Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-05-31
SPEECH OF SENATOR BENJAMIN.
How Douglas broke his Piighted Faith.-
His thefts from Liucolns
WAsHrScroS. May ODD.

WASHINGTON, May I'D.
Mr. Benjamin Dem. of La. J said, when
we met here in December. the public mind
was greatly disturbed by the Eruption of a
bandof fanatics into State of the Union
with the avowed intent to liberate the slaves
A largo number of resolutions have been
offered. all relating to the relation of the
General Government to slavery in the
States and Territories. The large number
ard variety Of these resolutions required
that those who protested to belong to the
same party should meet, in order to har-
monte anu act In concert. n meeting of
Democratic Senators was therefore held to
accomplish this purpose. The Senator
from Illinois. in speech occupying two
days. had presented the extraordinary spec
tacle of advocating his own claims to the
Presidency, and denouncing those who ha |
dared to express their views on subjects
before tho Senate The Senator from Illi-
nois assumed that he was the embodiment
of the Democratic party. and that all who
opposed him were rebels. He arraigned
other Senators and charged them and the
representatives of the seventeen States at
disunion. After having thus assaulted eve
rybody, he announced that he had only
spoken in self-defence, and with princely
magnanimity agreed to forgive those who,
as hs said. had erred more through igno-
rance than design. Mr.. Benjamin then de-
Tended the Democratic Senators from the
charge of having undertaken to dictate to
the Charleston Convention what sort of a
platform it should make. When the Kan
sss bill was before the Senate, the Senator
from Illinois called caucus of Democrat
ic Senators every morning to decide on
their action Cor the day. The late Senate
rial caucus hal done no more than that
Yet for this it had been charged with seek
ing to diminish the Senator's chances for
success. Mr. Benjamin next examined Mr.
Douglas charge that seventeen Democrat
&c states had adopted a platform looking to
tho dissolution of the Union, had placed
them selves under the lead of Mr.. Yanccy,
an avowed disunionist. His state had vo-
tel for that platform. and he should vote
for the Senate resolutions, and he denied
that the Senator from Illinois had correct
" stated the meaning OF either. Nobody
here wanted to make slave code, slang
term which Mr. Douglas had picked up
from the Republicans, nor to force slavery
upon an unwilling people. The attacks
upon the Democratic Senators were wan
ton and unprovoked. and he should repel
them. The senator had defended his con-
sistency at great length. which was not at
issue between them. The issue was that
the senator from Illinois had made bar
gain and had violated it. To prove this
he should not go further back than 1857,
up to which time the senator from Illinois
was looked upon by the democratic party
with pride and favor. Why was it that a
senator who had thus been treated with IA
vor should now be separated from his for
mer associates? That he had passed over
in his speech. and he I benjamin would
supply the deficiency. Mr.. Benjamin then
went into history of the Kansas act,
pointing out the differences between DEM
ocrats and Republicans. and Douglas Dem
ocrats At that time the Democrats being
unable to agree as to the power of the peo
pie in the Territories, it was agreed to refer
the subject to the Courts and abide by the
decision He never had attacked the SEN
ator's consistency. 1t was his consistently
that constituted his great cr;me-adhering
still to views which he had agreed to absn-
don whenthc Court decided the question,
and which the Court had decided against
him. This he charged was bad faith. The
senator no longer worshipped at the Dem
ocratic shrine, but had wandered forth af-
ter strange gods. The senator from Hi
nois had admitted that he made this bar
gain. and yet he had been engaged since
1857 in trying 20 explain away. in conjunc
tion with the Republicans. the decision Of
the Court, and to render it useless in case
it should be affirmed. He quoted from the
bred Scott decision to show that the prin
ciple of right to slave property in the Ter
ritories was decided by it. On this point
he argued at great length to show that
Congress had fall power over the Terrific
ries, within the limits of its Constitution
al power; that the Constitution forbids the
prohibition of slavery in the Territories by
Congress as the Territorial Govern
ment derived all its powers from Congress
the Territorial Legislature could not co
more than Congress could. No sooner was
this decision made than it was attacked by
the Republicans, and the Chief Justice as
sailed as having colluded with the Presi-
dent Of the United States. The Senator
from Illinois go. over his bargain by say
ing thatshe did not agree to abide by the
decision in the bred Scott case; but when
the case was carried up from the Territori-
al Courts to the Supreme Court, he would
obey that. This was an after thought, first
announced in the canvass of 1858, when
pressed by Mr.. Lincoln for seat in the
Senate. To save himself from defeat he
introduced his theory Is to the power of
the people in the Territories. Mr.. Benja-
min then read from the discussions between
Messrs Lincoln and Douglas, to show that
the former was much more candid in bis
answers than the latter, and he confessed
he was not such an ultra anti-slavery man
as heznpposed. Mr.. Douglas told ms here
that he would abide the decision Of the So.
preme Court but athome he turns bsck OF
his promise. repudiates his words. and tells
his people that he has so arranged the Kan
sas bill. that in spite of the decision. the
people of the Territories can keep slaves
out. To be twice deceived by the same