Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-02-09
FAMOUS M|SS(lJR|ANS.
The Statues of Blair and Benton
Duly Presented to and Accepted
by Congress.
THE EXERCISES WERE INTERESTING.

House and in the Galleries Listened to
the Speeches by Messrs. Carmack, of
Tennessee, ard Dockery, Lloyd and
Champ Clark, of Missouri.
Washington, Feb. 4.-Contrary to
custom in such cases, there was a
large attendance of members in the
house this afternoon, when the hour
arrived for the exercises attending
the official acceptance by congress OF
the statues of Benton and Blair. erect
ed in statuary hall, by the state of
Missouri.
The speaking commanded attentive
interest, and frequent applause punct-
uated the salient features of the ora
tory.
Representative Dockery opened the
exercises with short Introductory
speech that was loudly applauded. He
was followed by Representative Car
mack, of Tennessee, in a tribute to the
memory of Benton, but consumed only
a few minutes, when he asked leave to
priC. lis remarks, and yielded to the
orator of the day, Champ Clark, who
delivered formal speech on Blair.
In anticipation of a characteristic eff
fort on the part of the stalwart Mis-
sourian, many seats on the floor were
occupied and the galleries filled. No
one was disappointed. Throughout his
speech, lasting an hour and a half,
there was the closest attention on the
part of members and spectators, and
laughter and applause here and there
marked the continuous interest of the
listeners. Mr.. Clark spoke in that
thoroughly characteristic manner
which always enlists the interest of
his colleagues and frequenters of the
galleries.
House and galleries applauded vocif-
ercusly as he concluded. The eXer-
cises were concluded by Representa-
tive Lloyd, of Missouri, in a splendid
tribute to the memory of Benton.
An Eloquent Tribute to the Memory OF
Frank Il. Blair.
In his tribute to the memory of
Frank P Blair, Hon. Champ Clark, rep
resentatiye from the Ninth Missouri
congressional district, spoke in part as
follows:
most brilliant of all Missouri statesmen,
on historic occasion, said: missouri IS
n RTand state ana deserves 10 De SESiiluAy
goyerned," he uttered an immortal truth.
He might have added with equal Veraclty !:
She deserves to be grandly represented
in the congress of the United States. and
she has been, in the main, particularly In
the senate, where pauciIy of members and
length of tenure more surely fix a man in
the public eye than service in the house.
First and last, Missouri has commits
stoned p different men TO represent her at
the other end of the capitol in the less
numerous branch of the national legisIa-
ture, in the chamber of the conscript ia
improperly so called, or, as Senator Nor
gan, of Alabama, would have II, ''ambaS-
s aSern ne Beginning with David Bar
ton and Thomas Hart Benton, her pioneer
senators, who at once attracted general
attention and challenged universal admi-
ration by reason of their commanding ts'-
ents. down to this very hour, when in the
persons of Francis Marion Cockrell and
George Graham Vest, she holds such an
enviable position In that conspicuous
arena, Missouri has taken second place
These q senators naturally divide Them
selves into classes-the Barton line and
the Benton line, Is in the former and six
In the Barton line are Barton himself.
HfeSfson Jsmes sew" Green Waldo
Charles d: Drake, Daniel F. levitt, Frank
strong, James Shields and George G. Vest.
In the Benton line are Benton himself,
Henry 8. Geyer, Trusten Polk, John B.
Henderson, Carl Schurz and Francis
Marion Cockrell
Lucky the man who gets into Barton's
seat; iuckier, far luckier, the man who
secures that of Thomas H. Benton, as the
precedents indicate a longer public life for
him.
Under the law each state has the right
to place the statues of two-and only two
hall. but in this regard Missouri has been
more fortunate than most of her sister
states, for, while she can only place two
there herself, three of her soldier-States-
men stand there in bronze and marble as
perpetual reminders of her glory In ad-
action of Illinois. there stands Gen James
Shields, that illustrous lrish-American,
a hero of two wars; and the only man
ever will, represent three states of the
Union In the senate of the United States.
Upon the base of his statue in yonder
hall are blazoned the coats of arms of
Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri. in whose
for the whole country in the senate and
in the field, his fame belongs to the whole
country, in whose cause he freely shed
Either Benton or Blair is sufficient
theme for any orator.
1 shall confine my remarks: in the main,
TO the latter, with only incidental refer
ence to the former, leaving the great con-
temporary of Webster, Clay and Calhoun
In this era of good feeling it may seem
ungracious to talk much about the civil
tangled, out of tune" but this is a his
toric occasion, Frank Blair is a historic
parsonage, ana the truth Snould De told
about him. All his deeds with which his
tory will concern itself are those which
he performed in matters pertaining to
that unhappy period-either before, dur
ing, or after A speech about him with
out mention of these things would be like
the play of Hamlet with the Prince of
Denmark left out.
Mr.. Clark, in easy, flowing Ian
guage, traced the life of Frank p.
Blair through the political and mar
tial struggles that encompassed it,
related many anecdotes and made
many witty illusions to his subject.
His address was rich in references to
the civil war and the part that Blair
took in that memorable struggle. He
summed up Blair's commanding quail
ties in these words:
A Natural Leader.
The old Latin dictum runs: Poeta mas
citur non fit" The same is true of the
leader of men-he is born. not made.
What constitutes the quality OF leader
shin. Mr.. Speaker? You do not know?
do not know? None of US knows. No
man can tell. -
ouence greatness in many fields we may
define with something approximating ex-
actness: but who can inform us as to the
constituent elements or leadership! we all
rerognize the leader the moment We be-
hold him but what entities him to that
distinction Ia and perhaps must forever
remain one of the unsoNed mysteries or
Taient, even genius. does not make a
man a leader, for some men OF the pro-
foundest talents. others OF the most oaz-
Sn5 have debased their rich gifts from
God to the fiattery of despots Most no
table among those was Lora 6ason' .ne
noSqessed the most exquisite intellect ever