The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1856-06-23
Sketch or Col. Benton's Speech
At JACKSON, CAPE GIRARnEAU COUNTY, JUNE I6,



good. Peace his objcct-pcace both at home and
abroad-and he considered the nomination OF Mr.. Bn-
chanan favorable u that object and, therefore, that the
exertons of others aborng for II woul! be in vain
He looked upon the place Of candidate for Governor
being different from that Of candidate for any other office
elected, II was " be the head Of the STATE not OF
party; and the and decorum which the Office
would impose should commence in the canvass, AMI a
foundation be laid in the dccency Of the for
impartial administration. Acting that belief he should
have nothing to say against the many parties into which
Me State was divided tie might PRAISE his own, but he
should have nothing to say against the others.
Col Benton, after some further introductory remarks,
then took occasion TO refer 70 the recent Convention at
Cincinnati where he had been lrcscas as spectator II
was the first COnvention'he had ever witnessed in hi
kc and what he saw there tended more than anything
ec 70 confirm the opinions he had long entertained res
pecting the working suh machinery In the present
instance Il was gotten uP for purpose, and nobody wa
TO be admitted who was not prvy 70 that purpose that
coalition Of Pierce aud Douglas could prevent them. Such
was tho object in hanaN deteat amy national man who
might present hiTstF, ana pass over the next admins
Gation b the keeping ofthc present of1coholdsrs.
The result, however, was a great rebuke TO the AL
ninisraton-heg greatest ever administered 70 men In
power. Fuar yetrs they had been working the whole
machinery Of the government 70 govern this Convention
and secure themselves IN power They had garrison
cofRceholders inside a the Convention, and bescgng
army Of the same gentry outside NIL working for tho
administration On'te principle Of the OK which knOwctA
his master s.orb tcy had packed delegates TO misrrs
sent the people; they had straw delegates coming rsn
States wndh could give democratic vo,c they had
pr@torian guard Of Office holders and seekers from
that which coa. command Votes and with all this se
administration mseraby defeated. Some sixty odd
from these the interested and packed votes that he OBJ
tanned dis actual would be two dozen. Com
ing In upon twenty seven States, he goes out upon as
many. IN fact the unanimous shout given for Mr. Buch
ansnAs nomination was the unanimous shout Tor Mr..
Hcrocis dsnission.
Mr. Pierce and Mr. Douglas sent discretionary authority
70 withdraw them they did not withdraw themselves,
but sent discretionary authority to those who were ON tho
ground and could see how the contest was goug II was
. deathbed withdrawal and done at the last gasp.
1t perfectly wen known that the majority did not
mean TO be defeated. The old game of the minority
rQrp I'm nipritv mot N hn VnI
Buchanan had received majority of the votes fifteen
times hand-running. 1t was fair nomination. according
70 the democratic prncplethe majority to govern also
according the wing principle in whose conversions the
majority governs the nomination la that they
democratic than the modern democracy, since
they adopted the notification rule Of two-thirds.
was perfectly well known that the majority attended
on Friday to offer resolution in the Conventen tiat Mr.
Buchanan, having received majority, was duly noml
natcd and equally we'll known that the tens oil thousands
Of good citizens meant to sustain that resolution Mr.
Buchanan received the twoLird votes he lacked
forty of when the outside pressure compelled the with
drawal of the administration flor Pierce and Douglas
were constantly considered one and the proved
them to be,) and Mr.. Buchanan was nominated IN hur
rah.
The Withdrawal and the hurrah nomination was per-
feet take in to the oiceholdcrs spoiled their game.
They screamed out against 1t. Their game was to gain
the merit Of nominating Buchanan If they could not de-
feat him. Defea. him was the first ohcct if not, then
turn the scales in his favor and demand the rewards.
They had given in their private adhesion to his friends
and meant to go in body ut the last critical mo
ncnt like the Ssyon army At the battle of Ripsic.
But they taken by surprise, and after screaming
against the Withdrawals were the oudcSt inther hurrs
for Buchanan 2nd the first to run INFO the streets and
proclaim his noTanntion and congratulate the country
upon tall which they will doubtless have aadays 10
prove to Mr. B,rhanans satisfaction; aud he will be very
hard hearted he does not continue them all III their VI
ices
All previous administrations Mr. Benton said, had for
bid olceholders interfere in electcnswhig or demo-
cratic, all forbid it, This administration on the contrary,
commanded H. They required the whole corps TO work
In the elections State and federal and 10 attend the Con-
venGOn and the surplus work outside that could not get
m and they did t-but always laying anchor to wind
ward to be able TO fasten the Buchanan ship wi
able 10 outride.h storm.
