The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-04-27

IS much - it may be regretted that c;rcuns al
css in their minds compelled an adoption OF mo
l.w for the redress Of these great and si4rt,s
evils, yet it can be said that whatever Vas as
complished either for good or had in The future
i Was certainly done iii prompt, business m
v oskmanlike manner. s
Ffoln Warrington.
| 7Aoa H. Benton Leading traits If his Cha,
acter.-H Hop he Died
d Especial Core poudence Of the Peoria Transcript.
/ Mr.. Button died Bentonian death OIL Sstn'
! day MOI ming at hait-past seven. His deeeas
! had been lOresaen for more than week. Til
session Of The House on Friday had been tclnii
| mated sudden. by premature announcement
| OF his decease. Mr.. Benton said he had &C
compiished all the aims Of his life but one
which was TO & ,ish his abridgement Of debate
| from 1889 to tie present time. lie had broush
this work down to 1880. and was laboriug upor
it 1t the very moment when his death was erro
ncousy reported to the House, thai is, seven
teen hours before he ceased to breathe.
Mr. Benton lacked only one or two qualifca-
tions OF the great man, and the first of those
was the ability to persuade aud conciliate. i
is not enough that man shoald have the i'm
p. rial art 10 command. he must also be able to
win men over TO him, to charm them, to attach
them to himself by the ties of admiration and
affection. lie must concentrate in himself those
electrical chords of sympathy. which draw men
by affinity, and which are as pleasing, and much
more so, TO those who are held by them, as to
him who finds himself the centre and object OF
this attraction. This quality was . stranger TO
Mr.. Benton. lie had more head than heart.
Few loved him, and it was only toward the close
OF his long life that be had any intimases. Aud
yet he was not uugenial. remember dining
with him four years ago at the house Of mu.
tuL friend. lie drank more and talked more
than any other guest. He was more pleasant,
piquant aud original than any other. Nor was
he bad listener. He could bear to hear fool
babble, which surprised me, and he listened
without visible signs Of contempt to fulsome
compliments, which thought a remarkable cv-
idcnce Of patience and amiability.
Benton was q very brave man, and courage
covers multitude Of sins. Nothing daunted
nor unnamed him. He fought with old Hck
ory, and Hickory possumed"-shammed death
to save his life. lie fought with Lucas twice
and killed him He made Hungarian Foote run
like dog 10 the Senate Chamber, Foote having
a pistol in his hand. He had furious personali-
ties with Clay aud Butler in the Senate, looking
TO hostile meetings outside.
lie was so uncertain and irrascible in his tenn
out to make his acquainta, nee as they did Clay,
Webster and John Quincy Adams. Many men
Of more than average prominence have
lived half their mature life in Washington
without speaking to Mr.. Benton. After his rup-
ture with the Democracy in lS45, northern men
began to gather about and consult with Mr..
Benton. The only one Of them, however, who
ever had influence with him was Senator Dix OF
New York. But from that period he was with
them On nearly all points, He agreed with them
gainst the extension of slavery, but opposed
The Wilmot Proviso, because it was goats
wool"
As a speaker he had not an agreeable man
ner. nor was he great orator, but he was most
effective in debate and before the people. lie
xceIled in originality of illustration, and had
great wit. His descriptions were exceedingly
graphic. His humor upset the gravity OF all lis
Ieners, whether friendly or hostile. Nothing
was ever heard in the Senate more amusing than
his parallel between Clay and Douglas old
DR.. Townsend and the young DR.. Townsend
with their rival sarsaparillas, when Clay under
look to heal up the "gaping wounds" Of the
country by an Omnibus load OF relief bills, while
Douglas proposed the same panaceas, but ad.
sised them to be taken separately.
Mr.. Benton spoke cheerfully, and even with
leviiy of his approaching end.-He
asked DR.. Hall, who, with Drs. May and Green,
the latter a hob.eopa,his.,) attended him, why
nobody had thought Of organizing joint stock
for building bridge over the Styx.
He said Char0n's ferry was primitive contri-
vance not suited to the present population.
He is also reported to have said that he in
ended to die like our Savior and like Socrates,
hat one died like God and the other like .
r. n Il ~,
,y terian Church. which he commonly attended,
that he wished him to be present, in order to
see how christian could die. He was con
,cous, doubtless, of the plagiarism upon Addi-
Son, but wished to show that he died an Addi-
sonian death.
Nothing could be more entirely Bentonian
Ihaa the letter which he sent to be read in Con-
gress, the day but one before his death. He
protested against public funeral honors, and he
to vol. 5, page 294, of Benton's abridg
ments Of debates as his reason.
1t is humane adage that only the good
which men do live after them. There is a part
Of Mr.. Benton's life which his biographers will
not desire to remember. When he was thun-
derins against the pure and honest administra
tion Of Adams when he was supporting the
usurpations of jackson, and when, above all,
he was laboring with Titanic energy to deface
and mutiate the Journal OF the Senate by era
sing therefrom joint condemnation Of that
bold, bad man, he was engaged in no patriotic
work, and he deserved the censure and not the
applause Of his countrymen.
The colored Democracy are in agonies over
the apprehendei n:ggerization Of Cuba. ru-
NOR has come ont that the Spanish Government
has submitted TO British policy SO far as to adopt
a decree, subj ct to the ratification OF the Cor
tez, abolishing slavery in Cuba. All Africa was
thrown into u ferment. The leading negro
chiefs, Toombs, JEFF. Davis, Hunter, Mason,
Benjamin and dozen others, were instantly
summoned to caucus. No mulatt0es or hybrids
were admitted In such cases the yelows and
browns OF the Northern Democracy are never
consulted. The DEGREES passed in secret con-
ciayc Of pure Africans are handed to them for
execution. What the colored brethren did is Of
course = profound secret, but the next day
long Cabinet council was held, at which the por-
tentous cloud overhanging the future of the AT.
rican Democracy was viewed in every aspect,
and it was concluded, such is the report, that
nothing could he done but to raise howl over
british influence and to appeal to the South to
Democracy il row complete, and is much
more import ant, matter than the Afgcaliiza,ion
OF Cuba.
THE Two DEMoCRACIEs.-The Democracy in
these parts has divided itself into democrats"
and sNAtional Democrats" One acknowledges
Douglas and follows his flag, and the other that
Of Buchanan. They differ on vital principle
Of government which cannot pass away with the
settlement Of the question of the admission Of
Kansas under whatever terms it may be made.
The rule Of monarchy is, that the King can do
no gromg. 1t is now attempted to make the
word Democracy" cover the same principle,
which in the worlds history has been such q
scourge to mankind. The question is, whether
this principle, armed with the purse and the
sword. is more than q match for the one, that
the People Of a Nasion are rightfalty the,r opn
governors and should be the makers Of their
own laws, the majority Of the People deciding
the question Of differences among themselves.
So far, the General Government has acted on
this tyrannical principle in the government Of
Kansas. Ever since armed men from Missouri
drove the peieeable inhabitants Of that Il rri.
tory from the polls and in pure tyranny inaugu
! rated Government there, the purse and the
sword oi :he nation have been welded merci-
lessly for its defence as they are this day. This
principle Of srauny and this action We unceas
ingly oppose, and We rejoice at every accession
Of streng h, OF whatever name it may call itsel
or under whatever circumstances IL may ap.