Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1860-06-04
The sfdsll.Houna. corrupsfeu.

The Washington correspondent OF the
Philadelphia Press, gives the following
piquant account of the defence of Senator
SLIDELL By his colleague, BEsgaNls, in the
Senate, last Tuesday:
The terrible pressure of the newspapers on
Messrs- Slidell and benjamin, In reference to
the Legislation Of 1858, settling the land
titles Of Louisiana, squeezed oatzof both
tue Senator's speeches explanatory OF their
positions. Slidell. Is his wont, refused to
vindicaie himself. but delivered clear and
brief written statement. He conplinented
himself on the forbearsnce which would not
permit him 70 agitate question in which he
would be the sufferer; and denied that his
ELOQUENT colleague snusgied the resolution
of 1883 through Congress to subserve his
(SlidelPs) interests. AS for the amonnt in
volEed-enly q million or so--Senator Sill
dell laughed at 1t. What was it.. that ii
should force him from his senatorial purity?
What was million or two when compared
with the Senator's i0ea of his own seif-re-
spects Nothing, s-..zzzzzzz.z.z-z
The benign and selfcomplacert Senator
was martyr. He was victim 20 Niles
Taylor and Miles, myrmidons of the news
paper press. He was guilible sGuiiiTer
impaled On the peas of the literary LiIlipu-
tians, Mischievons Miies Tantalizing Tay-
Tor? Why wilt thou league to take down
thy colleague in the Upper Housed He
who is . model OF Christian effulgence-a
perfect banquet Of Christian yirtnes-a cat
aract of conscientionsness: be whose hufnil
ity before meu is as much above competition
"a is his temptation before millions. But
there is no fathoning the motives of men
who cannot or will not believe IN the up
Brightness of such Senators. so-rS
Senator Benjurnin, being unlike the ac-
complished Count De Granmont, who wes
as Anthony Hamilton tells US, ezsl2 =
|. IA sworn foe OF al long speeches. = 8. -
made very elaborate explanation, definition
or yindication, OF the act, (gad hmselO
against which the select committee had re-
ported. His speech was perfect blaze of
colonial history, chronology, geography, to-
biography .varit gated with Jets of Spanish law.
French law, land law, the law Of custom, and
the law of ievees. 1t was plausible to mir
acie; and II would be q matter of much as
PUNISHMENT if the chubby little colleague OF
the serene and snowy John could not prove
that black was white, or the more difficult prob
lem touching the green-cheesey material of
which the moon is said, by some, to be made.
He has tongue of silver and face of brass.
mixture of those metals is said to produce
a famous composition from which bells are
manufactured; and ia the present instance
the
characterization ll-At 50 I.lStcA4ly SWSi-5,
sufficiently attests the eloquent composition
of the junior Senator from Louisiana.
His argument, to be sure, was intricate,
and might appear confused to person not
having map before him, but it had all the
regularity and delicaey of an elaborate cob
web. Il was equally beautiful as work of
art: for the Senator spun himself out with
technical precision and regular unrest which
commanded the admiration Of those who
probably will not fall into his magnificent
web. If they fall into it they will fall through
il and smash up the gossamer glories of this
busy afternoon.
Toombs has just now made spring and
bound and gone right through poor Benja-
MINIS cobweb. just as Zoyara goes through
tissue-paper balloon. He boldly stated he
should do justice between man and man, and
the vehemencc with which be exposed the
fallacioGs statements of Benjamin showed the
imperative necessity he felt OF defending the
people who had memorialized Congress on the
subject. He showed that the plausible S ma
tor from Louisiana had talked round the sub
ject, but had totally failed to touch the points
of the report or to show that justice had been
done to the parties for whose rights the in
veStigatiou was instituted.