The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-22
THOMAS H. BENTON AS EDITOR.
His Plan TO Make Sure That an Article About
Himself Should Be Correct.

| Whenever and wherever two or more
members of the Missouri Society of New
| York gather together there is a story told
about Senator Benton, who, as an old at
torney once said in n Fourth of July ora
ton, spread more halo in the United
States Senate than Clay, Calhoun and
| Webster punched"
The story following has never before
been printed according to the Missouran
who unreeled it to the natives.
The story was told to me- he said, "by
the late James s. Rollins. who was q sort
of old Roman himself and was for many
years a leader of his party in the lower
House of Congress. Rollins was a young
man when Benton was i'll the sunburst of
his fame.
Benton usually went ont to Missouri
a year or two before the expiration of a
term to tell the party leaders what they
should do. and to explain to them why
they should return him to the Senate. On
one of these visits he went to jefferson
City, the State Capital, and as Bully
Pitt, another Missouri celebrity, would
say, 'sloshed around nightly
AT that particular time Benton had
run counter to some of the State leaders
on one or two issues and for the first time
in his Senatorial career there was an in
timation that he might not succeed him
self. Mr.. Benton had one of his speeches
set up i'll the Jefferson City Examiner, the
party organ. They had to leave ont the
advertisements and the local news in order
to get the speech in.
| There was one editorial in the issue
| Ii made about two columns, and was a
mastery Endorsement of the speech, and
an argument for Benton's reelection.
! THE Examiner was weekly publica-
ton. The issue referred to did not ap-
pear until Senator Benton left jefferson
| City. He went over to Boonville to 'slosh
around socially for few days. Roonville
was then the social center of the State.
Rollins was in Jefferson City when the
Examiners Benton issue appeared. He
read the editorial and took the first steam
boat for Boonville, with a copy of the pa
per to show to his invincible leader. He
found Benton on the veranda of the hOtei
lowering over huge mint julep in all of
his statelness while the guests stood apart
| in admiration.
Rollins was young and full of enthuI-
siasm. He was also courtly in his manner
| Approaching the great Senator as he
would a temple, he removed his hat, ex-
tended his hand, which clasped a copy of
the Examiner, and said:
Senator Benton, it IS indeed the
! proudest moment of my life to present you
| a copy Of the organ of your party in the
/
All editorial Endorsement of your recent
| speech i'll the United States Senate The
editorial, sir, is most favorable and Fepre-
sents the sentiment of your constituents.
sir
! Senator Benton took long pull on the
| julep and replied without dcigning to get
up. in n voice heard by all present:
Mr.. Rollins, | know what the editorial
contains. | have already read it. | wrote
it myself, sir. Mr.. Rollins, you are Il young
man. Let me give you little political
advice-aIways write your own editorials.
sir, about any speeches you make and
| then there will be nothing to explain
Then he arose, having emptied the
tumbler, and walked away with the stride
of tragedian. Maj. Rollins had for
gotten to give his title-Sat down in the
chair vacated by Benton and looking into
| the empty tumbler called out:
Waiter, fill up this glass; leave in it
the mint from which the great Senator Of
Missouri has quaffed. And. waiter, tel the
barkceper to charge the drink to the great
Senator from Missouri Col. Thomas II.
Benton, by Gawdr"