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

JACKSON ana SllaS w right, 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 candidate for Governor.
WASHINGTON, May 1856
To Messrs. Thos. L. Price, Jacob Hall, Francis
2. Blair, Jr., and others.
GENTLEMEN: 1 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 L return, which will be
soon, as l am nearly through the occupation
which has detained me here. In the mean
time, if any other person was thought Of for
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 VIXEN 1 get to Missouri, but not
in the way of canvass, nor as 4 candidate for
any office, but to do my part as citizen in
trying to preserve the peace and harmony of
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.
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 designcdly 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 contriving its repeal who was
not upon the record lin votes or speeches) for
its support up to the time of its abrogation;
and Mr.. Calhoun himself, as late as l94S-only
two years before his death, and after he had
broached the doctrine OF no power in Congress
to legislate upon slavery in Territories-repu-
dated the idea of repeal, and declared that
the ssotfenpt' to do would ssdisiisrb the peace
and harmony Of The Union" It 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 q nelc test of Democracy, which
consists in exacting party allegiance to the
principles of the Kansas Nebraska Bill The
first inquiry upon the virtue of this new test is,
to find out what those principles are; aud 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 as they please. In the South that
definition is held to be rank dcmagoguerv
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 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-
quirc others to believe in it.
1t is impossible to believe in both and 1
believe in neither. l believe in the old doc
trine, that the Territories are the property of
the United States and under the guar dianship
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 (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 deny it, and who are upon the record |
and that often and recenD against their own |
lenial. Witness (to go no further back) Che |
bill for the admission of Texas in 1915, on
which all who voted for that admission voted |
o. 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
~ the laws and constitution of Texas. Wit
less, also, the debates and speeches on the
oregon bill in lS4S also, the attempts to ex-
end the compromise line to the Pacific in
$50; also, the votes of some of these advo-
ates in favor of the Wilmot proyiso; and,
bove all, the protest of the ten Senators
gainst the admission of the State of Califor-
ia in 1850, because Congress would not legis-
ite upon the subject of slavery in the terrific
Y which was to compose it. With all these
and evidences in favor of the old
octrine and against the new test and its au-
hors, think the old Democracy may be al
owed to dispute its binding force, at all events
ntil its advocates can agree in telling what it
J. Respectfully, THOMAS II. BENTON.
"But deny that the laws of Mexico can
ave the effect attributed to them, (that of
eeping slavery out of New Mexico, Califor-
Ia, and Utah.) As soon as the treaty between ,
ne two countries is ratified, the sovereignty
nd authority of Mexico, in the territory ac-
uired by it, become extinct and that of the