The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-05-31
Mr. Eeniamin,s sprech.

The ableSt cleareSt, and most forclDle
speech yet made against Mr.. Douglas, his
! doctrine and position, was delivered by Mr..
Benjamin in the Senate to-day. 1T was free
from all violence and therefore the more
effective Every proposition was fairly
stated fortified by fact, and worked to
common conclusion, which put Mr. Douglas
in open rebellion to his party, and in direct
antagonism to the principles he had hereto
fore avowed. He announced one extraordi-
nary f,ct which, though well known before
had never been frankly admitted.
Both wings of the Democracy agreed in
caucus of the Senate in 1857, that each
should maintain its particular theory before
the public-one side sustaining Squatter
Sovereignty, and the other, protection to
Slavery in the Territories. but pledging
themselves to abide by the decision of the
Supreme Court, whatever it might be.
This is the man Ter in which the people
North and South-have been deceived into
the support of the Democracy, by promul-
eating doctrines adapted to both, and yet
hostile to each other.
Mr. Benjamin proved by the record what
question they agreed to submit to the Court,
and how it had been decided, reading from
the opinion of Justice Tansy to sustain his
argument He said that, up to 1857, he had
always regarded Mr. Dougas: as one Of
those Democrats North who We're entitled to
the favor and affection of the South, and he
had so commended HIM to the people of
Louisiana Since then, he had wandered off,
and no longer deserved The confidence which
had been reposed in him and was separated
from the South forever.
In reviewing the positions Of Messrs.
Lincoln and Douglas in the Illinois canvas,
he said the former had consistently and man
fully maintained the principles which he had
then asserted and was rewarded by his pres
ent distinctions while Mr.. Douglas had des-
erted his and had been abandoned. In this
connection he admitted, that after a careful!
examination of Mr.. Lincoln's speeches, he
was constrained to regard him as far more
conservative than he chad been represented to
be.
One of the most effective points of this
speech was a comparison OF extracts from
Mr.. Lincoln's speeches with citations from
Mr.. Douglass article in IIarper's Magazine,
to demonstrate that the latter had used the
arguments and language of the former, to
vndhcate his own position and justify him
self with the South.
Nothing 50 effective has been witnessed
for long time, and Mr. Douglass pres
ence was alone wanting to make it over
whelming.
Mr. Pugh replied sharply, saying that
Mr. Douglass friends would stand by at
Baltimore till the 4th of March next, if nee
essary AMI that the Southern delegates
who seeded had no right to retur l.. This
and other d demonstrations render Mr.. Doug
lass nomination at BALTIMORE almost impos-
sible, or valueless if accomplished by bogus
delegates from the South Virginia, Ken
lucky, Tennessee, North Carclna, and the
State which did secede, can never accept
him in the presence of this opposition, and
his recent declarations against the comprom-
ise resolution they proposed; while those
who Withdrew wifErun Southern candidate
if he be forced by any combination. In
either vent, Mr.. Lincoln's success is to be
nromotel