The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1858-04-20
A Letter from Col. Benton

Tho 1t. Louis Democrat publishes iI,a foiiowiny
extract from letter written by Col Benton 4
iew days before he died II relates to the great
work 70 which he was deyoting the last DAYS o,
| his life; -
ine 9TH volume 10 Issued, and brings down tha
M Mao'iugmenf to the end of Mr.. Monrns's fir.t Al.
hs'n,stration Os2t( The 7th volume Il urintsd
wiz, 10 ane Din.s hands fsoen for delivery aud
WIZ come INTO Mr.. John Quincy Adams, aan;nis
aatien. The sth volume 10 ia the press and viii
eot.s deep into Gen. Jackson's Adminstrst;,,, "a
sna., ss you see, 30 far as the public and nphIish
Rut ~ !, tue great work Is half fnished
us aa it concerns myself, / am far ahead Of tha
press, aud, in fact, almost through I raw 60
puoiiciy that will be done iu two ma1fhs H,'s
'nae was TO allow margin for accidents and mis-.
,"Aes. iexpect to bo done in less than Quo y,,,L
peing now employed on the great can,nran;ao
Sioh OF $3.50, being the last of Mr. Clay,, 80.
Efforts on the occasion. great
- .t lie aoa appear as antagonists with resnect
70 'nsse measures but the antagonism was az ~
tne FORM, and not to the ehject of tba n 90 W
ne wished the whole of the measures To ho ~,
| .aihed IN one general compromise bill. 7 w.ntad
ah9 Teasures, {or the most OF them and their
opJeets) Iha omnibus bill misearried. bnt tha
measures carried separately, and wsrs ;,,s, 'ie nc
strong on the statute book, in separate ae, s
"onid nave been IN general one. The antsao,;J
then was as TO form aud not "a e., ,,,.s,'
ended IN the establishment of the same ,neas,,rS
aud in the accomplishment of the s,pa nn;.
namely, the pdcifcdti1n Of Tie c0untrg Tho .h.;J
debates will show all this, and that tbaro VS. y
real crisis at the time-"a crisis big with the "a -
OF Rome'---its pacification worthy of the iast af
forts of Clay, aud in accomplishing which hia a.
dent patriotism. his devotion to the IJn;on H.
disregard Of SELF his courageous seif-reliance oil
appeared in their TBid day force and splendor II
was not the blaze of the setting SUM- but the noon
day blaze of that great lnminary. In these Hash
es of courage and patriotism, always struck o,t
when the union was struck at, he seemed to me tn
be the impersonation of UNION, and ready to be
laid as a victim on its altar
This being the state and condition of the work.
80 far advanced as to enable the public to Judge
it's character which Judgment has, in fact been
most fayorable-and also to see the near compile
tion of the work feel justified in expressing the
belief that have rendered great public service
to the Union. / have rendered accessible land I
hope sttractye) to the whole reading community,
the history of the formation of this Union, and of
the spirit in which It grew, and OF the spirit in
which it was administered carrying the noble yes-
sci safely through every danger for near seventy
years. | have made all the knowledge accessible
10 every reading man, aud knowledge is poweri-
especially political p0wer!-and as necessary to
aGoru a public mans life, to enable him to le-
gislate benefcially for the country, and avoid the
mistakes and errors which often m0rtity himself.
That is one object of the abrdgement, and high
one but not the highest. The highest lies among
the most exalted of human actions. among the
objects which would reconcile 4 distracted Union
by showing the examples of moderation of Justice
stf conditions, Of defence. which Joined Us together
and kept us together. The abridged debates will
abound with such examples, and from men of such
noble character will command yenerati0h and
imitation"