The Farmington times and herald. (Farmington, St. Francois Co., Mo.) 1902-1905, 1903-07-23
MAECENAS {. BENTON
Among the NotabIes of the Missouri
Delegation Something More Of
Roosevelt's Closest Po-
.iticaI Adviser.

delegation i'll the Congress of the
United States, il will not do to ig-
more the Hon. Maeccnas +. Ben
ton, Of Neosho, the little giant
of the Southwest " Mr.. Benton
belongs to the family of Bentons
Of Missouri, of which Thomas II.
Benton was the most distinguished.
If he were alive today he would he
proud of the modest little gentle
man who bears his name with
honor ana dignity in the national
House of Representatives. Mr..
Benton is n very poor windjpmmer
or hot air merchant. lie seldom
gets to his feet, but when he does
there is some Republican who
wishes thai he had kept his seat.
lie comes as nigh knowing what
he is talking about as any man in
the Congress, aud is one of the
ablest orators in that body lie
has had very little opportunity to
indulge in pyrotechnic 0ratory in
the House, and indeed he does not
care to do SO. He knows, as does
every one else familiar with the
situation, that he is going against
the coolest proposition in the
world; that he cannot change n
vote on the Republican side OF the
chamber and that the Democrats
who would vote with him any way
ure either in the cloak rooms tell.
ing yarns or else writing letters
aud will not pay any attention to
his remarks. II that is not enough
to put crlmp in any man with
oratory to unload, what would You
call it, Mr.. Benton did, however
submit Il few remarks toward the
close of the first session of the
57th Congress that both sides of
the house listened to with close at
tenton. He is II member of the
Appropriations Committee auI lfH
submitted II report of the eXpcndi
lures of the first session of the Re.
publican Congress that made some
Republican eyes become unnatur-
ally visible. His summary or com.
pilation of the cXtravagances OF
that first session proved that the
Republicans not only were rrspon-
sible for the first billion dollar
Congress, but then for the first
billion dollar session of Cong.
ress, AS the appropriations aggre-
gated over billion dollars. Mr. |
Benton was complimented by hav
ing thousands of his reports
printed and seul out by the Demo
cratic Congressional Committee aS
one of its best campaign docu
ments.
Mr.. Benton was the first man
who ever was discharged from
Office for 'pcrniclous activity" in
politics. This occurred in 1886 |
when he was United States Attor,
ney in Western Missouri under the
first cleveland administration. He
was soon reinstated and served in
that capacity until 1889. There
never was a better Democrat ON
earth than this original offensive
partisan" and his constituents
compliment their own intelligence
by retaining him in Congress.
ROosEvELT'S CLOSEST POLITICAL.
ADvICER.
The Littauer glove contract is
still agitating the War Department
and official Washington. On ne.
count Of the peculiar relationship
existing between President Roose.
welt and Congressman Littauer,
the question is cn the tip of every
man's tongue, What will Ro0se.
welt do about this latest scandal
that gets close to himi" At Il
Harvard College dinner at the
Waldorf Astoria hotel in New
York on the 23d of February, 1900,
Roosevelt declared with pride and
emotion that his closest personal
friend and political adviser was
Mr.. Lucius N. Littauer. member
of Congress from New York. To
quote his exact language: II
want TO tell you that it is a Con-
gresham who is my most intimate
personal friend. and who is my
closest political adviser"
who is hei" came from all
sides. Il
"Lucius Littauer, said Roose-
welt. Il
The laws of the United States
forbid d member of Congress to ;
take any Government contract. .
The New York Snn, q Republican
newspaper, friendly TO Mr.. Roose- :
velt. Of course. !. reveals the fact
that Mr., Littauer, during .he |,
American war. manu- /