522 



MONAGAS, JOSE T. 



MOREHEAD, CHARLES S. 



such as may belong to the United States, to 

 this State, to counties, or to municipal corpora- 

 tions in this State." The legal question mooted 

 was, whether the application of this provision 

 to the property of the Washington University, 

 after an exemption had been allowed by a 

 former Legislature, would be a violation of 

 that clause of the Federal Constitution which 

 forbids the States to pass any law violating the 

 obligations of contracts. The decision of Judge 

 Wagner determines this question in the negative. 



The first monument to the memory of a pub- ' 

 lie man ever erected in the State of Missouri 

 was formally dedicated on the 27th of May, 

 in Lafayette Square, in the city of St. Louis, 

 when a fine statue of Thomas H. Benton was 

 unveiled in the presence of a vast concourse 

 of people. The day was observed as a public 

 holiday in St. Louis, and an address was de- 

 livered by General Frank P. Blair, Jr., on the 

 life and services of the illustrious Senator. 

 The statue was raised at the instance of the 

 State government, and at the public expense. 



The Legislature met on the last Monday in 

 December, arid was composed as follows : 



Senate. House. Joint Ballot. 



Kepublican 25 92 117 



Democrats 9 35 44 



Eep. majority 16 57 73 



The Governor, in his message, strongly rec- 

 ommended a modification of the test-oaths. 



MONAGAS, General JOSE TADEO, President 

 and Dictator of Venezuela from 1846 to 1859, 

 and Provisional President of that Republic at 

 the time of his death, born in Venezuela in 

 1786, died at Caraccas, Venezuela, November 

 18, 1868. Though of Spanish family, Monagas 

 was from early youth devoted to his native 

 country, and throughout the war which re- 

 sulted in the independence of the South Amer- 

 ican provinces from the Spanish yoke he was 

 the friend and comrade of Simon Bolivar, and 

 fought under his leadership. He joined the 

 ranks of the patriot army at the very com- 

 mencement of the revolution, and soon won 

 distinction by his bravery and ability as a 

 military commander. His services, however, 

 did not secure for him the political preferment 

 which he evidently expected under the new 

 order of things, General Paez being elected 

 first President of Venezuela, and Monagas left 

 altogether out of the Government. The result 

 was that Monagas headed a military insurrec- 

 tion against the Government of Paez, but the 

 attempt proved a failure. Paez was succeeded 

 by Vargas as President, and for the second 

 time Monagas raised the standard of revolt, 

 meeting, however, with no better success than 

 on the previous occasion, Paez again taking 

 the field against him, and promptly putting 

 down the insurrection. In 1846 the ambition 

 of Monagas was gratified by his being elected 

 President, to which Paez contributed his in- 

 fluence, in the hope of giving peace to the 

 country; but two years after Monagas over- 



threw the Constitution and usurped dictatorial 

 power, and caused Paez to be driven into 

 exile. He ruled as dictator for eleven years, 

 and was finally overthrown by a successful 

 revolution in 1859, and compelled to retire to 

 private life. The late civil war in Venezuela 

 once more brought him prominently on the 

 stage of action. Notwithstanding his extreme 

 age, he assumed the leadership of the coalition 

 formed against President Falcon, and, taking 

 command of the insurrectionary army, soon 

 compelled Falcon to abdicate and leave the 

 country. On Falcon's departure, in the win- 

 ter of 1868, Monagas assumed the office of 

 Provisional President, becoming at the* same 

 time a candidate for the presidency, to which, 

 had he lived, he would certainly have been 

 elected. He was more remarkable for his 

 energy and soldierly qualities than for any 

 statesmanlike ability. He was one of the 

 wealthiest citizens of Venezuela, his riches 

 consisting principally in vast estates along 

 the banks of the Orinoco, and immense herds 

 of cattle. 



MOREHEAD, Hon. CHAKLES S., Governor 

 of Kentucky from 1855 to 1859, and promi- 

 nent as a politician from that State for many 

 years, born in Nelson County, Ky., in 1802 ; 

 died near Greenville, Washington County, Mis- 

 sissippi, December 23, 1868. He was incor- 

 rectly, reported dead, after a long and severe ill- 

 ness, October 1, 1866, and a brief notice of his 

 life was inserted in the ANNUAL CYCLOPEDIA 

 for 1866. Educated at Transylvania Univer- 

 sity, his first entrance into political life was in 

 1828, when he was elected to represent the 

 county of Christian in the State Legislature. 

 Filling the position of Attorney-General under 

 Governor J. T. Morehead in 1834-'36, he, in 

 1838, represented Franklin County in the Le- 

 gislature, and was Speaker of the House in 

 1840-'41-'43 and '44. In 1847 he was first 

 elected to Congress from the Ashland District, 

 and reflected in 1849, participating as a promi- 

 nent supporter of Mr. Clay in the memorable 

 compromise legislation of 1850. In 1853 he 

 was again elected to the Legislature from 

 Franklin. In 1855 he was a candidate for 

 Governor, and was elected by a close vote 

 over the late Hon. Beverly L. Clark. At an 

 early date of his residence in Frankfort he 

 published, in connection with Judge Mason 

 Brown, a digest of the laws of Kentucky, in 

 two volumes, which was in use until the adop- 

 tion of the new constitution. After serving 

 out his term as Governor, he retired from 

 political life, and devoted himself to the prac- 

 tice of his profession, removing from Frank- 

 fort to Louisville. In the spring of 1861 he 

 was a member of the Peace Convention which 

 met at Washington, and also of the Border 

 State Convention which met in Frankfort, in 

 May. In consequence of his endeavors to 

 bring about the secession of Kentucky, and his 

 earnest advocacy of the Southern cause, he was 

 on the 19th of September, 1861, arrested at 



