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

] he yoke. AMI established an Independent.
| state.
4 Rut moro than this. he knew there was
| not n family IL Western Missouri that had
| not lost father. brother, husband or son I'M
| on the Santa Re trail. fighting those muir
| derous S1vaEeS who attacked every traupsr
and every caravan too smJl! to resist them.
! and that the people of Missouri firmly be-
! teVed that the Mexicans had melted the In
dams 20 make these attacks. L. was well
known that the merchants Of Santa Fe
Albuquerque and Tama Ulipas and ihe Other
Northern Mexican States Objected 10 tho
trade between Missouri and New Mexico 7.
was extremely lucrative to these Mexican
merchants 10 have a monopoly II the sale
nf goods to their own people ard whenever
any ut these Eur,iero-s Indians were nado
~ s"H"rs by the AIissourians there were al
ways found amongst them Nexif-.nS dressed
Ike the iHe'iars, appealing TO their passions
ard irtjct:irSs and leading them on TO these
terrible outraCas.
Colonel Benton. knowing all these things.
did rot hesitate The legislature Of Mis-
souri, in lSiS p5ased resolutions censrlrinc
Eis course on the Texas question and derlar-
ing that Missouri would share he fate o.
her Southern brethren. The challenge was
promptly accepted. Benton came back from
WASHINGTON. cauvasSoC the state IN a vitri-
ole campaign such as has never hsan
known. IT ny man amongst his cpuanerts
mad a weak place in his arrrn- Frprof
found Il ant and asSaiei him hv name.
That he lived through this canvass was 4
miracle. for the men Of the frontier vera
quick 10 avenCe an insult or {. wrong ard
there was not a speech made by him IN
which drawn pistols and knives, were not
braut;ished In his face. His personal fear
lessness saved his life. for If there was one
quality more i.rizeG than another urou tha
frontier Il WAS inSeuS!tility to personal dan
ger.
Benton was defeated IN his appeal 10 IN.
people in 1873. and Henry :. Geyer. q prornl-
nent Wing lawyer of ST. Louis was elected
10 succeed him IN the Senate by a fusion U:
the Wings and anti-BentOn Democrats
Colonel Benton came back 70 Washington
and commenced the preparation of his
Thirty Years View" the most v3trabls
political treatise known in our history.
In l>a he was elected To the National
House of Representatives from St Louis.
the only district In the State that hal a
free-soil majority. At the end o. two wears.
h. WIS defeated by "A Know Nothing canfi-
date. and again went back TO mis- literary
labor.
In 1856. when there were three candidate. -
for the presidency. his own son-in-law be
ing the candidate of tn. Republican marry
Benton declared himself for Eucbauan and
became al INDEPENDENT Democratic cau,i-
date for Governor Of Missouri gIe Vas tn,
third candidate in the race. Trusten Polk.
the regular Democratic candidate was
elected 70 this body. AMI Colonel Benton
returned again To Washington CITY for the
purpose Of fnis.sing his Thirty Years
View" and commencing the preparation OF
his digest Of debates of Congress from tna
beginning of the Government down TO that
time. Ee also prepared a severe attack
in the shape Of a pamphlet against the So,
preme Court for its decision i'm the Dred
Scott case.
But his race for Governor in 1856 closed hFs
political career forever. He died here In
1853 and was buried in Bellefontaine Ceme,-
'ery' In the City OF st. Lou.A .a-.s - -