Supreme Coui
,es no one knewthe fact better than the Cove
ed nor, and any charge coming from such
,c. source should merit and receive nothing b
r. contempt and reprobation.
re, Gov. King is here, endeavoring, by h
the undemocratic and disorganizing course,
err injure the prospects of the party which h
or always sustained him, who has proved hir
est self to have been unworthy Of the positio
L.