Ed Ray did Oregon a great disservice by depicting Thomas Hart Benton as a important man with glaring, even psychotic, character flaws. It is now becoming apparent Benton was Jefferson’s hammer, that he used to crash throught the barrier to the West – and on to India! Benton was chosen because of family connections. Both men were fully aware of the growing British Empire, who thru Colonial Rule, had amassed great wealth, and built impressive Manors. In 1856, the army of Queen Victoria ‘The Queen of Trade’ made India the jewel in her crown-colonies. Was she responding to the fear Benton and John Astor would establish a Pacific Trade with the Far East, that would bypass, and surpass the blockade of British Men of War? Benton worked for a Transcontinental railroad.

President Trump has successfully built his Eastern Wall when he declared a Trade War with China. This wall has…