The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1856-10-18
Communicated.
Senator Benjaminss Speecll-What
He saId-What He DmittsA--AI scspectfal
Cxi,icism, provoked BY his Abaase.

Crisicism, provoked ~ his Abuse.
We showed last week, Senator Benjamin,
why, in giving an account Of your steward
you kept silence IN "Squatter Sove-
which you are responsible for, and
which, instead Of being a natter of construc-
ton, we assert to be patent on the face of the
Kansas bill. We cited. the testimony of Sem
ators Douglas, Cass, .Bigler, Toucey, and 9th
ers, the best Of The " Northern men with
Southern principles"-th very men you laud
80 highly for standing by the South-as well
as the Testimony Of james Buchanan and Mar.
tin Van Buren,, to show that it was the true
intent and meaning of this Kansas act, that as
5000 as this territory is organized, the Legis
latnre thereof can settle for ever the question
Of slavery, so that if the North can first send
in her legions Of home and foreign emgrants
she can secure the territory to freedom" Tht
North has superior population-the South
none to spare. Her emigrants are poor Ia
boring men !: they emigrate easily. Those from
the South have wealth in slaves: they NOV,
with much less facility. Hundreds Of thou
sands of emigrants arrive yearly-6ve.sixths il
Northern ports, all in pursuit of the Far Yves
all prejudiced and interested against slavery
The North has the greatest facilities for trave
and transport the streams Of emigration
from and through her, run down hill all III,
way, to all the territories Of the United States
with us Of the South it is an uphill business
Moreover, Northern fanaticism swells til,
streams by money and other aids we depend
on the promptings of individual selfinterest
Many other advantages Of antislavery NIGH
be mentioned, but space will not allow.
Now, Senator Benjamin, you knew all these
things, for you are extremely intelligent and
shrewd-a statesman. Louisiana, and the
South, ask you, why you enacted o law, te
make these advantages tell against slavery
just such q law as the North wanted? Your
fellow citizens-intelligent, patriotic men, all
over the country, are asking this question.
Will you answer it? And if they have been
brought into difficulty by your votes, will you
try to devise some remedy, instead of wasting
time, in this terrible crisis, by brutum tuimen
against the American party-comprising more
than one half Of the native-born citizens of the
State, and standing on your speeches in the
Convention of ls45--a platform, you made
for them. Now for quotations from your
coadjutors in the support Of James B. Plat
form, to show how your Kansas bill suits free
soil sentiments and designs. We can give only
or three, out of many we have.
Gov. Wright of Indiana in a recent speech
at Cambridge, declared it to be "the best
Wilmot proviso ever enacted"
The Detroit Free Press said in 1854: MIR.
" Douglass bill " 1.-THE Kansas ebraska bill
!" is the greatest advance movement in the d.
+" rection Of human freedom, that has ever been
+" made since the adoption of the Constitution. y
Hear the NewHampshire Patriot, the organ
Of Gen. Pierce, and a strenuous supporter Of
Buchanan. 1t recently said:
"The Nebraska bill works gloriously and
/" triumphantly for freedom. No act of any
+" President, or any Congress, has secured so
+" much, and so suddenly, and so easily for
" liberty"
Expressions Of the same character may be
found in the Providence Post, the Pittsburp
Union, and many other leading Buchanan pa,
pers in different parts of the North.
President Pierce, Judge Douglas, Martin
Van Buren,, Gen. Shields, and many others Of
Bu%chanan's Northern supporters, consider the
bill "a measure of freedom" and have so de
clared. These gentlemen gave up Congressiona
intervention for squatter-intervention /: they
like the last the best and they support James
Buchanan, because he has sanctioned it, ant
will carry it out. They and John Van Buren,
and Cambreleng, and Choate, and Wright, ani
Dix, should not be assisted in carrying our
their views by Senator Benjamin! But az
this gentleman voted for squatter sovereignty
in 1854, it is perhaps but right that he should
support the squatter sovereign now! Senator
B.. should remember that if it were not for tht
heresy in the Democratic platform, and Blu
chanan's letter of acceptance, Van Buren,, Dix
4 Co., would be Black Republicans. How
strange, Senator Benjamin, to see them and
you supporting James Buchanan on the self
same g%round--the Kansas-Ncbraska bill--fol
that is the only practical question that brings
you together. How true it is that politics
makes strange bedfellows y!
Senator Benjamin, you know that this
measure is universally advocated by Buchanan
men in the North, as a measure ~favoring free
dom, and tending to subvert Southern rights
and interests. Why did you not speak of this
phase of the matter for the South feels
jealous OF those that consort with her enemies +!
But let us say something of the Southern
Buchaniers. We find four classes in respect to
squatter sovereignty. /. Those who boldly
assert that this principle is in the Kansas bill,
and proceed to defend it. q Many more deny
its existence, but give no semblauce of argu-
ment. 8, A large number keep silence. MIR.
B. seems to be one Of the mummies. 4. Per-
haps son have taken the "ipccac-platform ,
thrown it up again-and yet determined to
for Democracy.
A few words to the second class. And to
we quote from the Caddo Gazette, the