The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1911-11-15

other man that ever lived in all the
food Of time-is one Of the im1nortals-
Statesmen may be divided into three
classes: Those smaller than their repa-
| tatiOnS; those greater man the1r rePu-
/ tations. those equal to their reputa-
Il ions. Few IF hem can beal the severe
/ test of personal contact ana close II
| sDection. Benton IS greater, 1ar great
er than his reputatton-a result lsISe1y
of the unfortunate fact that the DoWn
casters write neerIy all our so-called
histories and biographies.
Notwithstanding Bentons vast
learning and invaluable services to the
country, it is always Clay. Calhoun,
Webster and Benton, or webster. Gay
| calhoun and Benton; and so on
through all the com binatlonS that can
he made with three names, Benton
forever being the fourth, notwithstand-
ing the fact that he deserved TO stano
at the head of the class fully as much
as any of the others and MlSsourid.S
should place him there sc lar as
them lies-not because he was always
right for he was frequently Wrohg-
not because I'VE agree with all ne d1o'
for in many things we dissent; put pc
cause he was the first great stateS ~ =; =
west of the Mississippi; because ne le.1 -
easily one of Americas dozen greatest
senators: because he shed imper1shaple
ulster upon Missouri, and because love
of country was his master passion.
Told Benton How to Vote.
..Tn 1919 the Missouri legislature in
structed Benton how TO vote on a
os1estion of absorbing interest by what
80 LEVIN as the Jackson resolu-
+ions.' Internationally the Legislature
had a right to instruct Benton he
neither obeyed instructions nor
signed. ,,.z .+be
ION the contrary, he trampleo tHg
Jackson resolutions in the mud neAu
them for naught and spat upon tneIh-
His action rent.in twain the gredt. L y ~.
ocratic party of Missouri, CT Whlch nc
had been the idol for more ell5'lt - The
tor of a century. He appealed 70 Inc
people. and at the bar or puohe oplillo ~
he was condemned. It was pateIe u
the giants. 1t was war to the khile,
tho knife to the hi1t, and the srea5
Wissouriar' went doggedly, bravery anu
nm lteringly to his political death WITH
the black flag flying above ms heau'
neither asking nor giving Quarter
.sRenton's fight to recover ms icSI p
e;+io17 is ore Of the longest, hercest ana
Tnoet Stubborn recorded in the history
of American politics. He was thrice de-
featad for the senate; electeu 70 III
house of representatives Aoi oilo -
and than defeated for re-eleclloh anu
after a contest which ragged WITH ai!ldZ-
ing fury in every township ana III 81
most yery family from Iowa TO Ar
kansas and from the taensa y - w the
to the mouth of the raging kaw, tll s
rrfr9 oil indian fighter was defeated
for GOVERNOR. That was the catastrophe
of the great tragedy
u E,nenies Enjoyed the Spells.
"ro all appearances the victory was
- 10 anemies. They enjoyed the
snoils but really the triumph pc
1onged to Benton for, during this say
age warfare, he created that PuoIiSs
sentiment which lived after MN ana
which, after he was IN ms graz .lis
abIed Frank P. Blair and others OF MS
T,r.Iitical pupils to hold Missouri stead
Fast TO the Union, thereby deteatlnS
the hopes and aspirations OF the
southern people for separate ana IN
denendent existence as a. nation 10
fa,x- men that ever lived has it been
eixe4, To WELD from the tomb such IN
fIuence on the fortunes of a great peo-
ple as Benton welded from 1901 TO
1s6z. verify his works so follow nm.
~Benton's egotism has been urged as
his great re1rcacn. Innunerable ahee-
dOtes all good, many amusing, are toid
of him in this regard When BenI ,eel, >
great booIx-for it IS great-WaS ao ou1
IONS sent a messenger to him TO ger
his views as to the number OF copies
1ha4 should be printed. Benton haugnt-
lily replied: 49,.
lost census how many persons there
are in the United States VIII" can read
sir -, ~ r,s-+on,s ma
triotic and useful labors-more numerous
than those of Hercules-,would consume
rnara man nv allotted time. He was
foremost fore in everything looking to the adss
vaucenent of the country, particularly OF
the west. Two or three, however, should
be mentioned.
we owe Much to Him.
spTo him more than any other man DO
We owe the fact that our northwestern
line is on Parallel forty-nine instead or at
the mouth of the Columbia river To him
more than to any other man Is due our
homestead system. The history books
give the credit to Calusha A Grow or
Pennsylvania; but Benton had already
secured all the benefits of that law but
not the title before Grow entered the
house which by a strange coincidence
was the same day that Benton went out
of the senate -.
."To Benton and DR. Leis F. Linn joint
II we owe gratitude for adding the Platte
Purchase to Missouri fifteen years after
Missouri was admitted as state. There
should be a towering joint monument
erected to those two senators somewhere
in the Platte Purchase; and to erect It by
popular subscription should be labor of
love.
"To this day Thomas Hart Benton re-
mains THE Great Missourian.
Politics was avoided by all the speak
ers.
--uEREr nAxsN Rnn1AgKT