Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-03-02
CHAMP GARK'S LETTER
Missourians Who Have
Graced the Senate.
ILLUsTRIOUS DEMOCRATS.
Benton and Blair Of Unsurpassed
Brilliancy.
INDUSTRIOUS DEMOCRATS.
TWO CURIOUS PAors IN HISTORY

Missouri Is the Only State That Ever
Elected Two Men, For Five Full
Consecutive Terms In the Senate.
Life and Work OF Her Greatest
stntesmen--Men Who Shone In the
Nations Councils.
Especial Washington letter.
Two of the most illustrious Demo
Gratis that ever lived in America were
Thomas Hart Benton and Frank r.
Blair of Missouri In presenting their
statues to congress among other things
I said
Mr.. Speaker. when Governor B.
Gratz Brown. one of the most brilliant
of all Missouri statesmen, on historic
occasion said. Missouri is a grand
state and deserves to be grandly govern.
ed, he uttered an immortal truth. He
might have added with equal veracity,
''She deserves to be grandly represented
in the congress of the United States, =
and she has been in the main. particu-
larly in the senate. where paucity of
members and length of tenure more
surely fix man in the public eye than
service in the house.
First and last Missouri has commits
stoned 81 different men to represent her,
at the other end of the capitol. in the
less numerous branch of the national
legislature. in the chamber Of the CON
script fathers, in 1.-THE upper house of
congress. : improperly so called. or, as
Senator Morgan of Alabama would
have it. as ambassadors of sovereign
state to the federal government. Be-
ginning with David Barton and Thomas
Hart Benton. her pioneer senators, who
at once attracted general attention and
challenged universal admiration by rea-
son of their commanding talents, down
to this very hour. when in the persons
of Francis Marion Cockrell and George
Graham Vest she holds such an envia-
BILE position in that conspicuous arena,
Missouri has taken second place to none
of her sister states.
These % senators naturally divide
themselves into two classes-the Barton
line and the Benton line Is in the for
mer and only in the latter
In the Barton line are Barton him
self. Alexander Buckner Lewis F.
Linn David R Atchison. James S
Green. Waldo P. Johnson. Robert Will
son. B. Gratz Brown. Charles D, Drake,
Daniel f. Jewett Frank n Blair, Lew
is v Bogy. David H. Armstrong. James
Shields and George c. Vest
In the Benton line are Benton him
self Henry S. Geyer. Trusten Polk,
John B. Henderson. Carl Schurz and
Francis Marion Cockrell
Curious Fact.
An examination of the dates at which
Missourians entered and left the senate
will disclose two curious facts in Mis-
souri, history. She is the only state that
ever elected two men for five full con-
secutiye terms to the senate of the
United States-''six Roman lustrums,
as Benton was wont to boast in his
pompous way. These were Benton and
Cockrell She was the first state that
had only one senator for any consider
able length of time through failure to
C1C(b dA4OlACAs 111 ACooO14 VI tAC I'LL
lenting warfare between the Bentonites
and the anti Bentonites the legislature
chosen in 1854 never could and never
did elect senator. as it was in duty
bound to do, so that for two entire
years Henry s. Geyer was Missouri's s
sole senator.
What is more. the governor did not
appoint or attempt to appoint any one
to fill the vacancy. nobody then dream
ing that the governor had such power.
But in these later days several states
have followed Missouri's example in
failing to elect senators. and, strange
to say. divers governors have insisted
on the right to fill vacancies by APP
pointment under similar circumstances,
until finally the senate. after lengthy
and ponderous debate. solemnly vindi-
Gated the wisdom and knowledge of con-
stitutional law possessed by the govern
or of Missouri in 1855 and 1856. Stir
ling Price. by declaring that governor
has no right to make such ad interim
appointment.
OF Missouri's 21 senators there were
IA Democrats, Wing and 6 Republic
ans. OF 156 years of senatorial repre-
sentation to which she bas been entitled
were not used. fell to Wings % to
Republicans and 1876 to Democrats.
This roster of Missouri senators is an
array of names of which the nation. no
less than the state, may well be proud.
There are many great men scarcely
small one-in the list
Distinguished Statesmen.
Missouri is proud of her immeasur-
able physical re1ources. which will one
day make her fdcile princeps among her
sisters but there is something else of
which she is prouder still. and that is
her splendid citizenship consisting at
this day of nearly 1000, 600 indus
trious. intelligent. patriotic. progress
i've. law abiding. God fearing people.
When questioned as to her riches she
could with propriety initiate the exam
pie and quote the words of Cornelia
the mother of the heroic Gracchi and
pointing to her children. say truthfully
and pridefully These are my jewels
In sending Thomas Hart Benton and
the younger Francis Preston Blair to
forever represent her in the great Amer
lean Valhalla where the effigies of
nations immortal worthless do congre-
gate, Missouri made a most happy and
a most fitDing selection from among
host of her distinguished sons. These
two men complement each other to an
extraordinary degree. Really their lives
formed but one career. a great career,
q career of vast import to the state
and nation. Both We're southerners by
birth, both were soldiers of the republic,
both members of this house. both sena-
tors of the United States both added
largely to American renown. both left
spotless regulations as heritage to
their countrymen.
The dominant passion of these two
Missouri Titans was an absorbing love
Of the Union. To its preservation they
devoted their great energies of mind
and heart and body. To that end they
were not only theoretically willing te
spend and be spent, but were actually
and literally spent In that warfare
they sacrificed all those things which
most men hold dear. In that cause Ben
ton went to his political death, and
Frank Blair rendered hisaself i aphyaical