The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-25
BLAINE AS A HISTORIAN.
A Few Extracts from the Ex-Srcreta-
RVS "Twenty Years of Congress"
Scope of the Work and Aim of the Author
Samples of His Interesting and Pic
turesque Style.

Bill Publishing Company, of this city.
Twenty Years of Congress" is the title of
Mr.. Blaine's book, and the period covered is
from 1861 to 1881 or from Lincoln to Gar
field The author was an active worker in
the field during that time, but, as will be
seen by the extract given from his preface,
he has not depended upon his recollection of
what has occurred, but has gone to the ar
chives OF the Capitol or delved among the
musty records and reports In fact, Mr..
Blaine does not wish his work to be consid-
cred one of "reminiscences, but rather as
history of two important decades. An elab-
crate introduction deals with the causes that
led to the civil war; then the story of the
war is taken up and dealt with in all its
phases. In the following paragraphs Mr..
Blaine sums up the scope of his work and
gives hint of the amount of labor he has ex-
pended upon it:
THE twenty years of Congress between
the Inauguration of Lincoln, in 1861, and the
inauguration of Garfield, in 1881, were the
most important In our history as nation.
The entire period was filled with momentous
events. Legislation during the progress of
the war in aid OF the great armies which
upheld the government through the period
in which the Union was reconstructed on
new and enduring foundations; on the
finances during the era of paper money and
the subsequent return to the standard OF
coin; on slavery and the emancipation
which came generations before phllanthro-
pists had dared to hope on taxation, exer-
cised and forced to degree beyond all pre-
cedent yet always sustained by popular
majorites; on industrial Improvements so
widely fostered that, despite the waste OF
thousands of millions by the ravages of war,
the aggregate wealth was doubled in single
DISQUALIFICATION on these great subjects
forms the vital interest of the country, and
is worthy of commsmoration.
During the years when these legislative
deliberations were in progress, much was
done In Congress of inferior importance and
contemporary interest. To separate the val
liable and permanent from the valueloss and
the transient of this historic epqch and to
give aoonnected account of the really great
events in the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives is the aim of this work. 1t is not
intended to be an abridgement of the pro-
ceedings OF Congress or a compendium of de-
bates, yet no important transaction in either
branch is omitted and no discussion worthy
of honorable mention is overlooked The
design necessarily includes within the limits
of careful discretion the narrative of many
facts which could not appear in an official
report, as we'll as just and fair estimate of
JIl6 men VINO nave Deen HlbSb DrOInlltUb anu
influential in the two houses of Congress.
ut would be obviously impossible to pre-
sent perspicuous history of the two decades
from 1851 to 1881 without reviewing at
length the important and often tangled
course of events which brought about the
political revolution of $780, resulting in the
defeat of all the old political organizations
and giving the control of the country to a
new, radical, enthusiastic and progressive
party. The cause of this revolution proper-
ly analysed will be found to be remote
stretching back at least forty years. and yet
steadily and continuously tending toward
the elimination which was reached in the
election of Lincoln to the Presidency. The
incidents of the intervening struggles in
Congress, the connection of one phase of the
contest with another not seen at the time,
but in retrospect distinctly yisible-present
a field of interesting inquiry necessarily In
troductory to the work now in hand"
Mr.. Blaine's picturesque and Macaulayan
style may be judged by the following extracts
from his Introductory chapters
"The compromises on the slavery question
inserted in the constitution were among the
essential conditions on which the federal
government was organized. II the African
slave trade had not been permitted to con-
tinue for twenty years; if it had not been
conceded that three-hfths of the slaves should
be counted in the apportionment OF the
representatives in Congress-; if it had not
been that fugtives from 'he service should
not be returned to their owners the thirteen
States would not have been able in 1887 to
form more perfect Union These adjust
ments in the constitution were effected after
the Congress of the old federation had dedi-
Gated the entire Northwest terrjtory to free
dom. The ancient Commonwe OF Vir-
ginia had for the good of all generously and
periodically surrendered her title to the
nfrxr IF fho md 0f
the Mississippi, which to-day constitutes five
prosperous and powerful States and not an
lnconsderable proportion of a sixth.
This was the first territory of which the
general government bad exclusive control,
and the prompt prohibition of slavery there
in by the Nathan Dane ordinance of 1857 is
an important and significant fact. The anti
slavery restriction would doubtless have APP
piled TO the territory south of the Ohio, had
the power existed to impose it, The found
ers of the government not only looked to the
speed N,linction of slavery, but they especi-
ally a1aorred the idea of geographical line
with freedom decreed on one side and
slavery established on the other. 1t thus
came to pass that the Ohio river was the
dividing line. North of it freedom was for
ever decreed; south of it slavery was firmly
established Within the limits of the Union
as originally formed the slavery question had,
therefore, been compromised, the common
tcIriIOTy pdTtlllcHtui anu tue TepuDllC, nalf
slave, half free, organized and sent forth on
its mission.
THE MISSOURI QUESTION.
''The Missouri question marked distinct
era in the political thought of the country,
and made a profound impression on the
minds of patriotic men. Suddenly, without
warning, the North and the South-the free
States and the slave States-found them
selves arrayed against each other in violent
and absorbing conflict During the interval
OF the adoption OF the federal constitution
and the admission of Missouri there had
been great change in the Southern mind,
both as to the moral and economic aspects
of slavery This revolution of opinion had
been brought in large degree by the cotton