, 1879-07-19
Gallatin's Opinion Of Various Con-
temporaries--His Finan-
oial Policy.
Other How Books and New Editions.
Literary Kotes~.Art Notes.
eub-Earth Ventilation Again by @. P.
8: Randall--Scientifio 1tem5.
LITERATURE.


NC expressed regret tint no sufficient memoir
Of Mr.. Gallatin hat! bccn included In tho plan OF
the editor. It NOW appears that Mi. Adams had
in vlew. and indeed had completed, u much
moro considerable work, namely, q Life Of
Albert Gallntln." This Life IL now before ,Is.
It fills q largo octave votumo OF nearly 100
pages, and contains, besides very excellent
narrative by Mt. Adams, .nany extracts from
private correspondence mover before published.
As VIC sal1 in reyiowng tic edition Of The Works
TINT memoir was ait that was necessary to
make 1t complete, We arc nov IN n QuandarY.
Tho Life Is 30 much mora than
memoir TINT It seems impossible to reconcile
The former statement with lis appearance. cx-
cept by assuming that there arc degrees Of COIN
ptesencss, aud that Mr.. Adams has attained the
supcrlastvc.
Without recourse to this hypcrholc, It will be
possible to accord TO Mr. Adams whole Under
taklng high praise. f3nlatin wns m important
parsonage, who Inns been much neglected III our
history. Mr.. Adams has thrown flood Of light
on his antccedcDte Ills character, nt,d motives.
The work hnB been done, moreover, with such
tlsorouGhness and good tastu lint VIC do not see
how It CUT ever bp supptuntct1 as tlic standard
luthurtty on the subject.
III view OF the long notice OF tie Works
which appeared In these columns two weeks
aEo, it will 10 sufficient in tho present
instance to Indicate the results Of Mr.. Alarns'
laboEs by some extracts from .lar volume in
question. Referring tu ihe nature OF Galtatin's
connection with The Whisky rebellion, air. Adams
writes:
tax on whieky.stis could hnrt.ly ha,c bccn II snat
tsr Of serious ftnPostanee, aud ho must bare sees
u pa4y han e. hs 5
he was the representative OF rciotc border coun.
" neyond .ho monn!atnt, where tha excise was
the ppIr1t Of liberty ran hlaG. Opposition to
ns rsn, ax VA s!mpe matter to hesah
dD' asd artae' and As' ma$s t St VIII po'lt,es1
ssy ,S Et tG ,s nnuvpn.
tempting to follow ont tho pulley Of Mr. Hamilton;
lio lad not only 70 isad tlr ataeS On Nr. ilaniii
blunaers to Which. thty wcrs only loo wc! d!4-
posed; uynr these followers. ut least nns!t!o his
ss uenes aa Fqon H. n ri bspe a"a
1ners Question Of policy ~ bow lug he eoala e. Will
0nIiatin, 1iGo any o,hrr putIcal leader, cou. 70
to tho llmtta Of the lniS IN nppesion io the tax,
on is ncrvp in applying th!s rnlo Ut the moment Of
cxlEcncy.
This ia the best defense Of Ga11atEn's conduct
IN this affair that We have anywhere seen. T. Is
not complete defense Tile farts v I'll not per-
NIT such dcfcnso to bc made. There Is no
doubt that GallatLn in tic ihcpcnry of tn.
Whisky Rebellion erred SERIOUSLY. lie confessed
az much attrrward. Hamilton un ouu orrasion,
referring to the trluls for treason which fol-
lowed tic dissolution OF thr rubcl force, satf
II saved Gallatln's neck" Though the buast
was probably not founded on fact, 1t Showed
to what cxtant tiallntn wns thought
to he involved by tho luw-1iIIccrs vi
the Government. Wo wish uut Mr. Adams
had trcnted this cpisode In tiallutln's 1ifo with
less partisan bias. It is ditllcnlt To seq how tho
statement Of the case above given tan 10 recon-
cIlcd With Gallatin's subsequent apuloEy for his
ussent to tho Pittsburc resolutions outlaw!ug
the excise officers Gallatn held, It Is true. that
those resolutions wcru not "illeGal or criminal"
but admitted that they were "vioent, intem-
pcrate, and reprehensiblc," aud acclnrcu that
they constituted a "polit!ca siu.n But ll.le
Of conduct which barely keeps luan from thu
penalties Of tho law, md requires M apology
aftcrward IL certainly not pralseworthy: 1t Is att
Difense against public morals; unt1 II should bu
remembered that, in s1!is INSTANCE, thu culprit
was interpreting the law mud the evidence on ILLS
own bshalf.
