Minnesota weekly times. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1859, 1854-08-08
THURSDAY, AUG. 3, 1854.
BENT0N's THIRTY YEARS IN THE o. 8


BENToN's THIRTY YEARS IN THE .. s.
The author of this work has done much for his
country, and will be more fully appreciated after
death has laid him in the grave. Mr.. Benton
is not perfect, by any means ;--he is some-
what egotistical and overbearing in his nature,
yet we believe him to be man whose long polit-
ical career has been less associated with corrup-
tion and rascaliy than any other person, Except
ing glorious old Harry Clay,) who has been for
so long period in the service of his country
He seems to be actuated by yprinciple, "a commod-
ity very scarce in these days) and cannot brook
the barking of the puppy dogs that follow his
track. High-minded and fearless, he strikes out
on his own responsibility, and almost invariably
succeeds. Such man does not belong to either
party-he is the property of the whole country
sentinel on the watch-tower to give the alarm
of coming danger His the Pacific
Railroad, on the Nebraska and other important
bills, has shown him to be man thoroughly de-
voted to the interests of the people, and notwith
standing there are some imperfections in his char
acter, still, as whole, we look upon him as the
purest politician in the Democratic party. Thus
regarding the man we cannot but regard his work
in like favorable light. His experience in the
Councils of the Nation, coupled with his ability
to gather and weave into volume, transactions
which passed under his own eye, peculiarly fit
him for the task of the author of the work which
he has recently given to the public. Although
voluminous that work is valuable on many ac-
counts. rst.-For its truthfulness. Second
For its sinside view of the workings of our gov
ernment," and Third-For its perspicuity. No
political student should be without it. The stvle
in which it is written, has the peculiar snap of
Benton, and sounds very much ike-ss Yes sir,
yes sir-a fact sir" an expression which would
be recognized in China. Still this does not de-
tract materially from the value of the work, the
merits of which have been freely commented upon
by the press of both parties throughout the coun-
try. The N. Y. Evening Post, alludng to it, says:
The slave States of America have exhibited great
talents in the field, in the forum and in the council
chamber; but in authorship they can hardly be
said to have added anything to the fame of their
country. Thomas Hart Benton, native of
slave State, and all his life citizen of slave
State. has proved the first exception for by pref
ty nearly the unanimous adjudication of all par
ties and classes of his countrymen, he has pro-
duced work which possesses literary power
and vitality quite independent of the historical
value which necessarily attaches to the recorded
experience of one who was for thirty of the most
eventful years of our political history, leading
member of the United States Senate &C in the
confidence of half the administrations, and close
observer Of the others.''
The literary execution of this work, the SIM
plicty of it's style and the unexceptiOnable taste
which tempers all its authors illusions to his
contemporaries, have been the subject of univer-
sal admiration. The well-known fearlessness of
his character-his fierce energy-his contempt for
all indirect methods of accomplishing his ends
his temptation to embrace the opportunity which
this work afforded him, of taking complete ven-
geance upon the numerous political enemies he
had made during his long and active public life;
all these circumstances naturally created some
apprehension lest the writer's retrospect of his
senatorial life should be somewhat distempered
by its contemporaneous partialities, animosities
and prejudices.
The appearance of the book has dispellcd this
apprehension, and though its merits have been
very generally and quite deliberately discussed by
the press during the brief two months that it has
been before the public, its freedom from those
defects which would naturally be looked for in
work written by statesman, about the political
controversies in which he himself took an active
part, has been universally recognized and almost
uniformly commended.
The work is finely embellished with very ac-
curate portrait of Mr.. Benton, is we'll printed and
furnished exceedingly low. The first number is
ready for delivery to subscribers who can procure
it by calling upon H. R. BIGELow, ESQ.,, at his
Office ON Third-st, who is sole agent for the work
in Minnesota. .-...-