New Oregon plaindealer. (New Oregon, Iowa) 1859-1866, 1864-05-06
LITER AIRY.

THE FGDERAL1sT; A COLLECTION
OF ESSAYS. Written in Favor of the
New Constitution as agreed upon by
the Federal Constitution, September
18th, 1887. Reprinted from the orig
inal text with an Historical Iotroduc
ton and Notes. By Henry B. Day
son. In two volumes: vol. /. Charles
Scribne-, New York.
This, beyond all question. is the Fl
nest and most complete edition of this
great work that has ever been publish
ed. Mr.. Dawson is laborious and
indefatigable historical student, who
never takes things for grented because
somebody has so written them, but ex.
plores the subjects Of his investigation
to The fountain head. The accuracy of
his statements, even to the minutest
detail, is something peculiarly refresh
ing in this age of superficial and hasty
literary productions. Mr.. Dawson has
taken great pains 40 arrive at the text
of The Focderalist, as it was written
by its distinguished authors, and he
feels confident taat he has succeeded.
Many of the alterations were thrust
into the text by unauthorized edit ors,
and as many as forty, it is said, have
been detected and corrected in the
first essay alene. One Of the most in.
teresting portions of this work is the
elaborate, historical and bibliographi-
cal Introduction in which is narrated
the causes which produced The Feeder
alists, and hisory of the work itself,
and of its original publication, together
with careful examination of the long
disputed claims to authorship of the
work, and a carefully prepared dcs
cription of the various editions which
have heretofore appeared. The claims
Of Hamm,lton and Madison as t. the
of several essays, is yet
subject of some dispute, though the
author, we judge, adheres to the claims
Of Mr.. Madison's friend: in this res
pect, and the weight Of testimony, we
should think, is upon that side. Had
it not been for these essays, the present
Constitution of the United States
would very certainly never have been
adopted. They were intended to ex-
plain away many of the charges that
were brought agalnstlt, and exercised
a powerful influence IN procuring its
adoption, by New York State, where
it's success wss considered most doubt
full. We notice, with satisfaction, that
the author of the iatrol uction has clear
ideas on State sovercignty-that it is
not diyisible, and that the Federal
is delegated one. The
first volume, the one now before US.
only this introduction and the
text of The Federahst complete. In
the second, the author promises his
own notes, embracing the more impor-
tant alterations of the text as we'll as
many of the manuscript notes which
have been found on tho margins and
blank leaves Of the copies formerly own
I'd by Mr.. Madison, Mr.. Jefferson, Mr..
Ames, Chancellor Kent and other dis
men. When the second
volume appears we shall be able to
form more decided opinion as to the
influence and Importance Of the work
taken as a whole. AS far as it has
gone it seems to be unrivalled in every
respect. Its mechanical execution is
model of bookmaking. A portrait of
Alexander Hamilton, engraved from
the celebrated Talleyrand miniature,
accompanies the volume. AS the first
volume is complete of itself, all who de
sire copy of The Foederalist will find
this just the book they need, and at a
price even cheaper than the usual
common editions. which. of late years,
have been the only ones in market.
We refer the reader to the ADVERTISE
ment Of the publisher on our fourth
page.
-a ABHORRED BE WAR.
From the N. T. Tribune Of May 70, 1910. .
=. L. II