Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-08-14
Correspondenee Of the MerourY.

vi lIlN --ptii INST, duQIcSSCu 10 Iie Doodle
Of Missouri, and headed "rho Blair Libel
ON Col. Bcnton," has from its unusual Sc
verify, excited considerable comment here.
1t seems that few days previous to Col
Bcnton's Death, MIR. Francis p. Blair, SEN
ior, had an interview with him, at which
interview he declares Col. Benton asserted
that, in his opposition to Fremont and his
support of Mr. Buchau, for the Prcsidcn.
cy i'll 1856, he had been mistaken in his
views at that time; that he had since seen
reason to change his opinions, and that he
was, at the time Of his last sickness oppos-
cd to Mr. Buchanan and his Admnistra-
ton, and III favor of the Black Republican
party &c. Mr. Jones absolutely denies
the truth of Mr. Blair's statement, and pro-
nounccs it an unqualified and malignant
falschood. He says that he (Nlr. Jones)
was present during the whole of that inter
view; that Col. Benton uttered no such
opinions and that NIr. Blair's statement is
a wllful pcrvcrsion in every Particular
The question of vcracity, since the public
is made umpire, must settled by cvi-
dcncc and the crcdbility of the PARTIES
But it is fair to say Mr. Jones, as disn-
tercsted witness, is believed to have made
a perfectly truthful exposition of the whole
matter Mr. Blar's Black Republican
politics, his hostility to the South, and his
wcll-known partizan roncor givc color r.,
Mr. Jones vehement impeachment of his
motivcs--and ifpublic opinion here is to
decide the contest. his condemnation is aI.
ready written
The tcrgiversations of Mr.. Blair's nol;t.
ical career have been curious and violent
and are deserving of comment. if but for
their unrcasonablencss. Picture 70 vo,,r.
self the active, bitter party man. invcctvo
alwavs TREMBLING upon his liz. his rcstlcss
cancr ewes, 81 chino for nm object ,,nn,
which to shoov forth the call and venom
that in its abundance wastes itsolf unnn tho
harmless objects around him-tbc morc;,
less critic, with the "whip Of scornions" nl-
wuvs in his hand-tbc dcmocrat of tho mr..
est water-ond Won have Tronn;s Il RI";r
ST., the Orthodox School of Jackson mol,
ticians. But shift the view, and the con
trast almost takes your breath away Who
is this that moves upon the scene the NH
apthropist in the cause of tho* "cbooshin''
and "gizzard foot" of Africa-the friend of
the gentle Seward-tho entertainer and
sympathizcr OF Sumner (when laborino nm
der the tortures of broken hcad.N mar.
/ tyr to his slandcrs-lhe dcnounccr of dem
ocracy-thc enemy of Mr. Buchanon's adj
ministration-th also is Francis p. Bloir
ST., and is an approved likeness of him -
1t is reported and very generally credited
that Mr.. Biair's farm, near this plocc Is nj
present cultivaal by slave labor, but this
does not altcr materially the last n;cturc IF
him Old Blair was denounced by his
neighbors in Maryland in 1856, who held
meeting on the borders of his farm, hung
him in cfiigy, denounced him as am aboli.
t;oni,t and talked seriously of tar and feath.
ers. 1t is said he hates Carolina as much
as Jones hates him. Perhaps [ have been
too mild with him.
The triangular fight between tic Demo
Gratis, the Douglasitcs and the Black Re-
publicans of Illinois, for the election of a
United States Senator, is becoming quite
interesting. To the Prcsidcntmakcrs it is
| almost agonizing, from the impossibility of
determining at present how matters will
terminate. The first democratic gun was
fired by Mr. Fitch, of Chicago ca son of
Senator Fitch, of Indiana and was quite
telling in its effect upon Douglas. 1t does
seem rather hard that father and son should
pitch into the Judge the same year. and
with 80 much venom--but it is only kind
OF poctlcal justice. The apostatc has fallen
as sort ofpo!itical inheritance to the ten
der morcies of the democrats, and he will
be handed down from father to son, to be
dealt with according to his desserts. 1T