The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-03-09


say in hiS mes age in respect to the hostili
ties which had actually begun on the border
! Calhoun told him that il was proper TO de
fe our territ ~ and the line of the RiC
Grande, but that he ought to say in hi
message be would not go beyond that; tbe
be would not invade Mexico. but that the
United States would defend the Rio Grands
as the line until the boundary was settled.
MIR. Polk had the message overhauled IL
accordance with the advice Of the ssna Oh
from South Carolina, and Mr.. Calhoun de
parted, rubbing his hands in elee. He va:
convinced that his policy of sitting down OF
the line would be adopted. He afterward
wrote 1t out, and was assured that it v as in
corporated in the message.
shortly afterward Col. Benton arrived
in town. Mr.. Polk saw him and read to
him the part Of his message that referred 10
Mexican hostilties. This will never do,
sir Benton said. That is not the way to
conduct a national difficulty. You must
attack the enemy wherever you find him.
sir-invsde his country, and drive the war
to a successful i-sue. If you adopt this sit
ting down policy the PEOPLE viii call you
weak and imbecile-Neak and imbecile
sir. The nation will not endure it. l wall
not endure it. sir
HE so i fuenced the President that
Polk finally said: We'll, Col Benton, will
you tell me what you think l ought to
sayr
Benton did so. 1t was put into the mes
sage, and he went away.
'rhen the President sent for me, whom
| he knew to be friend and admirer, and in
some Sc Sc a protege of Calhoun, and told
me what had occurred. He said he knew
| the irascible nature of the South Car lima
senator, and asked me TO go and see him and
tell him about what had been done and why
1t was done, and reconcile him, if possible,
before the mess age was read in the Senate.
l promised to do it that night, but couldn't
screw my courage up TO the point. l feared
| the rage of Mr.. Cahoun. l stood well with
him, aud was afraid he would regard me
as an lntermeddler. So, thinking it all
over, concluded not to do the Presidents
errand.
1.-THE message came into the Senate with
out Calhoun knowing Of the alteration. As
soon as it was received Calhoun, who had no
idea of what had happened, whispered into
Into the ear of Senator Yulee and asked him
to move that that part of it relating to the
Mexican war be referred to a special COM
mittee. The clerk read the message in the
usual humdrum to @, and nobody listened
to it. Yulee then arose and said: Il move,
Mr.. Speaker. that as so much of the Pres
idents message as relates to the attitude of
| this country to Mexico be referred to a
special committee
Mr.. President he said, L desire that the
clerk should read folios Ill, 112 and 113 of
the message in plain, audib voice, so that
we may all know just what it is at is to
be referred to this special committee. slrr
"Thereupon the Senate became silent, and
the clerk read not what Calhoun had put
into the message, but what Benton had in
serted there inst sad.
"a cloud black as night overspread the
brow of the senator from SOuth caroline
He again whispered to Senator Yulee, and
that gentleman at once arose and withdrew
his motion.
"'Wel, sneered Benton in majestic dig
nifty, as he took the floor, Il thought there
was some misapprehension about what
was contained in folios Ill, 112, and 113 OF
the Presidents message, sir-I did, sir
calhoun left Yulee and returned to his
own seat looking like a thunder cloud
And never from that day till the day of his
death could he endure it to have Polk,
name mentioned in his presence. He re
| fused all communication with the Presi
| dent, and sc )rne1 all lbs offers of peace a,
long as he lived"
THE ASHES OF A CANADIAN DINNER.
The last incident told by the old lawyer
was one that occurred in Canada while Gen
| Albert Sidney johnson was advancing upor
Salt Lake City in 1857.
| Il spent one winter at Swords hotel il
| Toronto he said sit was when Toronto
was the seat of the Canadian government
| We often had dinners, and tho dinners
were never regarded as full unless an ole
| gentleman named Derbasheer was there
| Questions of state policy were discussed. L
was at the time of the Sepoy rebellion. The
Canadians were full of praises of Gen
| Havelock, but what seemed to bother then
was how long this revolt would last before
| England would again restore peace aud taxi
| final possession of India, of W Itch ther
didn't seem to be any doubt. 1t was a colo
night, with snow on the ground Abou
| l o'clock Der0asheer rose to go home
| He refused to take carriage. We volun
teered to escort him. AS we walked in tn
cold, crisp atmosphere, the subject of tn
Sepoy rebellion was further discussed. A
last an American in the party threw up hi
hands with 'ha-hap They asked him wha
he was laughing at.
"Well," said he, 81 was thinking of these
Englishmen. Here they are beating dow
a revolt of forty or fifty millions of peopl
away from home, thousands of miles au ay
without the slightest doubt that they viii
do it in a very speedy time, while the grea
United States is puzzled and distressed a
to how it shall break up Brigham Young
designation house over in Utah.
1t was after midnight. The old lawye
drew on his felt hat, yanked himself int
his overcoat, and after CHEEKY good-nigh
was driven to his residence on Capitol hill
AMOS j, CUMMINGS.