The Thibodaux sentinel. (Thibodaux, La.) 1905-1912, 1910-10-15


l. or so after the fight Benton move
} to st. Louis, where he opened a la
q Office in connection with a newspape
S of which he became editor. He b
q came prominent at once in the d1scu
sion of public questions, and took
r leading part in securing the admi
! sion of Missouri into the union. AT
r er five years residence in Missouri
he was elected by the legislature on
of the states first two United State
senators.
Declined Money Profit from Publ
Service.
Immediately upon his election, will
scrupulous regard for his official In
tegrity, Benton called all of his client:
to his Office and told them that he
could not further serve them, as there
might be a conflict between their in
terest and the public welfare. Fol-
some of his clients he had litigation
over land grants, and as senator he
was In position, through the enact
ment of laws, to make them and him
| self wealthy in the settlement of dis
| puted titles. He refused even to rec
ommend an attorney to them, lest this
might embarrass him in his public
duty. His idea of public office
was that an official had no more right
to use his public functions to aid per-
sonal friends or to advance his own
fortune than he would have to put his
hand into the public treasury and take
money therefrom to pay private
debt. Through all his official career
Benton was true to this ideal and was
incorruptible and above reproach from
any venal standpoint.
Championed missouri Compromise"
Benton's career OF constructive
craftsmanship was the greatest Mis-
souri, or the west has produced. He
came upon the stage of public activity
with the enactment of the Missouri
compromise. which was largely his
work. He left public life coincident
with the repeal of that measure
Under this compromise Missouri was
admitted into the Union Though 1t
was some years later before the state
was formally recognized) as slave
state, with the provision that no state
created out of the Louisiana purchase,
north Of the southern boundary of
Missouri, should be admitted with
slavery. 1t hushed slavery agitation
for decade, and any attack upon 1t
for time was resisted by south as
we'll as north. Benton was 80 years
old when he took his seat and had
lived exactly half the years given to
him. Monroe was just beginning his
second term as president, Calhoun was
secretary Of war, Henry Clay was
speaker of the house of representa-
tives. In the next presidential con-
test Benton supported Clay against
Jackson, but ever after that he was
Clay's political enemy and Jackson's |
warmest and strongest supporter.
Father Of Homestead Law.
To Benton more than any other man |
Is due the fact that there Is no from |
tier in the United States today. What |
was wilderness west of the Rocky |
fifty years ago is now set |
tied by happy and prosperous men
and women by reason of his effort in
the enactment of the home
stead law. Benton established the pol
Icy of selling public land at maxi
mum of $1.25 an acre. giving prefer
ence to actual settlers and securing to
settlers the right Of preemption This
made settlement easy and streams of
sturdy men and women began at once
o move westward.
Benton looked into the future fur
her than any other statesman of his
ime. In answer to the taunts that the
western country, particularly Oregon,
would never be anything more than
| hunting ground, he prophesied that
he time would come when there
would be more people west of the
Rockies than east. He advocated the
of military road to New
Iexfco, and was so earnest in his sup
'ort of the idea of transcontinental
abroad that his enemies charged him
With being mentally unbalanced on the
ubiect, and even his friends feared |
e was too enthusiastic. In one of his
rst speeches he prophesied that the
'acific coast would soon become the
DOR Of Asia and advised sending min ,,
sters to China and Japan-a proposal
t that time considered extremely hui
lorous.
Brought About Specie Payments. :
It was through Benton's effort that +
pecie payments were established and ,
hat all our money became based on +
old and silver. So earnest was he in 9
ne demand for specie basis that he 7
as nicknamed "Old Bullion" of :
'hich he became very proud, and in +
is speeches often referred to himself 6
Y that term. He was at first inclined 4
} favor protective tariff system, but +
ter strongly opposed protection 4
lerely for the sake Of protection. He T
.ated his position thus: THE fine eff
,cts Of the tariff upon the prosperity $
the west have been celebrated on n
lis floor. With how much reason let b
lcts respond and people Judge. do d
OF think we are indebted to the high Il
riff for our fertile lands and navi- Fl
able rivers. and am certain we are q
debted to those blessings for the n
'osnerity we enjoy" While he op-
osed the protective system he voted n