Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume II.djvu/562

 BENTON of tobacco, 10,288 of wool, 25,692 gallons of sorghum molasses, and 696 bales of cotton. There were 1,747 horses, 819 mules and asses, 2,028 milch cows, 1,075 working oxen, 2,719 other cattle, 7,790 sheep, and 20,016 swine. Capital, Camden. IV. A W. county of Indiana, bordering on Illinois, watered by Pine and Sugar creeks; area, 414 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 5,615. The surface is mostly fertile prairie, and about one fifth of it is covered with forests of oak, ash, sugar maple, and walnut. The chief productions in 1870 were 50,513 bushels of wheat, 458,857 of Indian corn, 121,842 of oats, 6,659 tons of hay, and 20,097 Ibs. of wool. There were 3,115 horses, 314 mules and asses, 1,906 milch cows, 8,248 other cattle, 6,143 sheep, and 8,506 swine. Capital, Oxford. V. An E. central county of Minnesota, bounded W. by the Mississippi river ; area, 400 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 1,558. Little Rock, Elk, and St. Francis rivers, and a branch of Rum river drain the county. A branch line of the St. Paul and Pacific railroad passes through the S. W. corner, and a line is in progress from Sauk Rapids running N. through the county to connect with the Northern Pacific railroad. The chief productions in 1870 were 3,541 bushels of wheat, 5,036 of Indian corn, 7,672 of oats, and 1,535 tons of hay. There were 99 horses, 217 milch cows, 331 other cattle, 261 sheep, and 168 swine. Capital, Sauk Rapids. VI. An E. central county of Iowa, drained by Cedar and Iowa rivers ; area, 720 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 22,454. The Chicago and North- western, and the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Minnesota railroads traverse the county. The surfape is undulating and occupied by prairies and woodlands. Fine building stone abounds. The chief productions in 1870 were 1,254,947 bushels of wheat, 1,516,420 of Indian corn, 468,543 of oats, 68,103 of barley, 98,133 of potatoes, 32,473 tons of hay, 18,674 Ibs. of wool, and 570,126 of butter. There were 8,878 horses, 394 mules and asses, 8,000 milch cows, 10,158 other cattle, 6,127 sheep, and 21,921 swine. Capital, Vinton. VII. A W. central county of Missouri, intersected by the Osage and its branches, the Pomme de Terre and Grand rivers; area, 770 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 11,322, of whom 320 were colored. The sur- face, which is somewhat uneven, is occupied by alternate tracts of fertile prairie and wood- land. Lead is the most important mineral. The chief productions in 1870 were 122,852 bushels of wheat, 358,959 of Indian corn, 120,- 918 of oats, 36,238 Ibs. of tobacco, 30,238 of wool, and 25,896 gallons of sorghum molasses. There were 5,825 horses, 1,035 mules and asses, 4,780 milch cows, 955 working oxen, 7,928 other cattle, 15,685 sheep, and 17,991 swine. Capital, Warsaw. VIII. A W. county of Ore- gon, bordering on the Pacific, and bounded E. by the Willamette river ; area, 1,200 sq. m. ; pop. in 1870, 4,584. The surface is mountain- ous, and the soil fertile and suited to agricul- ture and grazing. The chief productions in 1870 were 196,598 bushels of wheat, 2,343 of Indian corn, 146,235 of oats, 3,124 of flaxseecl, and 68,970 Ibs. of wool. There were 2,263 dorses, 2,665 milch cows, 3,564 other cattle, 12,957 sheep, and 8,081 swine. Capital, Cor- vallis. BENTON, a post village of Lafayette county, Wisconsin, 13 m. N. of Galena, 111., in a region abounding in lead mines, which are extensive- ly worked; pop. in 1870, 1,723. It contains smelting furnaces and several churches. i;i:TOV Thomas Bart, an American states- man, born near Hillsborough, Orange co., N. C., March 14, 1782, died in Washington, April 10, 1858. His father died when he was eight years old, and he enjoyed few advantages of education. His -mother having removed to Tennessee, he studied law there, and was elected to the legislature, where he obtained the passage of a law for the reform of the judi- cial system of the state, and another by which the right of trial by jury was given to slaves. In the war of 1812 he served as aide-de-camp to Gen. Jackson, and also raised a regiment of volunteers, by which he acquired the title of colonel. His friendly relations with Gen. Jack- son were broken off by a quarrel and a per- sonal conflict, and they remained enemies for many years. When peace was declared in 1815 Col. Benton took up his residence in St. Louis, resumed the practice of the law, and soon afterward established the "Missouri In- quirer," by which he involved himself in seve- ral duels, in one of which he killed his oppo- nent, Mr. Lucas. The " Inquirer" urged the admission of Missouri with a slavery constitu- tion, and after the establishment of the state government Col. Benton was chosen United States senator in 1820. In 1824, 1826, and 1828 he advocated the granting of preemptive rights to actual settlers, a periodic reduction in the price of public land proportioned to the time that it had been in the market, and a donation of homesteads to certain persons. He presented a bill embracing these features, and renewed it every year, until it took hold upon the public mind, and was at length substantially embodied in one of Gen. Jackson's messages, which se- cured its final adoption. Col. Benton also caused the adoption of a bill throwing the saline and mineral lands of Missouri which be- longed to the United States open for occupancy. In the session of 1829-'30 he delivered an elab- orate argument against the salt tax, and fol- lowed it up with such success that the tax was repealed. He was one of the earliest advo- cates of a railroad to the Pacific. He favored the opening of trade with New Mexico, the establishment of military stations in Missouri and throughout the interior, and the cultiva- tion of amicable relations with the Indians. When the charter of the United States bank expired, Col. Benton urged the adoption of a gold and silver currency as the true remedy for the embarrassments of the times. It was from the financial policy enunciated in his