Daily American organ., 1856-08-26
Letter from Colonel Benton.
AGAINST FRENoNT-ToR BUCHANAN.


ST. LOUIS Aug. 10, 1855.
DEAR SIR: was disappointed in the result of
your election as the signs in the district as went
through 1t, encouraged me in the belief that you
would succeed. was also disappointed In my
own, but do not regret having made the canvass;
nor do consider as lost the labor in travelling and
speaking which it cost me. The exercise, though
severe, has been good for me, and even necessary
after my long studous and sedentary course of
life. ! feel greatly invigorated by 1t. The inter
course with the people has been most gratifying.
They came to see me in masses, and with cordial
ity, along the whole line of travel, and nowhere
more numerously or cordially than in the border
counties where some people had supposed was
to have had an unwelcOme reception. Ny only
regi ct was that could not have remained longer
at each place. Personally, the canvass has been
most agreeable to me, and politically, think ii
has been good for the State, in helping to revive
the sentiment of nationality, and contributing to
allay the feeling of sectional antagonism now too
strong for the safety of the Union and which every
patriotic consideration requires to be Gained.
There Is design here, on the part Of some, to
put up an electoral ticket for Fremont, about
which no one speaks to me, as have character
enough to keep at distance all that class of per-
sons who, dshonorable themselves, could approach
man with dishonorable proposition. But my
sentiments are known, and that should consider
such step as injurious under every aspect--mor-
tifying to Fremont himself from the small vote
which the ticket would receive--and injurious to
the public, by aggravatng the sectional feeling
which now arrays each half of the Union against
the other. was opposing the bringing out OF
Fremont for nearly half year before those who
charge me with promoting it knew of any such
design. There are cases In which public duty rises
above personal consideration, though there are
great many peo pie who cannot conceive it possi.
ble. Thus, whe n supported Jackson, with whom
had been on i'll terms,) thirty years ago, the
sordid motive Of Office was assigned for it: now,
when support Buchanan, with whom am on Ill
terms, and support him against member OF my
own family, the same class OF persons can SEQ
nothing in it but falsehood and treachery. Inca
pable themselves Of anything disinterested and
patriotic they believe others to be equally SO,
and attack, with base motives, all the actions
which are above the comprehensons of their po-
litcal morality.
The full result of the Governors election is not
yet known here, but enough is known to deter
mine the condition on which our electoral ticket
is to be withdrawn. The other side would not
agree to our proposition; but this refusal to do
what was right, makes no difference to US and we
shall have the qualification, later having forced
Buchanan upon them at Cincinnati,) to make
them carry him over the State--pretending to be
for him, while regrctting that they had not been
ahle to kill him In the convention
up material for my "Abridgement of the Debates
work which can carry on here.
Very truly and sincerity yours,
" tE THOS. Fl. BENTON
m d., Ecc + I. +