New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-02-13
BENTON's DEBATES OF CONGRESS.


BENTON'S DEBATES OF CONGRESS.
ABRlpGMsNr OF THE DEBATES OF CONGRESS FROM
l7ss TO 1850. Vol N.w-ioh' ID. Appleton Go.
This is the first volume of compilation, 10 ex-
tend to ffieen or sixteen voumes, in which Col.
Benton proposes TO embrace all those proceedings
of Congress in which any general interest can any
lepger be fet. In this way our Parliamentary his.
tory will not only be reduced TO compass which
will bring it within the Of private individuals,
but by the omission of vast deal Of obsolete MAJ
Ter will be rendered much more easy Of consultation
and reference
The work is brought cut IN a style highly credit
able to the publishers; the paper white, and the
tyI ography perfect The eii'ori. getting up shows
also prea, advance beyond what We might have
been led TO expect from the somewhat negligent
and unsatisfactory method or want of method Of
the editors Thirty Years View The heads Of
the pages show the date the subject matter OF DO
bate and the House whose proceedings are eiven'
and at the end of the volume we fnd-shas the
"Tbirty Years View" most sadly wants. very
copiOus index.
The present vslume embraces the Congressional
proceedings of Washirg tou's Administration, with
The exception Of the concluding session. the Leading
topics being the adoption OF revenue system
for the new Government, 'he organization OF tho
Executive Departments, salaries add pay, amend
mebts Of the Constitution seat Of Govsroment,
Naturalization laws, the Funding system and A.
SUMPTION of STATE debts, Slavery aud the Slave
Trade, Publ Lands Bank of tho United States,
Ian and Ef.hf mr.
bounties, organization Of the Army and commsnce-
ment Of q Navy, and relations with Great Britain
and France including the exciting subject OF jays
Treaty.
We cannot, however, but consider it q decided
defect that Col Benton, in his preface, instead Of
spending quife 40 much rbe ORC 10 euIOg ziog the
Extraordinary capacity as reporters Of Messrs.
Gales & seaton, and occupying so much space with
cerhfca tes as TO the merits Of their "Auasls Of
CopRress," from which this volume If bis has been
mostly made up, bias pot given some lizzie ac,1uot
0f the original sources wterce Gales Il Seat0n de-
rived their annals-sOurces INTO which 1t might
have been as we'll pe;hrps, # Col. Benton had him
self occasionally looked, instead Of bssing his
abr5gment so implicitly on their compilation.
Let us cay, then, for the benefit of those who may
pure base and consult Colonel BentOns abr,dg0ent
and who wish 20 know the sources OF this aud tho
succeeding volume Of IT, that at the first session OF
the Congress, held ia this City Of New-York, 70
porters were admitted ~ The floor of the House,
and Lot only were reports Of the debates and pro-
&c. dpgs published from day to day in the news
papers, but tbbt these debates at the close Of the
ressiop were collected and Published in Two octave
70 umes, der the title Of The Cong'esStonl Reg
lister. which publication it proposed to continue
annually. This register Of debates did not, how.
ever, contain the proceedings Of the Senate,
which body sat Originally 81 closed doors, tho
public having no other account Of its proceedings
except those contained in it- journal. This Con.
gressloDal Register did 20. i've beyond third vol
uDe, breakiog down 10 tne middle Of the second
session Of the first Congress; but the deb.ses
of the House continued to be published IN tho
newspapers, the public, after the removal
of Congress to Philadelphia, being mainly in
deb,ed for their knowledge Of Congressional
pIocee diDss to he enterprse of Mr.. Brown OF Inc
PHILADELPHIA Go.eue. who employed stenograpber
or two for that purpose, and from whose columns
the other papers mosty copied, though some Oh
then, especially The .,urora, sometimes had reports
OF their own. Then, as nov, the more important
speeches were frequsp written out BY the speak
err, though by DO me=L. at the saae length ~ q
present, while the reports 10 general had raher tho
character Of Synopsis than Of what Is now'sd'ys
considered full report.
Tie Senate opened its doors, while stppg 10 y"
legislative capacity, in 1894; bur previous 70 the
removal of Congress 10 Washington we have ony
reports Of some occasional ceba Is.
twss from tfese newspaper reports TIA. tne
"ADDsls Of Congress were compiled, and these
are the zeal sources Oftte recent volumes
b. v hch ackno sledgm,nr g"u d sssm n have been
quite as moch dGe, az to the compilers through
whom only Col. Benton seems 70 know them.
II il evident from his srs' emen. that the deoases
contained in this volume we're mostly aoragoa 70
the EDITORS hand by the original reporters. III"
bus ness thus far has toen manly 70 p'u"' '.
those Dor iona OF the proceedings when "e'e
merely Of local or Temporary interest i%'
work Of comparative ease. We mus ge' i'"a
number of volumes nearer TO the frete"' ''ine oo-
fre we EN- have quite full ttst OF tho edilofs
ability al separating the essence Of Tho dssstes
f,or, r.st 70 AS of trashy end vapid detail.
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