The Donaldsonville chief., 1910-11-12

ofnce In connection with newspaper
Of which he became editor. He be
came prominent at once in the discus.
sion Of public questions, and took a
leading part in securing the admis-
sion of Missouri into the union. Aft
er a FIVE years' residence IN Missouri
he was elected by the legislature one
of the states first two United States
lsenators.
Declined Money Profit from Public
| Service.
immediately upon his election, with
scrupulous regard for his official In
| tegrity. Benton called all Of his clients
| 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. For
some of bis clients he had litigation
over land grants. and as senator he
was In q 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 a private
debt. Through all his official career
Benton was true to this ideal and was
incorruptible and above reproach from
any venal standpoint.
championed HMissourl COMPROMISED y
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 It
was some years later before the state
was formally recognfzeD 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. It hushed slavery agitation
/ for a decade, and any attack upon II
for time was resisted by south as
4 well as north Benton was SO 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-
tiyes. IN the next presidential con
test Benton supported Clay against
/ jackson, but ever after that he was
I Clay's political enemy and Jackson 8
warmest and strongest supporter.
Father OF Homestead Law.
i To Benton more than any other man
/ is due the fact that there Is no from.
tier in the United States today. What
j was q wilderness west OF the Rocky
/ mountains fifty years ago is now set.
tied by happy and prosperous men
and women by reason of his effort IN
q
/ 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 te
i settlers the right of preemption. This
made settlement easy and streams OF
sturdy men and women began at once
1 to move westward.
Benton looked into the future fur
ther than any other statesman Of his
time. In answer to the taunts that the
western country. particularly Oregon
would never be anything more than
q hunting ground, he prophesied that
] the time would come when there
would be more people west OF the
Rockies than east He advocated the
construction Of a military road to New
Mexico. and was SO earnest IN his sup
port Of the Idea Of transcontfnental
railroad that his enemies charged him
| with being mentally unbalanced on the
/ subject, and even his friends feared
/ he was too enthusiastic. IN one Of his
i first speeches he prophesfed that the
Pacific coast would soon become the
door of Asia and advised sending min
listers to China and Japan proposal
/ at that time considered extremely hui
morous.
Brought About specls Payments.
It was through Benton's effort that
specie payments were established and
that all our money became based on
4 gold and silver. So earnest was he in
the demand for q specie basis that he
was nicknamed "Old Bullion. !" oi
which ne became very proud, and II
/ his speeches often referred to himself
! by that term He was at first inclined
to favor a protective tariff system, but
later strongly opposed protection
merely for the sake OF protection He
stated his position thus: THE fine ef
fects OF the tariff upon the prosperity
OF the west have been celebrated on
this floor. with how much reason lei
facts respond and people Judge, I dc
not think we are indebted to the high
/ tariff for our fertile lands and navt
gable rivers. and am certain we are
/ Indebted to those blessings for the