The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-22

not politician. an old NirSinian Of mod
crate estate. Il gentleman of culture. and .
Democrat beyond question. who had sup
ported Colonel Benton for more than TWEEN
ty-iiye years. He saw proper - express
his diSaFrroval Of Colonel Benton'S course
in regard to the admission of Texas. After
speaking al the county town. and when the
crowd came forward. rs is the custom to-
day. 10 shake hands with an eminent SPEAK
'r. this gentleman. after the press Of the
crowd had disappeared advanced and in OLD
Virginia style extended his hand and sa-
lutsd Colonel Eenton. In the presence IF
the audience. who had not Yet dispersed.
Benton looked at him from head To foot
without Il single evidence of recognition.
This gentleman. bowling, said: You pos
! sibly have forgotten me. Colonel Benton.
am Mr.. -" Drawing himself to his fan
height. Benton replied in tones that could
De- heard In every part Of the building; "SIT,
Benton once knew man 10y that nanIa. but
h. l. dead: yes. sir. he is dead" And 50
he went into every county in the State. Dc
to oppos. his political action.
As a matter Of course. there could be bu,
one way Of determining an issue between
Colonel B'ntOn and those who differed with
him. He made uo compromise. he asked
none. Every citizen must either agree wiki
him or be- ranked as his personal and polisi-
cal enemy. II was his nature. ana he could
no more change il than he could the color
of his hair and eyes.
Colonel Benton was assaulted by his
eri. mics bsCaUs. he had advocated the adj
mission OF Missouri as slave State and
then opposed thu. admission Of Texas as Il
slave State His reply was imperfect ami
not satisfactory. He said he waa opposed
10 the extension of slavery: that slavery
existed IN the Louisiana Purchase WHEN JET
fersOn bought it from, France, but that
slavery Rad not existed on the soil Of Mex
leo ard T,Sas SlprIi.t rtr go
a slave State.
Colonel Benton advocated The Missouri
compromise. which accompanied the adn'is-
sion of Missouri into the Union. That
compromise directly declared that slavery
should not exist north Of % deg. 10 min
but II 1t meant anything If suggested tina;
:, State south Of 81 deg. - min. could be ,,j-
mitted into che Union IS a slave Stat. If the
people so desired. Colonel Benton was ac-
Cused by hts enemies Of being seldshly
prompted when Missouri was admitted. be
cause he expected to he "A United States Sen
at0r. II had It's weight with a large number
of people ia Missouri. but for myself |
never believed the charge to be true bo-
cause Of al the public men | have eyer
Known. Thomas II. Benton considered less
than any other the political effect upon F,
himself
III, opposed the admission of Texas as |
believed then and believe now because ne !
thought IL a part of Calhoun's scheme
to dissolve the Union. Never after rh, nui- /
LITIGATION fight Of lis did Benton waver |
in hi opinion that there was a conspiracy
to break up the Union and establish !, /!
confederacy upon the basis OF /
slavery.
No nan who has ever existed in the pubIi>
life Of this country more completely and an
committed suicide than Thomas HI
Benton. He knew as well as better than /
any other man what the prejudice and opin- |
ions OF the people of Missouri were on the
subject of slavery and their sympathy
with their brethren from the Southern
States tt y had gone to Texas thrown or