Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1858-05-12

After the Declaration of independence,
Hamilton and Jefferson first differed, then
grew divergent, and finally alicnated altogeth-
er. That great Democrat, after achieving
that mighty paper. retired to his farm, and
took no part in all the years of the war of that
time. At the opening of peace he was seen
in the Congress of his country, and there be-
came the father of American Democracy.
Different was it with Hamilton. Seen in all
the war, present at Cambridge and at the sur
render at Yorktown, he was familiar by heart
with all the war. At the age of 26 he return
ed to New York to practice his profession of
the law, and here was the character of the
later Hamilton developed. The years before,
were the years of passion, and characters for
med in them were necessarily ardent and has
ty. War had not then begun, and men spoke
passionately of its glories, but knew not of
its horrors, and had not had their passions
calmed by its awful realities. At its close,
those who began it in youth were now middle
aged, and new era began with them and with
the country. From out of the army came
Alexander Hamilton and began the life of
one-power man, and he was so, and no wonder
that he was. Had he not seen the impotency
of the old Philadelphia Congress Had he
not seen how the one-man powcr-how the
Difference and obedience paid to one man-had
carried the amy over all difficulties in the
war discipline had conquered seeming i'm
possibilities, and how many easy things had
been lost by the unavailng and divergent eff
forts of an Unled mob! No wonder all these
things made him distrust public rule.
After the revolution we still find him in the
public service, still working for his country,
and always the plainest and frankeSt man of
| his day. All our laws, all the details, stages
and provisions of our laws and our liberties,
felt the guidance of his mind. In the great
idea of uniting the States of the Cenfcderacy
into grand whole, his mind was active,
and much to his exertions and his inauerce is
due the acceptance of our National Constitu-
tion by the States, AID much to his mind and
talent is due the framing of a State paper
which from then to now, and from now to all
time cannot be changed in hair for the bet
ter. From the acceptance of the Constitution
| through the first days of our whole country
| he was still active. and still the leading mind
| Ct the day. Our laws, much of them, owe
! their soliiity to him, and our finances are all
his. He was the man who kept US neutral in
the great European struggle, and kept us on
growing and strengthening every day.
Into the private life of Hamilton the speak
er would not extensively look, but still would
sly that the record would beat the closest
| scrutiny. In his bar-lffe in New York he was
close in his studies, mighty in his efforts, and
very moderate in his charges. daughter.
His great effort, the defense of Croswell be-
fore the New York Supreme Court, is still 10,
day spoken of as one of the proudest efforts
of the American bar, and by some held to be
the very greatest that has yet been spoken
and is one which would, if he had nothing
else to gloriiy him, alone lift him high among
those who knew the Constitution and could
cxpound its ideas of liberty. At Il years O
age he addressed his felow-citizcns in pub
lie ; at 22 he was known and marked man
and every succeeding year he added freSf
triumphs to his fame, and planted new anC
grateful emotion toward him, in the hearts o
his countrymen.
q
deed difficult. Each foremost in his own path
each first in his own chosen way of life anC
action-but, alas, how different the way, hoY
opposite the path of action. The view woul'
bear no elaboration of explanation. To thos
men of those days who had achieved and Sc
cured our liberties, to those three men-W ash
lngton Jefferson and Hamilton-waS due t
all and to each the abundant gratitude ant
warm love of a whole people. They wer
men, unlike some of the lesser lights VIII
have since filed their seats, who were not era
w for Liberty, nor dementcd for Slavery
they were men who never thought to see tn
North against the South, the East against tn
West, and still less to stir the strife for per
sonal euds-men to whom Topeka and lie
compton question would be bat small rlppl
on the surface of the unfathomable deep c
their patriotism. They were men who lnau
gurated our country, who commenced it i
glory and set it on its onward path like bride
, groom coming from his chamber, or stron
man commencing to run his race.
THE ssSick Man, as the Gear Nichola
would have termed Mexico, is in bad way
Every thing is out of joint in that unh&pp
country-business at stand-the nationS
debt, already enormous, indefinitely increas
inr-two or three parties fighting for the gov