Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-04-19
New Publications.

BBNToN's ABANDONMENT OF THE DEBATES OF
CoNeREss.-Vo VI. OF this celebrated work,
BY the author of the Thirty Years View" and
published by D. Appleton & Co., New York, has
been presented to US by Nj. Clough, of the firm
of D. KmbAll & Co., of Providence, agents for
the same.
Inns volume commences with the first session
of the fifteenth Congress, Dec l, 1917 and con.
cludes at the end Of the last session of the six
teenth Congress- March 4, 1921, covering the pc
riod of the first term of the administration of
President Monroe. The slavery question then
first assumed that important and "agltating"
feature in our national politics which has since
at various periods so marked the politics of the
Union, on account of the existence, in the coun-
try, of that great disturbing element, and deadly
antagonist Of all free institutions, slavery The
principal question in the discussion and settle.
ment Of which it was directly involved, was the
admission of Missouri, as a State, into the Union,
with a slaveholding constitution, with the histo.
ny OF the excitement growing out of which. and
the passage Of the famous missouri Compro.
mise" our readers have already been made some.
what familiar, by reason of the discussions incl
dent upon the repeal of that compromise, within
the last few years. The debates upon the Mis-
souri, matter comprise large portion of the work
before us, and they are certainly among the most
interesting and important which have ever sprung
up in Congress.
For years the opinion had been gaining ground
that there was a wrong in slavery which it was
unbecoming free people to countenance SO
that when the peoples representatives were ask.
ed deliberately to endorse and approve of slavery
by admitting more slaveholding States into the
Union, it was nothing strange that political
tempest arose,in which many thought the Union,
then on the verge of completing its first genera
ton, must go to wreck. The contest was fierce,
savage even, and marked by display of talent
such as the slavery question has hardly since
called forth. The history of that contest has Of
ten been written, but i, can nowhere be so well
read as in the debates Of Congress, which have
now been made accessible to all through the use.
full labors of Col Benton, lsbors which do him
infinite credit both as statesman and as schol-
ar. This sixth volume of his Abridgement of
Debates places before the world all that can be
made known of that intellectual gladiatorship in
which the most momentous of public questions
was discussed by such men as Rufus King, Will.
liam Lowndes, Henry Clay, Harrison Gray Otis,
Nathapie Macon, William Pinkney, John Ser.
geant, William Smith, John Randolph, Louis
McLane, II. M. johnson, the 6arbours, and 9th /.
ers, all of whom have passed away from the stage
Of life, while that which they contended about is
yet unsettled as ever and vexes a new genera.
ton of statesmen, most Of whom were but chill.
dren, or unborn, when those giants Joined issue
in the congressional arena 1t is well to refer TO
the fountain heads OF knowledge when eneross-
ing subjects are dealt with, and IT must be con.
sidered fortunate that this volume has appeared
at time whom it's contents ought to be known to
all Americans Useful at all times, the facts
which it contains are Of peculiar, special val.
ne, at this hour. Honorable as Col. Benton's la,
bors have always been, he has entitled himself 70
the highest praise for spreading information 40
necessary before the nation at this critical period
Of its career. Nothing is omitted that can bs
considered Of moment, and nothing is included in
his volume that can be held supernuous. The
word A6ridgolsnt hardly expresses the character
Of his work, 50 full, SO effective is it, while tn,
brianoy OF the debates is so well preserved as ia
bring the whole scene before the minds eve oil
the reader.
Many other subjects Of national legislation ar,
discussed in this volume, besides slavery. Flon.
da'S acquisition the tariff, expatristion internal
Improvements, the neutrality laws, the DISPOSE.
ton OF the public lands the navy, the flag of thu
nation, the Seminole War, the position and treat.
ment Of seamen, and the relief Of the soldiers q
the revolution-these are among the principal
matters that commanded the attention Of the az.
teenth and sixteenth Congresses As respects
slavery, not only were It's nature and it's bearing
upon the nation debated in Congress. with refer.
snes to the admission Of Missouri, but the sub.