The Daily Madisonian

Correspondence of the Madisonian.

St. Louis, August 17, 1843.

I told you Col. Benton was moving through the State very still, and evidently feeling his way along among the people. He returned this spring with the same haughty, overbearing, "ride-over-rough shod" spirit which has marked his political career in this State for some years past. He snubbed the nose of every Democrat who thought Mr. Van Buren had had honors enough from his party, and was not willing to support him for the nomination in 1844. Johnson men, and Tyler men, and Calhoun men, were all the veriest trash in his eyes.

Mark the change! He is looking to a re-election to the United States Senate in the fall of 1844, and the Legislature to whom he must look for this favor will be elected next summer before he can return from Washington at the close of the long session. His is, therefore, a forlorn hope. This is the last visit he can make among his people before the election comes on. He has now penetrated the centre of the State, and finds somebody there besides Van Buren and Globe, and branch Globe men which has suddenly placed him upon the anxious seat, and made him as pliable as there is any need for.

He evidently sees that the sceptre has departed from Judea, or rather from the Benton dynasty.

The Osage Yeoman, of the 10th instant, published at Warsaw, Mo., says:

"He declined a public dinner [at Warsaw] which was tendered to him, and refused to make a public speech, alleging that he made no public speeches, eat no public dinners, nor made no appointments, but merely wished to meet his friends, and talk with them in a quiet way."

He did not feel thus when he gave orders last winter for a legislative caucus to nominate Mr. Van Buren, appoint him and his congressional colleagues as delegates to the National Convention, and force it to be holden in November next, whether the party was willing or not.

See how his tune is turned now! The Yeoman, of the 10th inst., a Johnson paper, discourages as follows on this interesting subject:

"We are much gratified at this visit, for we believe Col. B. has rather thrown cold water upon the hopes of those who anticipated a different result from his coming among us. He had but little to say about the different aspirants for the Presidency—his preferences were of course for Mr. Van Buren, but he did not believe that it detracted from any man's Democracy to prefer Col. Johnson. The old hero, Col. Benton says, has always been as consistent and thorough-going a Democrat as any man in the country. He believes that Col. Johnson will get the western States. Col. Benton is, we are happy to learn, in favor of districting the State."

"The course pursued by Col. Benton, we have every reason to believe, has been different from what was anticipated by many here. "Union, harmony, concession," would seem to be his aim—and in speaking of the aspirants for the Presidency, his language has been courteous to all. He says that whoever may be nominated by the Convention will be a good Democrat and true man, and will receive the support of the Democratic party, let that nominee be whom he may, and no fears need be entertained as to his success. He did not denounce those who preferred Col. Johnson as "traitors," nor did he think such preference calculated to "divide and distract" the Democratic party. He did not believe that the only pure Democrats were those who preferred Mr. Van Buren to everybody else. In this we apprehend many were disappointed."—Osage Yeoman.

It is but a short time (scarcely a month) since he held language exactly the opposite to that attributed to him above. It is but a little while ago that he would not support Mr. Tyler or Mr. Calhoun, even if nominated! How these old demagogues twist everything to suit their own purposes, when they find the people are not with them!