The Texas Republican. [volume] (Marshall, Tex.) 1849-1869, 1860-06-23

SPEECH
MIR. BENJAMIN,
or OUisiANA.

Delivered IN iAe u. s. Senate, May %, 1860
Mr.. Benjamin.-Mr. President, wher
We met here in December, the public
mind WAS deeply stirred. II WAS stirred
nv An occurrence which had taken plac,
for the first time in our histor.--thc in
yssion Of one Of the States Of the Confed
.racy by bard Of fanatics, 70: Tho
avowed purpose Of interfering with it's do
nestle institutions, aud setting its slave,
at liberty. The whole country was deep
" stirred, but especially stirred was the
South. aud this universal excitement founc
immediate vent in Congress. Scarcely
had we met, when numerous resolutions
were placed .rEon our table hy d'ficrcn
Senators, which, on the I'd OF February
were ordered. by resolution OF the sen
ate, to be printed together The tirs
was a resolution submitted by the honor
able senator from Ohio, Mr.. Pngh) who
on the 18th of December, proposed tina
the Committee Gu Territories Be IN
stfuctcd t. inquire into the expedicncy
of repeating 80 much Of the acts approv.c
September .. 1850, for the organization
# Territorial Governments IN New Mex
leo and Utah. as require that all the laws
passed by the Legislatures Of those Ter
ritories shall be Submitted 10 Congress
for approval or rejection
That was offered on the 18th Of De
cember, before even the House OF Repre-
scn,atives had been organized. To that
an amendment was offered by the Scna
tor from Iowa, Mr. Harlan) which
shall not read The next was rcsou
ton submitted on the leah Of Januar,
bv the Senator from Illinois, CHR, Dong
las IN relation to instructions 10 the Com
mlttee ON the Judiciary. To report hii
for the protection If the States and Ter
ritor,es Of the Union against invasion
Next, ON the 18th %. January, were reso
lu,ions submitted by the Senator IRON
Mississippi Mr.. Brown.) Next wcr'
amendments 10 those resolutions submit
ted by the senator from Minnesota Mr.
Wilkinson Next, we're the resolution
submitted by the other Senator IRON
Mississippi Mr. Davis on the I'd o
February and finally. To those res" "
tons amendments were offered hy I'M
senator from Delaware, Mr. salisbury.
Here, then, was series oi prup1sl
tions before the Senate, seven IN hnnhcr
all directed to the question oi slavery III
the states and Territories, and all order
ed ty the Senate to be printed together
fnr discussion Under these circum
stances. i, became obvious that, unless
somc conccrt Of action was had 10y gru
tlemcn who proicsscd the same Politica
pr;ucipIe. in relation to thus vital issu'
now before the country the dlscussi"t
must be confused and pointicss II every
member offered hs own resolutions, ~
his own language and # there were ne
concert among those who entertained Ia,
same principles, the time OF the SENATE
would be ncedlcssly exhausted, and ",
SHOULD come 90 No practical result. IN
der these circumstances, Suggestion
was made, from what quarter ! Know
not, aud certainly It ~ not ct the slight
eat consequence that the members OF tn,
Democratic party, who were supposed
generally To entertain sentiments IN Ac
cordancc with each other, should meet
and should agree upon the phrasco'ogy
Of the rec buttons that they were dis
posed to support and, after harmonizne
upon that phrascology, should agree 'C
stand by il, with view to get vote OF
the Senate upon distinct propos,t'ons' a.
the principles Of the Democratic party
NO far A. the party was represented by
the Senators in Congress
Now, Mr.. President, these resolutions
being before M. the honorable Senator
from Illinois (Mr. Douglass the other day
i am sorry that do not see him IN hi'
seat | should have waited for him, II
had the slightest hope Of seeing him II
the Senate he was not here yesterday
he is not here to-day aud 1t Is 'mpo"s'
BILE for any one Of us 10 say when he WI
be here again-the honorable senator
from flIincis, in one of the most extraor
binary speeches ever delivered IN a de
Lucrative body, and which occupies ove
twenty consecutive columns Of the Globe
and which was followed n day or two
after, in reply TO the Senator from Miss's
sippi (Mr. Davis) by several other col
umns, has undertaken what certainly u
without precedent in the history Of tn
country--has undertaken to defend hi
individual claims to the Presidency O
the United States and. in 81 doing, ha
divided out his deliberately prcparc'
specch into different portions. so"1
which alone shall | attempt to snswer
and attempt this snswcr because ths
Senator thought proper to arr.'kn M.
State and to arraign mo. with other Dem
ocratic States and other Democratic Sen
st'rs, for daring 10 discuss the pr"Poe
IL ~ and resolutions now before tn
Senate.
Morn than kalfof that Senator's spccc
was devoted 70 the perfectly idle aud ar
ssocssary task Of proving that toe
principles which Ike now sessrts 70 b
~ trus constitutional principles undo
which the Territories Of the United State
arc govsrusd. were advocated by him =
ssch ysars aad years ago and there
fore 10 undertook n prove 70 tho Senst
and to thu country--to which h. appea
I'd - 2iten--thst there has been 20 'nc"s
eistency in HE course, and that II no an
NJ oA>~>~.~A}., ANPa