Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-02-20
Washington, Hamilton and Jay.
From the Richmond Wing.

The NewsYork Express has done for the
claim set up by General Hamilton's son for
his father of having written Washington's
Farewell Address. That paper says that
Chief Justice Jay several years before his
death, which occurred III 1920, published "a
letter, in which he stated that Washington,
after having written the Farewell Address,
enclosed it to Hamilton for perusal and cor
rectiOl, with request that it might be shown
to him (Jay)-that Hamilton, after having
read it, sent it to him uncorrected, that they
afterwards mot and read il over together,
when they came To the conclusion that it was
all right, and ought not to be altcred-that it
was sent back to Washington without the al
iteration of wOrd-aud that it was published
exactly rs it was when read by Hamilton and
himself and us it now is. So, this ridiculous
pretenslOn 10 silenced at once and forever. 1t
seems strange to US, that the son and biogra-
pher of So great man rs Hamilton undOubt-
eddy was could not he contcntcd to let his
fame rest upon his bottom, but that in dress
ing his father up in IA suit which nature never
designed him to wear, he should have run the
risk of inclining the world tn doubt even the
merit, which was undoubtedly his. In the
latter part of Washington's Administration
he was bitterly assailcd by the mnions of
party, and one of the charge alcdgel against
hun, was that he Was a nose of wax i'll the
hands OF Hamilton. No man who knew
any thing of Washington ut that day,
believed one word of the Islander. No
man who has ever read Nj. Jeiierson's
memoirs can believe il now. No man was
ever less under influence no man ever pos
sessed a more unconGuerablc will-no man
ever manifested more unalterable resolution.
when he believed himself to he in the right.
That man never breathcd, that would have
dared to approach Washington, with the view
OF converting him into a catspaw To serve his
own purposes. Naturally of strong passions
~ ali great natures Ike his must of necessity
be, lac habitually kept them under the COM
plctcst subsection To his RI ason. When they
did escape his control, however, as was the case
sometmes. but very rarely, they made all
tremble who bcheld the explosion. Mr.. jet
ftrsOn describes il as terrific beyond dcscrip-
ton. 1t may be set down rs absolutely GER
TAIN that neither Alexander Hamilton, nor
anybody else. would ever presume very far,
upon the good nature Of a man so sagacious,
80 digniied, and so little disposed to counten-
ance impertinent intermeddling. The party
walters OF the day, however, for their own
purposes, represented Washington rs entirely
III leading strings To Hamilton. Ii was their
cue To place him before the world as an ignor.
anus, and hence they maintained that he
could not write II letter, but that Hamilton
wrote all his letters for him. IL is strange
that the son of HamitOn-tLat man whom
above all others he loved and trusted-should
think il due To the fame of his father, 20 re-
vive these infamous calumnies of Washngtons
bitterest enemies. We feel assured, that
were Hamilton alive, and were such at
tempt to bee made, it would excite his liveliest
indignation.
IL is our opinion not only that Washington
wrote every line of the Farewell Address but
that no other man who ever lived could have
written IT, lt Is Washington all over. 10 is
u east OF his mind in an imperishable materi-
al. 1t Is the portrait of moral man drawn by
his own hand. Full OF wisdom, fall of knowl-
edge of man, full of knowledge OF his conn
trymen, full of knowledge of himself, il is one
of those uEigue productions which not only
have no existing mod-l, bat which can never
be- successfully initiated. II has been admired
by men of all nations, and of all parties. rs
the very essence of political wisdom and un-
selfish patriotism. IL is very certain that no
journeyman did that job. Ii BETRAYED the
hand of the master ia the very turn Of the
sentences. IL was delivered as II from inspi-
ration, and il has turned out to be prophecy.
There il eternal eyidvt.ce enough To convince
the most scepticaL But II there were not, the
testimony of Mr.. Jay is sufficient 70 settle the
matter. In addition 10 this, We learn from
the Lynehbarg Eirginian, thai a relative oi
Washington, II in Possession Of overwhelming
evidence.
So much for the Farewell Address. The
assumption of credit t0 Alexander Hamilton
for the entire conduct OF the Revolutionary
war, IL still more preposperoas. Hanlil on
WIS Washington's Secretary-hlsc clerk la 9TH
er wortls-and be Transcribed his letter. a. all
clerks 10 men In active business are In the
habit of doing. A. the letters were Frequent
ly In his handwriting, therefore. u. re might
be some plausible pretext Tor claiming the
authorship. But how il ever catered the
head Of old Mr.. Hamilton 10 conceive, that
Hamilton ordered the marches, planned the
battles, arranged the the terms of co-opera-
tion with the allies. quisttd the inutinieS- con-
ciliatsd the States. aa,l ruled the refractory
Congress, Is more than Nc can conceive