The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1907-08-02

bench. VIII you accept? Wire answer" "
To which Beuson repl;ed:
''Tha mixing you sincerely 1 will accept
the appoir tment if made
And so it was settled, and Judge Ben
son has received at the hands of Cover
nor Hoch another of the biggest offices
the governor has had to bestow. First
Governor Hoch appointed Benson Unit
ed States senator to succeed j. r. Bur
ton which is the biggest salaried office
of the state. Now he has named Benson
Judge of the supreme court. which pays
$4,000 year, a salary which is next in
size to that of governor.
The only possible oh lection to Benson
is that he is from the Second congress
sional district. which already has one
1udge-Silas Porter-On the supreme
bench. Some have suggested that Judge
Benson is too old for such a place. As a
matter Of fact, Judge Benson is only "a
years of age. AS a man, there is none
n Kansas who stands higher for inteS-
rity, legal ability and sterling character
than A. W. Benson. Benson is mem
Der of the Congregational church, and is
also Mason, a member of the Knights
of Honor, and of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
Senator Benson is one of the men
who has had the privilege of reading
his own obituary notice. This was dur
ing the civil war. When Benson went
into the battle of Charlottesville, he
was a private. A mimic ball passed
but striking no vital part. Benson's COM
ra6es saw him fall, and one of them
wrCte a letter home descI ibing how Ben
son died. All the home newspapers
wrote up Benson's obituary. But it turn
cd out that Benson, after living on she
field for number of hours, was taken
to field hospital. The field hospital
was captured later by the rebels, and
after eleven days in the field. Benson
was finally paroled by the rebels. and
allowed to so home. While he was re-
covering from this wound, he was pro-
moted for gallantry in action. At the
end of the war he was a major.
Judge Benson. or Major Benson, as
him, Is the kind of attorney to whom
women and children and men who
were lacking in business or legal
training delighted to go. He is
whole-souled, pure-hearted man, who
takes pride in his honor. He gives
advice freely, the kind of advice that
is usually charged for, and it is said
that he has handled more estates than
any one man in Franklin county.
Widows and their children would go
to him and ask him to take charge of
the estates. for they knew that he was
without guile. Women in trouble
would go to him for advice and it has
often been told by men who knew him
well that Judge Benson has saved
many family through his counsel.
When he was on the bench people
their
cases for they knew that he xonId
fairly adjudicate the cases and there
has never been complaint over his
decisions. Sometimes maybe. he
would stretch the law a LITTLE TO de-
eide which one was in the right. but
no one ever questioned the Justice ~
his decisions
Judge A. W. Benson achieved
more than state wide reputation bv
his work in the legislature of 1908
He represented the Sixteenth district
comprising part of Franklin conn
~. in the house. He was opposed to
the bill providing for the establish
ment of state oil refinery He con
tended that tire measure was uncon-
stitutional. and the speech he made on
this point was one of the best deliver
ed in either branch of the legislature
during the winter.
Judge Benson has long been one of
the most prominent residents of the
eastern part of Kansas. He was born
In Jamestown, n. z, July is, 1s4S.