Washington sentinel., 1854-04-28
COLONEL BENTON ON NEBRASKA.

The long-anticipated, muchtalked-of and
loudly-heralded speech of Colonel Benton on
the Nebraska bill was delivered in the House
of Representatives on Tuesday. Rumors and
speculations with regard to that speech have
been circulated throughout the country from
the time the Nebraska bill was first laid before
the Senate. Colonel Benton's friends looked
forward to it as to victory; his parasites and
fatterers affirmed that it would be more than
triumph crushing, shatteriag, extinguish-
ing, and annihilating blow on the Nebraska BILL
They expected it to be the great effort of his
long and distinguished career; for all his facul-
ties, all his powers, all his experience, all his
knowledge, all his courage, and all his audacity
were to be thrown into it. Telegraphic de-
spatches and letter-writers, pretending to speak
knowingly, stated that Colonel Benton would
not be thwarted by the rules OF the House OF
Representatives; for he was so full Of the theme
that he would 90 into the rotunda ifthe rules OF
the House thwarted him. These announce
ments filed his few friends with exultation,
and induced the sycophants who surround him
to misuse his vanity to swell and strut, and use
boastful words.
At length the day came-the stated day
the day fixed and set apart for the laboring
mountain to relieve its gravid womb. The
galleries of the House of Representatives were
crowded with an eager and intelligent auditory,
assembled to listen to the impressive tones of
the great Missourian. Expectation was on
tiptoe. Joy dwelt in some hearts dismay
filed others. There was a vague and indef-
nable dread among many that the experienced
old statesman would urge some new and terri
BILE arguments that no one else had thought Of;
that he would find objections to the Nebraska
bill that had escaped the scrutinizing investi-
CATION of the many able men who had spoken
it. Happily, however, for the Nebraska
bill and its friends, the fear was greater than
the actual danger. The Handicapped dwin
died into mere pop-gun; the lightning
fash into slow, dim, rush-light; and the tor
rent into sprinkle Of harmless and rather re-
freshing rain-drops, not enough to wet man
in his shirt sleeves. His speech is conceded on
all hands to be failure-a flash in the pan
very abortion. Instead Of defeat, it is re-
garded as the greatest triumph Of the Nebras-
ka bill. "He roared as gently as sucking
doven
We do not purpose making this speech of
Mr.. Bentons the subject of extended comment
at this time; nor do we know that we shall
bestow upon it any great degree of attention
hereafter. We have SO often exposed the ste
reotyped arguments contained in it, that it is
unnecessary and waste Of space and of labor
to expose them again. But, in order to render
full justice, it is necessary to state that Mr..
Benton gives some reasons for his adherinp to
the Missouri restriction which have not been
presented before. First among them is the fact
that he came into the Union on the Missouri
compromise, and therefore he must stand by it as
sacred engagement 1t may be that anything
whether Hat-boat or acompromise-a law.rule
or regulation--which brought the distinguished
ex-senator from Missouri into the Union is 9
solemn compact entitled to the weight Of O
constitutional provision. We do not think so
however, and may attempt to convince others
that we think rightly on this point, by analy.
zing, at our convenience, the speech recently
delivered by the distinguished representative
"of the st. Louis district" In discharging
that task, we shall endeavor to keep in mind
and do full justice to the eminent services
which Mr.. Benton has rendered to the demo
cratic party in past times, when he battled with
the power of giant for democratic princ
pies; but at the same time, his ancient re.
nown shall not deter US from scrutinizing his
course and commenting on his public actions
for we would not be true to ourselves if we
could be 30 influenced. 4.