Brookville American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1858-1861, 1858-04-23

The ST. Louis Democrat publishes the
following. extract from private letter
Of Col. Benton to friend in that city
in relation TO tho progress of tho De
bates Of Congress. II is probably one
Of the last of Col. Bcnton's letters pen
ned by bis own hand =
The 9th volume is issued, and brings
down the abridgement to the end Of
Mr.. Monroo's first administration. (lS2l)
The 9TH volume is printed, and in the
binders hands, (soon for delivery,) and
will come into Mr.. John Quincy AID.
ans administration. The 9Th volume
is in the press, and will come deep into
General Jacksons administration so
that, rs you see, SO far as the public and
the publishers are concerned, the grens
work is half finished. But as il con-
Germs myself, / am far ahead Of the
press, and, in fact, almost through. /
gave out publicly that ! will be done In
two months, but that was too allow q
margin foraccidcnts or mistakes; lex
poet to be done in less than one month,
being now employed on the great com
promise session of lS49-50, being the
last of Mr.. Clay's great efforts on the
OCCASION. He and appear rs antago-
nists with respect TO these measures;
but tho antagonism was as to the form,
and not as to The objects Of tho meas.
lurcs. Uc wished the whole Of the meas
ures to DO contained in one general
compromise bill; / wanted the same
measures, (or tho most of them,) and
their objects. Tho omnibus bill miscar
riod, but the measures passed separate
| ~, and were just as strong on tho stat
ute book, in separate acts, as they would
have been in q general one. The an
tagonism then vas as TO form and not rs
to measures, and ended in the establish.
mcnt of the same measures, and in the
Accomplishment Of the same object
namely, the pacification Of the country
The abridged debates will show all this
and there was q real crisis ut the time
"a crisis big with tho fate of Rome
It's pacification is worthy Of the last eff.
forts Of Clay, and in accomplishing
which, bis devotion 10 tho Union, his
disregard 10 self, his courageous self.rc.
lance, all appeared in their midday
force and splendor. II was not the
blaze of the setting sun, but tho noon.
day blaze of that great luminary. In
those flashes of courage and patriotism
always struck out when the Union was
struck Mt, he seemed to me to be the
impersonation of union, and ready e
! be laid Ms victim on its altar.
This being tho state and condition o.
tho work, so far advanced as to enable
the public to. judge It's character
(Which Judgement has, in fact, beer
most favorable, land also, to see The
near completion OF tho work, felt jus
tilted in expressing the belief that have
rendered accessible, (and | hope attrac
tiye) to the whole reading community
the history Of the formation of this
Union, and Of the spirit out Of which i
grew, and Of the spirit in which it was
administered, carrying the noble vesse
safely through every danger for neal
seventy years. i have made all TIA,
knowledge accessible to every reading
man, and knowledge is power l--espec
tally political power, and as necessary
to adorn public mans life as to cnabl,
him to legislate benefcially for the coun
try and avoid the mistakes and error.
wich often mortify himself. That is on,
object Of the abridgmcnt, and q high
one, but not the highest. The highes
lies among the most exalted of human
action, among the objects which would
reconcile a distracted Union by show
ing the examples Of moderation, of jus
tice, of condition of defense, which
joined us together and kept us togeth
en-. The abridged debates will abount
with such examples, and from men 0
such noble character as will command
veneration and imitation.