Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1858-05-22
From the Washington Union Of April 17th.
Death Of Mr.. Benton.

yesterday morning, after an illness Of several
days. The event was not unex. tied by his
family, and the country has been long pre-
pared for the announcement. Up to within a
single day Of his demise, he continued to Ia
Dor at the great work he had undertaken
the Condensed Congressional Debates, which,
we believe, he had nearly brought to q close.
His age was extrcne-we believe about
seventy.five. As his life has been full Of hon
0rs, the award Of his fcllOw.Inen so did he
die full Of years, the boon Of Providence.
His disease was cancer in the bowels. He
had endured severe surgical treatment q few
months before his death, and obtained tempo
rary relief. His affliction returned upon him,
however, in more aggravated form, AMI n .
suited in lingering and painful death. Ills
intellect remained unimpaired to the end, and
he made every arrangement and preparation
for his demise with Roman fortitudc.
The President, hearing Of the extreme ill.,
ness Of his ancient cOmpecr, called upon him
on Friday evening. The dying statesman de-
cIdrcd afterwards his exceeding qualification
at the visit The interview is said to have
been protracted. Mr.. Benton is said to lIav,
expressed his extreme solicitule for the con.
ditiOn Of public affairs, and painful sense Of
the imminent dangers which threaten the
countIy.. lie is said to have exhorted the
President to rely upon Divine support and
guidance, and not upon that OF men, who
would deceive him.
Mr.. Benton was native Of North Carolina,
where he was reared. His ancestors were
among the leaders OF the revolution. The fam
lily Of llarts, from whic.r he descended on the
maternal side. were among the early cmigrnnts
from North Carolina who settled in Kentucky,
der the name Of the Pennsylvania colony,
q ID who were supporters Of Daniel Boone
1t was through this circumstance that Col.
Benton was led to choose the West for his
home when he had grown to manhood and left
the aiIIIy. He -estabtislied himself ut Nush.
vile, ralncr than in Kentucky, where he nl-
InCdiatcly rose to distinction ut the bar About
tne year 1916. hc enIigrated again, still west
ward, to ST. Louis, Missouri His senatorial
life, which lasted for the unprecedented period
OF thirty years, commenced in 1920, when he
was eI, cted by the legislature of Missouri, an
terror to the formal admission of that State
into the Onion. His history since that event
has been intimately interviewer with that OF
the country and for twenty-five years consti-
tuted some Of the most thrilling and illustri-
GUS pages Of the history Of the Democratic
party.
At the beginning Of his senatorial career
Col Benton sat on the same committee Mill
tIry Aftairs) with Gen. jackson. of which they
were both industrious and valuable members,
Gen. jackson being the chairman. Here was
necessarily renewed that intercourse which
had in former years in Tennessee been most
friendly and intimate, but which had received
all unhappy interruption from an occurrence
which became historical. This second intima.
cy and mutual confidence and reliance contin.
ued thencetorward, as is we'll known, during
the whole of General Jackson's eventfu and
conspicuous public service The early alicna
ton was never alluded to between the two
friends until one or two evenings before Gen
Jackson's final departure from " ashington (oI
the Hermitage in March, 1888, when a very
solemn and affecting conversation occurred,
the nature Of which VIC may readily conjcc.
ture, but which of course has never trans
pred.
Mr.. Benton was determined member o.
the opposition to Mr.. Adams's administration
during its whole term. lie warmly supported
General jackson for the presidency, and was
one Of the main pillars Of support to- his two
administrations. 1t is unnecessary to spec
fy the particular ocrasions on which he dis
tinguished himself in his conspicuous paria
mentary service The panic session, howev
or, cannot be passed without u special notice
In this Mr.. Benton sustained, aided by few
powerful Democratic debaters, among then
our now President, the whole brunt of the tire
mcndous attack by which General Jackson'i
administration was then aSsalcd with fury
and p0 eriu array Of talent and eloqucncl
never before or since witnessed in any legis
lativc body. Ills services then Ieadercd tC
the democratic cause ranked him among tht
first intcllects and statesmen Of his age, anC
have placed his name among those Of our frs
American statesmen.
Ills controversy with Mr.. Clay, in the ia
nous veto debate in 1892, affords, perhaps
aS striking specimen OF his powers in tn
gladiatiOn Of debate as any that could be sc
lectcd. II either knight in that celebrated en-
counter was horne w0rstCd from the groun(
it was certainly not the democratic orator.
The measure upon which he won the larg
est degree Of popular eclat was, however, thu
of the eXpunging resolution, n measure which
he himself conceived, and, without broachinj
the subject to a human being, moved in tn
Senate. 1t was OH the 18th Of January, 1887
at the close of the long debate which had oc
Cured on this famous resolve, shortly bcfor
the vote was to be taken, that Col. Bentol
rose in his place. and-addrcssing himself t
the chair. in tie course Of an cmphati
speech, referring back to the scene which ha
been enacted in the Senate chamber thrc
years before, on the adoption Of Mr.. Clay
memorable resolution of condemnation upo
Gen. jackson for the removal Of the deposit.
and to his own prophecy then frarlesSly ha7
ardetl, that that resolution should be erpunge
by the people Of the United States from tn
journal of the Senate uttered the well-knOw
words, which are synOnymes Of his name
"SoLITARY AND ALONE SET THIS BALL IN nc
TON"
We believe that it was in 1851 that Nj
Benton retired from the Senate. During tn
last dozen years, though the mortal part ha
lingl redamOngStthcl living, yet has the csteer
Of our generation for him been chiefly retro
spectivc, and been chiefly concentrated in til
historical man as he was in the prido Of inte
lecr'and in tho prime Of manhood.
The later years Of Mr. Bcnton's evcntful III
have been appropriately devoted to registerin
the events OF those III which his intellect an
his fame were at their zenith. His two grei
historical works, tho Thirty Years VieW an
the A6ridgment, though they may not be e,
empt from defects and bleInishes, are Yaluab
repositories of political knowledge, and tn
former will popuarize period of the histor
&c o,,~ Ahnk v,,sn o~o,.k - o.-o.a J..