Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1856-06-18
HON. THOMAS H. BENTON.


friend and associate of such men as General
Jackson and Silas Wright, fingers still amongst |
us in rigorous old age. The St. Louis Dem
ocrat publishes the following letter from Mr. |
Benton, in reply to the official notification OF
his nomination as a candidate for Governor
WASHINGTON, May 1856.
To Messrs Thos L. Price, Jacob Hall, Francis
P. Blair, Jr., and others
GENTLEMEN: L have received your letter
on the subject of the nomination made by the
Democratic Convention at Jefferson City, and
am greatly pleased with the whole of them, ex-
cept the one which relates to myself. That
takes me By surprise, and must remain under
consideration until I return, which will be
soon. as 1 am nearly through the occupation
which has detained me here. In the mean
time, if any other person was thought OF Tor
the Governors nomination in the event of my
inability to accept it, would wish him to be
brought forward at once, without awaiting any
further answer from me.
1t is my intention to speak on the state OF
public affairs when 1 get to Missouri, but not
| in the way of a canvass, nor asa CT candidate for
| any office, but to do my part citizen in
the Union, and to keep agitation and section
| alism out of our borders-twO evils now beset-
ting the whole United States, and our own
| State above all.
| l consider slavery agitation (and its natu-
raj offspring, sectional antagonism) the great
est curse, both socially and politically, which
could befall our Union; and that curse is now
upon US, and brought upon US designedly and
| for the worst of purposes. The Missouri COM
promise line, the work of patriotic men, had
stood above thirty years, and there was not
one among those contriying its repeal who was
not upon the record (in votes or speeches) for
its support up to the time of its abrogation;
and Mr. Calhoun himself, as late as lS4S-only
two years before his death, and after he had
broached the doctrine of no power in Congress
| to legislatc upon slavery in Territories-repu-
dated the idea of repeal, and declared that
the ssattempt'' to do would ''disfarb the peace
aud harmony Of the Ultioa." 1t has been at
tempted and accomplished and the peace and
harmony of the Union have been destroyed.
| Out of the repeal of this compromise has
| sprung forth a melc test of Democracy, which
consists in exacting party allegiance to the
first inquiry upon the virtue of this new test is,
to find out what those principles are; and the
result is diametrically opposite, as it comes
from one side or the other Of the Potomac
River. From the North the answer is, squat
ter sovereignty as being the Inherent right of
the people of the Territory to decide the ques-
tion of slavery for themselves, and to have it
or not, just they please. In the South that
definition is held to be rank dcmagoguery,
and that the people Of the Territory, no more
than Congress, have not a particle of power on
| the subject that the Constitution carries sla-
very with it into every Territory as soon as
acquired, overriding and controlling all laws
against it, and keeping it there, in defiance of
the people of Congress, until the Territory
becomes q State and excludes it, Thus the
advocates of the Test are as opposite as light
and darkness in telling what it is, and surely
they ought to agree upon it before they re-
quire others to believe in it.
1t is impossible to believe in both; and |
believe in neither. 1 believe in the old doc
trine, that the Territories are the property OF
the United States and under the guardianship
of Congress, and subject TO such laws as Con-
gress chooses to provide for them Cor to per-
NIT them to make for themselves) until they
become States and after that Cthe 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 deny it, and who arc upon the record
{and that often and recent) against their own
denial. Witness ito go no further back) the
bill for the admission of Texas in 1915, on
which all who voted for that admission voted
fo- the re-establishment of the Missouri COM
promise line in all that part of it south OF the
Arkansas river where it had been abrogated
by the laws and constitution of Texas. Wit
ness, also, the debates and speeches on the
Oregon bill in lS4S; also, the attempts to ex-
tend the compromise line to the Pacific in
1850; also, the votes of some of these advo-
Gates in favor of the Wilmot proviso and.
above all, the protest of the ten Senators
against the admission of the State of Califor-
MIA in 1850, because Congress would not legis-
late upon the subject of slavery in the terrific
ry which was to compose it. With all these
authorities and evidences in favor of the old
doctrine and against the new test and its au-
thors, think the old Democracy may be al
lowed TO dispute its binding force at all events
until its advocates can agree in telling what il
is. Respectfully, THOMAS HI. Benton.
"But deny that the laws of Mexico can