Mr. Benton said he had seen how the Convention
worked and against such institutions than ever
The people oushtohave direct vote for President, rs
hc bad proposed years ago There would DC no safety
for the purity of government until they had such cleo
Sons, and the people ought to take up the question in
their counties and have pressed by instrucons from
he general assembly Al present the Conventions were
filled by who held Office under TIE federal govern
mcnt and whoerc forbid by the constitution TO be even
he had given his opinion freely at Cincnna accoriin
10 his long previous conviction that the state Of the coun
Hy required q now man-onc who had no hand in pro
ducing the s'scf things, and who nlt be relied upol
the best chance OF saving the peace and harmony
the country TL7twas the sentiment OF the moses they
were all for paarc and believed thai new man WAS ne
ceseary 10 prsanre it. Those who had produced til,
present state OF things were not the doctors " cure
them.
He said he deasned Mr. Pierce ruined from the
day he made Up his Cabinet. lie WAS himself kind
hearted man. bat weak for the place. Gushing and
Davis were the calling sprits-one ahahfer ana seees-
kA neophite dausocrat and Tylere as long as Tyler
had anything to give. He had knogn Er Gushing rs q
leading abotiOs.y trying To keep Arkansas out OF the
Union because her. constitution admitted slavery and as
backing Mr. Slate of Vermont in eneavoring W abolish
slavery in the District Of Columbia when they forced the
Soucrn membergo secede from the bail OF the House in
1883.
He had known hinaas the greatest enemy cf the demo-
crazy making speech against them divided into two
and thirty heads-eimany heads thercacre points III
the mariners comEass-n which there werea coagame
ration vi everything that had been said against
them. He had knaan him the enemy N, the sub
treasury of hard money and the bitter rever OF Jack
son; and he could nothing but ruin To an adminstra
ZION Of which he wasthe master spirit.
He predicted for tke-admnistration total overthrow
at the time. 1t had come overwhelmingly He was
abandoned by evcrybGdy-cven his own Office holders
and went about u ho came in, unanrousv for the
unanimous hMrah far ,the nomination OF Mr. buchanan
was the unanimous hurrah for the dsnissGn OF Nr.
Pierce In his dismissior was included that Of his Cab
net for five Of them sere reserved Candidates, lyntg
back TO be taken up fer President anu Wee President
after the twothirds rule had killed of Buchar2h. Mr.
Pierce and Mr. Douglas constituted one interest, aud the
sfcc holders aboed for kcth OF them, wlile preerrng
Douglas but taking care Scgive in private adhess u
Buchanan.
He said that the pros4ra,ion of the Pierce sdminstra
ton was the most oompae.hat ever took place ~ TINS
country II was rout aDda carnage Other Presidents
had sought con and had been dcieated; but i
was by the ppe party and asains s;. are null
his own rsrty! an upheard scevont in our country. he
has been paucd in style that no man was ever ronied
before in our country, and III sway TO give narsy
Dccciyedssy his occholers he had the folly to anh
for RECOMMENDATION, and was tic hndmost In the race
holders, anshus thrown overheard in convention iar
the packing which the whole patronage of the govern
ment had been prostituted pr s0nr years Mr. Benton
said ne hopedgto live to write uasir history.
Colonel BcAon rapidly sketcisdte causes Of the down
ca of Mr. Pierce the head Of which causes he placed
the disturbance OF the peace Of te country In destroying
the Missouri compromises measure from which Mr.
Calhoun recoAa because the aeilpt to destroy that
compromise woxld destroy the pnhLc ponce The des
sxuction Of the Ts compromise VIZ as hSran rs that
Of the Missouri Compromise br il wa re-enotment OF
che same made 7dhty five years afterwards and in the
came words, md hy men who destroyed It, The chief
anthors cf the Karsas Nebraska bill haa voted r the
Texas compromise end were cstoppe3sy hoir own act
In denying its constbntonality.
The extravaganza OF the administrator was dwet
,pop by Colonel Bcn.en-seventy to eight millions cx
Iercd annually When che onethisd of thai sum was com
putel by MIR. Polk in tie last year OF his administration
md after the acquisiay of New Mexico, California and
Utah. lie computed ty enty five millions year to DC
enouf and it would be 81 under an economical admins
fration Bat here all extravaganza pup pad extra
yacanoe in the increase of officers and salarieSn tn
increase of army and naySin keeping up ~ srormou
revenue of eighty millions when the ehifde 81 it va
enough