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

had fought n duel and wounded his on
por.nt severely. Davy Crockett ackuowl-
edged the obligations % the duollo and par
ticiratoi in it. and It was not until Ham
!ltpn fell before the deadly pistol Of Aaron
Burr that even the people of the COn~ervI-
tive. God-f.ariug North came to a fun real
ization of the terrible mature Of this insti-
tuition.
Colonel BENTON was elected tn ,hc United
States Senate from the new state al Mi
souri,. the second United States Senator,
David Barton being the first The orc -un
question was then pending in the Senate
of the United States. ard tn" people
throughout our country We're preparing tor
war with Great Britain. F. gland and the
United States had been national ten
ants IN the common of that vast
"Npansc Of country now comprie-
ing large proportion If the Van
rojIver district %: British America and the
great States 81: oregon ard Was-,iurton
The rival interests of the fur companies
the Hudson Bay Company in EnGlIrd. and
the North American Fur Company. under
Aston. in the United States, soon brought
about even armed conflict. AID 1t became
absolutely necessary To settle the boundary
line between the possessions o; the two
countries. Colonel Benton when he entered
Congress threw himself with hts usual az
g:essivencss into the middle OF the fight.
He declared that the United States must
v
and that with le."D Missourians he could
settle the question in sixty days. Benton
believed in what was called manifest tl.s-
tiny. which meant that the people Of the
United States had right to take all the
territory that adjOiued them, If they thought
proper to do so.
In the first speech delivered in the Senate
upon the Oregon question: which was ad-
dressed to this body in his ore ro.unGo
style and with great effusion of classical
reference. he stated that the United States
must take this territory without cOmprn-
mise. without question. and that IT would
soon be peopled by millions of Urieutals
Chinese and japanese. who would come to
our shores. adopt our institutions, law. aud
religion. and become our best citizens. II
Colonel Benton could have lived hut a few
years more. he would have Sten these Ori-
entails whom he hospitality invited 10 our
shores fleeing at night. shot down by brutal
mobS in the light of their burning homes
Colonel Benton overlooked. great man as
he was. the racial antagOriSm which is
above all human law.
The oregon question passed away without
armed conflict. but leaving unpleasant REM
iniscences in regard TO the negotiations be
tween the two countries. and Benton then
addressed himself tu the material inter
ests OF the great West, whose representa-
tive he peculiarly was. He sdyDcatsd with
great power cutting down the immense In
dian reservations. 50 that instead OF beinL.
under the control of the savages they might
become the happy homes of Industrious
whites. He above all other men was en-
titled to the credit for the establishment
Of land system. the homestead and
preemption laws aud the sales of other
lands at 81 25 an acre 10 actual settlers.
He opposed vigorously that iniqu.tous sys-
tenn Of putting up the public lands to the
highest bidder. which unquest.onaby placed
them all eventually in the hands of syndi-
Gates and spectators.
He pas, I'd through Congress a bill making
the old $ 1ta Fe rail q national highway,