Statesmen . he little navy and army then maintainedat the expense of the Government. He ridiculedevery measure designed to promote the efficiencyof either branch of the public service, and in-sisted upon a reduction of both arms of the ser-vice to what he called a peace footing. Posterity should not lose sight of Bentonswise and prophetic estimate of the growth of theRepublic in the Northwest. When our disputeover the Northwestern boundary began, it wasurged that the region demanded by Benton andhis supporters was not valuable for tillage or formining. Benton tartly replied : We want it, any-h
Statesmen . he little navy and army then maintainedat the expense of the Government. He ridiculedevery measure designed to promote the efficiencyof either branch of the public service, and in-sisted upon a reduction of both arms of the ser-vice to what he called a peace footing. Posterity should not lose sight of Bentonswise and prophetic estimate of the growth of theRepublic in the Northwest. When our disputeover the Northwestern boundary began, it wasurged that the region demanded by Benton andhis supporters was not valuable for tillage or formining. Benton tartly replied : We want it, any-how; and when imminence of war with GreatBritain was urged by the more timorous mem-bers of the Senate, he flung out this note of de-fiance : I think she will take offence, do whatwe may in relation to this territory. She wantsit herself, and means to quarrel for it if she doesnot fight for it. . Neither nations norindividuals ever escape danger by fearing it;they must face it, and defy it. An abandonment. The Benton Statue at St. Louis. 116 STATESMEN of a right for fear of bringing on an attack, in-stead of keeping it off, will inevitably bring onthe outrage that is dreaded. This was whilethe Nation was still harassed by the progressof the Texas annexation scheme in the South-west. James K. Polk was elected on the basisof a settlement with England which should giveus as our northern boundary fifty-four degreesand forty minutes, the slogan of his campaignbeing 54-40, or fight. History records, how-ever, that in the final settlement of that problemour boundary-line on the north was fixed at 49,by which we lost the magnificent territory nowoccupied by Manitoba, the Northwest Territory,and British Columbia, thereby interposing a for-eign power between our own possessions andthose which we have since acquired from should be said that Benton acquiesced in thissettlement without much ado. Benton was not a great orator, as Websterwas, but he was a powerful pleader and an in-d
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