While 1t !s true that Galiatin WAS inutscreet
In the carly stages Of the anti-cxcisc revolt, he
muto ample amends by using hts Iulluoncu to
obtain the submission uf tho people. lie did
thts at tho risk Of personal Injury, extending
possibly to the loss Ut alta life. lilo leader whp
counscled tho n0at cxtroElo nrnsurus Was u
David Bradford, q dcmagoSuo OF whom Gn.-
latin wrote, before tho Farkinson's Ferry moot
lnE, as ''au empty drum, Us ignorant tnsolent,
and insignificant as he Is naughty and pomp-
GUS" This bradford opened lie debate ut ,h..
Ferry meeting OH Tire lAth of August, 17.4, BY
advocating thu nrnIpg aud cQuIppug Of troops
to resist tho Federal authority. GalIatln op.
posed him boldly, and secured the reference u
the resolutions to n committee. Then la oh.
tstned the dissolution 0f the meeting, a.ll the
appointment of u committee Of sixty. When
that Committee M1t un liz: 18th t;ailatn h.l-
dressed them. Hy thc force Of hts will aud his
courageous example, even marc tllau by tile
power Ut bis sloquenco he oo.a!ucd sul,tni,.
tial triumph for tbs peace purity. The Con-,
nstttee cf Sixty met witt, open doors A large
anu turbulent company of spectators were pres
OF WHOM favored ar.neasurcs. Unlsr thr ctr'
cumst1nces It Has dangerous to advocate peace.
Oh this point Mr. Adams writes:
Throughont this meeting ME. Gatlattn wns lr
drunken tIont!srsman hald the lives Of hts up,
ponents IN hla hanus; q woId from bradford. tht
seorss ot ouI!ets st h,s rival ioubtleas H. oil.
LATIN believed David Bradsota TO bo ''an ompt,
sna t.: sss + h. .Hss xSo Il
MeAterh country, which had now ltiil9 IL fcal
from violence. but for The oIupxiouR leader who b.
common eonsent waa held BY friends snl snctn!e
respouablo Tor Tho submission os tho peoolo 10 sl
law,
Leaving now the Whisky Rebellion, let us tur,
TO Mr- Gal!attu'a career as mrnlber ut Con
Esess, Of Which BIZ. Adams writes rs follows:
In some respects 1t was without y parallel I,
history. That young foreigner, speaking With
foreign accent, iaburiug under I'll tho uduu. ot sb
Wst.eT1 r., insu%s1setion % su.ro1nded " fteadl
John lanuolph. and Edward Livingstone; eon
froAted BY opponeHta like F[shut Alnes. judy
Scwuil. llsrrisor Gray Oils, Roger Us,swoi1, use
=. ltsysr1. I: g. Harper, y. =. Smith u sout
John Matahall.- that such n,4u. undcr such CT
SuM..aness, should hasu as onee, selzed q
h1Iner and trMer E1asp down to the lust moment q
f,.s Aeriirs; ilst y should have dans this W lh
kl4eer fosca OF Abty ana character, without Osttn
sas!on and M!taou: The ttl;ks ot popularity; ,taa
adApute. mud sauuid hAys auI4 II without cou
lest .lnaau curious coulblnas! on Of trunphs
Many VI the gErat parliamentary leaders III Amer
ea-1osn A.udo!uh. Henry Clay. Ihadleus Hte
Nuus-hAse p,a!ntxsAct their supremacy by the
d0ElnAltc and 0teE1eAE1pH 1cmpQE 1El lAeIE IQWQJ