The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1869-06-16
Aaron Burr, the Third Vice-Presi-
dent of the United States.

third person chosen to that office, il
tending thereafter to more particular
J ly notice him. IF he. was not tn
emiisent man who ever occupied th
, station, his life was certainly the mos
i eventfui. To the end Of time hi
! lpame will figure greatly in America,
Annals Ito appoint moral and ador1
a tale. p" There are thousands ant
tens of thousands who refer to hin
who are very imperfectly acquainted
with, if, indeed, they know anything
of, his personal history. We have s
NEUROLOGICAL character whom we la.
bel Burr, but which bears neverthe.
less, but a slight resemblance to the
original person of that name.r
If there is any thing in religious
and pious ancestry to govern a child,
Mr.. Burr. had it in perfection. He
was the grandson of the Rev. Dr.
Edwards, perhaps the most distin-
guishei religious polemic this nation
has produced. His treaties upon the
Freedom of the WHIP is in the 4li-
brary of almost every orthodox cler-
gyman, and is considered to conclu-
sively demonstrate the fact that while
God foresaw from the beginning what
the future destiny of every person
would be, he at the same time placed
it in their power to choose for them
selves that destiny. The daughter of
DIR. Edwards, Esther by name, was
the mother of Aaron Burr. His faith
er was an eminent clergyman, the
President of Princeton; College, New
Jersey. Growing up under the teach
ings OF such persons, they neverthe-
less had no influence. upon Aaron's
convictions, and when he arrived at
an age to choose for himself, although
never an avowed skeptic, he was very
far from being orthodox. The earlier
events of his career are widely known.
Leaving college leaving sick bed
at the age of seventeen, with a slight
and fragile form, he cntered the Rev
dictionary Army, was one of Bere-
dict Arnold's command which crossed
the forests OF Maine, enduring hard
ships compared to which Napoleon's
passage of the Alps was a holiday
tour He was near Montgomery when
he fell at the disastrous attack by the
Americans upon Quebec, on the last
day of the year 1775. General Wash
inntnn- long hesitated lpi4etAeF-he-
should appoint Burr or Hamilton as
his military secretary Thus early
in life did the rivalry of these two
men commence. The preference was
given to Hamilton. The war being
over, in which both distinguished
themselves, they became lawyers o!
eminence in New York Mr.. Burr.
but thirty-fve years old, had
such ability as a man, such shrewd
ness as politician, that he defeated
General Schylur, Hamilton's father
in-law, one of the wealthiest men of
the continent, as United States Sena-
tor from New York. His triumph
was remarkable, for in that age wealth
and veteran service were almost every
thing. " --3'' . .'ts-9
Time passed on. Burr rapidly rose.
He passed the crowd of Revolution
ary soldiers, orators and statesmen
and at forty two was President
of the United States. He would have
been President but For the personal
of Alexander Harnilton,
Thomas Jefferson, whom he so nearly
succeeded IN defeating for the Chief
although Of, the same par
ty, never fcrgave him, but pursued
him ever after with intense hatred
Burr's time as Vice President being
on the point of expiring, he became
for Governor of New York.
His election would have been sure
but for the opposition of Mr.. Hamil-
ton In the course of that campaign
language of an exceedingly defama
tory character, used in private conver-
sation by Mr.. Hamilton respecting
him, came to the ears of Mr.. Burr.
In that day almost every distin
guished man fought duels. The Mar
Iuis of w ellesley, Castlereigh, Moore
the poet, Jefiry the critic, and others,
lad theirs in England. De Wit Clin-
ton, Jackson, Clay, Van Nesse and
reserted to them in the Uni
led States to heal their wounded hon
Dr.. A son of Alexander Hamilton,
who had hardly reached his manhood,
lad been killed in a duel at Hoboken. |
1t was there that Hamilton met, after |
MS sons decease, Burr's challenge,
md was killed. The fall of distin-
guished q man created great excite
nent, and elected much moral indig |
nation against dueling. Nevertheless
Burr was not molested, and proceeded |
% Washington, where for the session
ne presided rs Vice-President.s Indeed |
1e was never called upon to abide any
Judicial prosecution. Feeling, how
,ver, that stigma had been cast up
IN his name in New York, he deter
l,ined never to reside in that city =
he was urged to go to Tennessee-to
hrow out his sign as lawyer at Nash
Jille-where in a short time he was
promised a seat in Congress. But he
lbandoned this idea; and gave his at
ention to the Mexican scheme. He
became what would now be known as
. "filibuster.p Mexico was on the
point of separating from Spain. Burrs
,bject was to go to Mexico with an
lrmed band-to place himself at the
read of the patriotic movement, and
'ecome the Emperor of that country.
n order to avoid the neutrality laws,
was enveloped in such mystery, the
deaf got out that it was his purpose TO
eparate the Southwestern from the
Jnion. The President, Mr.. Jeffer-
on, did not like him. His arrest was
'rdered, and he was brought to trial
hA h /