Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1903-07-30
IRONTON. MO. THURSDAY
Washington Correspondence.
WASHINGTON, D. c., July 25, %

DULL speaking OF the missouri
delegation in the Congress of the
United States, it will not do to ig-
more the Hon. Macenas E. Benton,
of Neosho, "the little giant of the
southwest" Mr.. Benton belongs
to the family of Bentons'of Mis-
souri,, of which Thomas H. Benton
was the most distinguished. Ii he
were alive to-day he would be
proud of the modest little gentle-
man who bears his name with
honor and>dignity in the national
House of Representatives. Mr..
Benton is a very poor windjammer
or hot-air merchant. He seldom
gets to his feet, but when he does
there is some Republican who
wishes he had kept his seat. He
comes about as nigh knowing what
he is talking about as any man in
the Congress, and is one of the
ablest orators of that body. He
lhas had very little opportunity to
indulge in pyrotechnic oratory 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 coldest proposition in the
world; that he cannot change a
vote on the Republican side of the
chamber and that the Democrats
who would vote with him any way
are either in the cloak rooms tell
ing yarns or else writing letters
and will not pay any attention to
his remarks. If that is not enough
to put crimp in any man with
oratory to unload, what would you
call it? Mr.. Benton did, however,
submit arfew remarks toward the
close of the first session of the 57th
Congress that both sides of the
House listened to with close atten-
ton. He is member of the APP
preparation Committee and he sub
mitted a report Of the expenditures
of the first session of the Republi-
can Congress that made some Re-
publican eyes become unnaturally
visible. His summary or compil-
alton of the extravaganza of that
first session proved that the Re-
publicans not only were respoh-
Isible for the first billion-dollar
Congress, but then for the first bill
lion-dollar session of Congress,
as the appropriations aggregated
over billion dollars. Mr.. Benton
was complimented by having
thousands of his reports printed
and sent out by the Democratic
Congressional Committee as one
of it's best documents.
Mr.. Benton is the first man who
lever was discharged from Office for
"pernicious activity" in politics.
This occurred in 1886 when he was
UNITED States Attorney in Western
Missouri under the first Cleveland
administration. He was soon re-
Iinstated and served in that ca
pacity until 1889. There never
Twas a better Democrat on earth
than this original offensive partl-
san," and his constituents compli-
ment their own intelligence by re-
tanning him in Congress.
The Littauer glove contract is
still agitating the War Department
and official Washington. On ac-
count of the peculiar relationship
existing between President Roose-
velt and Congressman Littauer, the
question is on the tip of every mans
tongue, "What will Roosevelt dc
about this latest scandal that gets
close to him?" At a Harvard Col
lege dinner at the Waldorf Astoria
hotel in New York on the 23d oil
February, 1900, Roosevelt declared
with pride and emotion that his
closest personal friend and polit-
ical adviser was Mr.. Lucius N. Lit
tauer, member of Congress from
New York. To quote his exact
language: 81 want to tell you that
tits Congressman who is my mos
intimate personal friend, and who
is my closest political adviser"
"Who is hep" came from al
sides?"
"Lucius Littauer," said Roose.
welt.
The laws OF the United States
forbid a member Of Congress tt
take any government contract
The New York San, a Republican
newspaper, friendly to Mr.. Roose'
velt, Of course, reveals the fact tina
Mr.. Littauer, during the Spanish
American war, manufactured some
five hundred thousand dollars
worth Of gloves and other supplies
bought by the United States Gov