New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-03-25
BENTON.
n Nezc LAT, &c Aathor OF inc
"T'hir ears Vie1c.

, william m i'd $50 j. B. Eppincott Company.
"a house lamb and a street lion' Benton oe-
.cr,bed himself and the estimate is Wen oorh'
an, bv the story of his life that Mr. Melgs gives
ms Hitherto the only volume bearing On eHo
career of this really great. IL egousucai a"u
,,.-hea-ins statesman has been his own pom
6erous Thirty Years View" in winch no
summed I'D the history OF the United states DIS
Co. from the legislative standpoint during his
five successive terms as United states 0eAaloi
,rom Missouri end incidentally threw consider
- r,o,+ on his own actions and character
We, however cumbersome this record, IL is
necessarily one-sided and incomplete as REGARDS
himself: and Mr.. Meigs has rendered olstihce
service in preparing this comprehensive ana I'M
martial account Of man whose services 10 ms
country were too important to be opscureo oy
the overwhelming bulk Of his own estimate OF
them It IS related that when Bentohs pun
fishers sent some one to consult with MN as 10
IRE number of copies Of his Thirty Years
View # would be advisable to print his an
sUer was "Sir, they can ascertain from the
les, census how many persons there are IN the
Omitted States who can read. sir"
Mr. Msigs devotes q great deal OF atteh-
t,on TO the formative period Of Benton's career
which was intimately associated with the west
ward growth OF the country from the Souln-
,rn seaboard TO the Mississippi and beyond
ror-, sr North Carolina In 1852, OF highly cult
ured parents, and moving with his "loo"eo
mother and his younger brothers and sisters 10
rennesses in 1893. he settled later in st. Louis.
Combining IN an unusual degree the CHARACTER
tstics OF the student and Of the pioneer, ana
.vs,h an .nsatisbla thirst for knowledge and
rsrnsrlyable memory which gave him instant
command of his constantly increasing store OF
Facts he knew more than most Of his associates
and saw more clearly the tendencies or MS thies
and the future trend Of history Possessed OF d
mastertul presence end a powerful physique ne
was spt 10 enforce his own opinions with htue
regard to those Of others. His violence In de-
bate often led him into personalities that were
clearly out Of order yet when Senator on one
pccasfon referred TO one OF his oratorlcal
wraugles as "a quarrel" Benton sternly replied:
sgrhe Senator is mistaken sir. I never quarrel,
cir: but sometimes fight, sir; and whenever I
hsht, sir, a funeral follows, sir"
Unlike most boosters he was as brave. both
physically and morally, as he was vain, which
led him into a number Of personal encounters
IN his youth, including a rough and tumble
street fight with Andrew Jackson and at least
one fatal duel and in the Senate enabled him
fearlessly TO advocate measures, however un-
ropular, Il once he was convinced OF their
Justice or necessity. He did not mind at all
being in a very small minority" writes Mr..
S~0NS 49,
opinions quite much as when public opinion
agreed with him, and aim thus In the end to
succeed In carrying his views into effect"
Often he did succeed. Neither nations nor
individuals" he once said. ever escaped dam
ger by fearing # They must face ii and defy
IT" Thus, though his whole course in Congress
was consistently animated by his farseeing
conviction that the manifest destiny of the
United States was to control the entire CONT
nent between Mexico and Canada from ocean to
ocean, he did not hesitate in 1874 just on the
eve Of coming up for reelection. to oppose the
annexation Of Texas, a measure extremely
popular in his own State. as ION the part of
some an intrigue for the presidency and plot
TO dissolve the union-on the part Of others a
Texas scrip and land speculation" Shortly
after when the Oregon question came up. again
against the sentiment of his State he vigor-
ously opposed the contention that we were
titled TO any part of that region north OF the
10th parallel. and won his point.
Benton's knowledge of the whole Western
country, which he acquired largely from ex-
plorers. hunters and missionary priests, was re-
narkable at a time when it was still an I'M
broken wilderness; and. indeed. during his
whole Congressional career he probably had
more accurate acquaintance with the territory
beyond the Mississippi than any other man
living.
ve I0sPfsd at this early day s with the vast de-
end vstercourses and vas nc Sc us clLttes
and planned its division into States and TERRITORIES
ed and were absolutely Indifferent 10 its future
He certainly showed in this matter not only un-
as1al <Knew4eoge, but profound craftsmanship as
, vel for ne foresaw years ahead all the main out
Anes OF the future division and the principles
which Il should be made.
It he who established the principle that
the new States Of Arkansas. Minnesota and Mis-
souri, should be laid off with their main rivers
running through their centres
Although often feeling that the South was un-
fairly treated. his broad views. which led him
always to consider the United States. as whole
both IN regard to its present accomplishments
and Its future possibilities and his strict con-
struction OF the Constitution placed him in op-
poEition to every movement which he believed
tended to the disruption of the country. IT shall
be found in the right place. / am on the side of
my country and the Union" he replied to a sheer
OF Calhoun's. In his Thirty Years View" he
adds Enthusiastically This answer given Oh
that day and on the spot. is one of the incidents
Of his life which Mr.. Benton will wish posterity
10 remember" His State remembered 1t at the
time. 1S49 and did not re-elect him to the SEN
ate the following year.
Eenton's political morality was undoubtedly
Of a high order. and he had grand and chival-
rous ideas OF public duty. He asserted that as
SeHatoE' ms country was MS only Client and
that he never took fee for prosecuting claim
against her or lent his influence to help any one
get into her treasury. His son-in-law, the late
Richard T. Jacob. told Mr.. Meigs that a New
York merchant who was endeavoring to obtain
from Congress subsidy for a line Of steamers
TO Panama sent agent TO Washington to look
after the matter This agent, meeting Benton
one day. asked If he would not aid him. II
might on certain conditions" Benton replied
genially. Delighted, the agent said Name your