Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1856-05-29
Letter from Col. BENTON.

following letter from Col. Benton, which
will be read with interest, just at this times
WAsnrNeroS CRY, May, 1866.
To Messrs. Thomas l.. Price, Jacob Hall,
Francis p. Blair, Jr., Stephen Rice ,Jno.
ID. Stevenson, James Lusk, p. p. Fulk-
erson, u. Isbel, w. II. Chafey, James
Lindsay, Austin A. King, Harrison b.
Branch, and Il. +. Baker.
GENrLEMEn: have received your letter
on, the subject of the nominations made by
the Democratic Convention at Jefferson
City,;and am greatly pleased with the whole of
them, except the one which relates TO my
self. That takes me by surprise, and must
remain under consideration until return
which will be soon, as am nearly through
the occupatian which has detained me here.
In the meantime, If any other person was
thought Of for the Governors nomination, in
the event Of my inability to acceptit, would
wish him 10 be brought forward at once,
without awaiting any further answer from
me.
1t is my Intention 10 speak on the state Of
public affairs when | get 10 Missouri, but
not in the way Of canvass, nor as can
didate for any office, but TO do my part as o
citizen, in trying to preserve the peace and
harmony Of the Union, and TO keep agitation
and sectionalsm out Of our borders -two
evils now besetting the whole United States,
and our own State above all.
| consider slavery agitation, (and its
natural offspring, sectional antagonism,) the
greatest curse, both socially and politically,
which could befall our Union; and that curse
is now upon us, and brought upon JUS design
eddy and for the worst OF purposes. The
Missouri Compromise line, the work of pa
triotic men, had stood above thirty years,
and there was not one among those contriv-
ing its repeal who was not upon the record
Tin votes or speeches. for its support, up
to,the time Of its abrogation; and Mr.. CAL
houn himself, as late as lS48-only two
years before his death, and after he had
preached the doctrine of no power in Com
gress tc ,cgislate upon slavery in Terrific
ries-repudiated the idea of repeal, and de-
clared that the "attempt' TO do so would
"d,sturb tie peace and harmony of The I'm
ion." It has been attempted and accom-
plished, ..and the peace and harmony of the
Union has been destroyed.
Out of the repeal OF this compromise has
sprung forth new test of Democracy, which
consists in, exactne party allegiance to the
principles of the Kalsas-Nebraska BILL
The first inquiry upon the virtue of this new
test is, to find out what those principles are,
and the result is Numerically opposite, as
it comes from one side, or the other, of the
Potomac river. From the North, the an
swer is, squatier sovereignty! as being in
herentlright of the people of the Territory
to decide the question of slavery for them
selves, and to have it or not, just as they
please. In the South, that definition is held
to be rank demagoguery, and that the peo-
pie Of the Territory, no more than Congress,
have not particle Of power on the subject;
and the constitution carries slavery with it
into every Territory as soon as acquired,
overriding and controlling all laws against it,
and keeping it there in defiance of the peo-
pie, or OF Congress, until the Territory be-
comes State, and excludes it, Thus the
advocates of the lest are as opposite as light
and darkness in telling what. is, and sure
ly they ought TO agree upon il before they
require others to believe in il. 1t is impos-
sible Ito believe in both; and believe in
neither. | believe in the old doctrine-that
The Territories are the property of the Uni
ted States, and under the guardianship Of
Congress, and subject TO such laws as Con-
gress chooses 10 provide for. them, Cor per-
nit them to make for. themselves,) until
they become States; and after that, (the
children arrived at twenty-one years of
age, they are out Of guardianship, and have
all the rights of their fathers.
That is my belief, and has been the belief
Of the whole United States until lately, and
especially the belief of those who now de-
ny it, and who are upon the record, (and
that often and recent,) sgainnt their own
denial, Witness, (to go no further. back }
the bill FOR the admission OF Texas in lS45,
on which all who voted for that admission,
voted for the re-establishment of the Mis-
souri, Compromise line in all that part of il
south of the Arkansas river where it had
been abrogated by the laws and constitution
of Texas. Witness also the debates and
speeches on the Oregon bill in 1848-alsc
the attempts to extend the Compromise line
to the Pacific in l850-ihs votes of some OF
these advocates in favor of the Wilmot pro-
uiso; and above all, the protest of the ten
Senators against the admission Of the State
of California in 1850, because Congress
would not legislate upon the subject OF sla-
very in the territory which was to compose
it. With all these authorities and eviden-
ces in favor Of the old doctrine, and against
the new test and its authors, think the old
democracy may be allowed to dispute its
binding force-at all events until its advo-
Gates can agree in telling what it is.
Respectfully,
THOMAS II. BENTON
is' "But deny that the laws of Mexico can have
the effect attributed TO them, (that OF keeping sla-
very out of New Mexico, California and Utah }
As soon as the treaty between the two countries is
ratified, the sovereignty and authority of Mexico
in the territory acquired by it, become extinct, and
that of the UnitedStates is substituted in its place
carrying with II the Constitution, with its everrid,
ing control over all the laws and institutions OF
Mexico, inconsistent with it'll Mr.. Calhoun
Oregon speech, 1913.