Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-04-15
Death ofCOIOneI Benton,

The Cincinnati Enquire says ct
is with great sorrow and regret that We
chronicle the death of Colonel THOMAS
H. BENTON. He was one of the last
survivors of that generation of states
men, who, born before the Constitution
of the United States was adopted, was
personally conversant with the memoir
able scenes and incidents of our early
history and its most distinguished char
acters, and whose name at once serves
to revive the most glorious "reminiscences.
Theyear 1882, which witnessed the con-
clusion Of the Revolutionary War, was
indeed fruitful in the production of men
of great intellect and power, who after
ward attained the highest honors of the
Republic, then about commencing ex-
istence. It saw MARTIN VAN buren,,
THOMAS H. BENTON, JOHN c. CAL
HoUN, LEWIS CAss and DANIEL WEB
sTER. born into this living and breath
ing world. Ofthis constellation Of tai
emit and genius three have now dcscen-
ded into the shade of the dark valley of
death. The venerable Ex-President
VAN buren,, and the no less distin-
guished Secretary of State, LEWIS CAss,
both at the great age of seventy-six, yet
survive, in the full possession-liko
their late compeer, Mr.. BENTON of
their vigorous intellect, and with their
mental faculties unimpaired. THOMAS
II. BENTON was indeed a most remark
able and extraordinary man, and pos
scssed peculiar elements of greatness.
We hardly know of any parsonage in
whom thetype of individuality was more
strongly marked than him. His char
acter bore the impress of great original
ity, and on that account will stand out;
in broad relief upon the the historical;
One of his most prominent
traits was the strength of his will, with
its indomitable resolution and fixed tcn-I
acity of purpose. 1t was this that gave
him such immense power and made himI
such a formidable antagonist in the poll
itical arena. Nothing could overcome
him, and danger and difficulty made
only the more conspicuous his darings
courage, and brought into full exerciseI
his strength and vigorous intellect. HeI
had some Of the highest qualities of a !
great military leader, and We doubt not
that had he been appointed, as Presi-k
dent Polk desired, Lieutenant General
of the American armies in the Mexican
War, he would have won a bright chap
let of martial glory. In the United
States Senate he stood up the equal of
the greatest men who were ever in that
body. His speeches upon great nation
al questions were not as subtle and met
aphysical as Mr.. CALHoUN's; nor so elo-I
quent and ornate their diction, or sol
learned in their exposition of constitu-
tional law as Mr.. WEBsTER's; nor did
they glow with the fire and brilliancy of
HENRY eLAY's; nor perhaps were they
so entirely and calmly logical as those of
SILAs WRIGHT; but they were distin-:
guished by an emphatic energy of ext
preston. a strength and solidity of ar-s
gument, a profundity of historical illus
tration and scholar-like research, that
renders them scarcely inferior to the
best productions of his able compeers;
and from them could be taken many ex-
tracts worthy of being preserved as fine
of manly and Senatorial elo-
quence. He always discussed questions
elaborately and fully, after a thorough
of authorities, and, when
he had finished, but little more could be
said by anybody upon that side of the
subject which he chose to advocate. His
industry was a distinguishing trait of
character. Through life he was a
close student; and, before his death, he
had accumulated a greater stere-house
of learning and facts than any statesman
remember of, with, perhaps, the ex-
of JOHN QUINCY ADAMS.
Colonel BENTON was born, as we
haye before said, in. 1882, in the State
of North Carolina He enigrated early
to the State of Tennessee, and by his
vote, in 1872, was General JACKSON
elected a Major General of the Tennes-
see militia, and. placed in that position
enabled him:subsequently to rem
der such brilliant services to his coun-
try. Soon after the war he went to
Missouri, and, in 1850, he was elected
one of the first Senators from the new
State. He continued in the State untila
1850, a period of thirty years, being n
longer term than any other man evers
served in that body. In 1852 he was
elected to the house of Representatives,
and. served one term. Since that time
he has devoted himself to the most Ia