The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1854-07-07


be covered with thick of charity by all who de-
sire retain for his any portion Of that respect
which attached to it in former days Day by day he is
making exhibitions of vinctveness and weakness which
inconsistent with his character during that
Rod of his life when he secured the popular esteem and
confidence that the meamorphosis seems unaccounabe
upon any process of reasoning which comedies to him the
possession Of his former vigorous intellect The contem
pIaton of the change saddened by the evidence which
presents his mind slave his passions whilst there
is left sufficient vgor the former exhibit the latter in
their full force Nature formed him with strong passions
but with ordinary mind to his credit he labored and
persevered in the cultivation and improvement OF his
mental faculties until he secured the position award
ed 10 men of high intellectual capacities and attain
ments To very considerable extent the cultivation
and enlargement of his intellect enabled him to curb
and restrain those passions which, without such mental
Improvement must always have been ungovernabe;
but the indications of the last few years that his in
eect longer retains the power to resist the dominion
for which his natural passions have all the time struggled
Whether this mournfu spectacle is to be attributed to the
eorrodng influence of hopes deferred and aspirations dis
appointed or to the ruthless tooth of time which spares
intellect however capacous whether the sad result is
the legitimate consequence of both combined do
determine. The great fact stands out in bold
relief that the Thomas H. Benton of the days of Andrew
Jackson is not the Thomas H. Benton of later years The
democracy of the nation loved and confded in him he
when he stood in the Senate repealed the assaults
made upon the Old Hero and the position of the friend
of Jackson As he is at this day arrayed in close faer
nifty with the deadly enemies of the democratic party in
dugng in unmeasured denunciations of all upon whom
the democracy bestowed their confidence for the firm
ness consistency and efficiency with which they have
tanned the great principles of the party his old admirers
and friends do no less than look with and
pity upon his fallen condition. and out of pure charity
seek for his fall upon principles of reasoning
that will leave him in the full enjoyment of the reputation
which he made before his bad passions obtained the
terry decayng intellect.
Such reflections these have passed through our mind
several occasions when Colonel Benton has as
tonshed the country by his strange eccentricites They
forciby revived and confirmed by exhibition of
passion and weakness in letter newspaper in Indi-
ana which remarkable the coarseness of its abuse
and the grossness Of its egom constrained
notice with unaffected regret The letter is addressed
the editor of the Lafayette American in reply late
speech made by Senator Petit of Indiana in which he al
luded to the fact that in 1886 Colonel Benton obtained
the passage of law by Congress which rescinded and
altered the Missouri Compromise line This fact was stated
by Colonel Benton himself in his late speech against the
Nebraska BILL and nj the time commented upon as
furnishing conclusive to his whole speech. 1t
win be observed that Colonel Benton reiteates the same
fact in his letter the American and yet because Sem
Petit audes it to show that even Colonel Ben
ton did not regard the Missouri Compromise sacred
but in fact the first violate it, Colonel Benton
aenounces him in language that certainly adds nothing
his character for the faithful observance the courteses
oP cba -, J,ao fs-1
details stated by Senator Petit as one of Senator
Bentons great achievements and yet when his exploit
is adduced in REPUTATION of his present position he becomes
furious and deals in the vulgar strain of abuse
this prove the of our estimate of
Colonel Benton's present fallen condition. we greatly
mistaken in the force of testimony We deem it wholly
unnecessary to vindicate Senator Petit from an
attack the assault perfectly harmless because it
panied by acknowledgment of the truth Of the fact stated
by Mr. Petit More for the purpose of exhibiting Colonel
Benton he is than defend Senator Petit give
place to the letter. which is as follows:
WAsnINaroN, Saturday, June H. 1854
JAMES HOWE. esq., Lafayette, Ind-SIR Your letter has
Just been received informing Mr. Petit a public
speech your stated that the man to break
the Missouri Compromisetbat had law passed by Con-
gress annexng to the State large territory Sir your
great liar and dirty dog classifying public his
tory criminal purpose The Missouri Compromise
the Compromise agreed to it, the free States being
unanimous There not yeas and nays upon The
general assembly of Missouri requested it, We applied
members personally and individually fer their consent which
they gave and without their made
OF would have been made The journals prove this There
is full of it in Thirty Years View" in the
chapter headed Extension of the Missouri boundary
in my late Nebraska speech it briefly alluded and that
is probably all that the dirty dog knew about it, and which
he ahed his criminal purposes send you
of my Nebraska speeches. and hope you will find the chap
ter in the sThiry Years. and that this change in the
line was asked boon from the northern States, and by
them granted spirit of Kindness, and in way TO prove
that they would suffer anti slavery feelings to prevent
them doing of great favor to the State of Mis-
souri, and which nil Missouri thankful at the time,
and am still Mr. Petit feel that his cause is william
Gus when thus stand before his constituents to as
public history and justify his violation of the Missouri
Compromise, by telling lie upon me.
Respectfully, THOMAS ii. BENTON
AS Col Benton appeals his book, and that book
fully susans Senator Petit it is but justice TO both Of
them to publish the chapter referred to- II is follows
fsExrgNsrox Missouri auEsrIoN.-This was
measure great Missouri and full Of difficulties
In ITSELF requiring double process to accomplish an
act Of Congress extend the boundary and Indian treaty