New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-30

the French Revolution The copious extracts
however, from Hamilton's correspondence WIN
which SIR. Lodge endeavors TO substantia'o 'n''
explanation of llamilton's fatal mstakc 'o nO'
conclusive. The reasons why men VINO disaPpio'0
of duclnr have SO often fought duels lie on inc
surface and the case of HamtonidoeS not seem W
be different from score of other conspicuous cases
| The most extraordinary OF all hamli.oh
| achievements was his financial report transmitted
! to Congress- soon after he assumed the Secretary
shin NJ fine Treasury in Washingtons first Admin
! istraton lie had no experience as hnancieri lie
found the money affairs of the country IN deplor-
| oble confusion; there was heavy debt ana no
nrovison for meeting it there was no revenue ana
not even theory for raising 1t; there was no
established currency. Yet in this famous paper ana
the supplementary reports on the excise, BANKING
manufactures. etc. which rapidly followed IT, he
outlined grand fiscal system and established the
financial policy which the United states Govern
mcnt has ever since pursued. The success oil MS
scheme was immediate Credit was created at
home and abroad by hIs funding plan; his anti
cpations of National revenue, deuded at IrSt as
obsurdlv sanruine were soon surpassed Ivy the
receipts and PROSTATE manufactures revived
under his wise measures of protection. Vast as his
fiscal projects were, they did not exhaust the com
nrehensiyenesS of the scheme, He meant that the
financial policy should be an important agency IN
the DEVELOPMENT of constitutional principles. 1t
WAS to consolidate the States into Nation; ana
bv uniting the floating obligations OF the country
in a funded debt lie hoped to increase stability ana
order 10y attaching to the Government the conserya-
tive and pIoperty-holding classes. The dctum
that "a national debt is a national blessing, OF
which we heard so much twenty years ago.
originated with Hamilton at this time though MI.
Lodge does not mention ii.
The exposition Of IIamiltOns services III the
Treasury is perhaps the most satisfactory part OF
this volume butt to tell the truth, no part OF the
| book can he unIoscTyedly praised. The subject Is
! much too biz for the author. Mr.. Lodge IS almost
destitute Of tie literary instinct; so that although
! he has presented upon the whole to!crabIy com
! plcte synopsis Of Iamilton's public career and
| correct estimate of his permanent influence upon
! American politics, he has accomplished the task
! with much uppainly effort. and prcfusion Of IN
| elegant and commonplace remark which sometimes
| becomes eXasperating. The picturesque side Of
| IIamltons lite he has missed entirely; and be
ivcs 50 little OF his hcTos personal history that
one Will lock here III vain for the date-cvcn the
ycar-Of Iiauilton's DEATH OF The scene oi the duel
! Nh Lodge only condcscends to the somewhat IN
definite statement that il took pace 10y the banks
of the Hudson" OF the hopeless duneHs and ILL.,
accuracy of Mr. Lodges style, the reader may
/
! France. from the King and his Ministers down,
,,ere animated by policy and revenge" Had he
! been an agitator or a sentimentalist of muddy
| morals and high purposes he would have hoWled
! AGAINST this Constitution, hch was not what lie
| wanted IL is not difficult to analyle the quail
! ties which made Hamilton great orator. Con
corning the intrinsic merit of what he said, there Is
no need to 20 further than the essays of the Fed
eralist' to learn that they were profound EXPOSE
tons of the principles Of constitutional law and OF
! the state of public affairs" lie reported to Con
| gress "as to the temporary regulation OF the
| chaotic currency as to navigation laws and the
regulation of the c0asting trade. But IN addi-
ton to all this multiplicity of business there were
other matters like the temporary regulation OF the
currency" etc. SO well were these difficult tasks
performed that they still subsist, developing and
| growing with the Nation, but at bottom the
original arrangements of Hamilton " An indell-
| BILE impression and one which has never been
| e,lacedD A q bone of contention" " bristling with
opposing interests" An b" obvious cry" A state
paper . . by which the massive cornerstone was
| laid When Hamilton offered the Treasury
he at once accepted the high Office. Il could not
have been otherwise His time had come, the great
| epoch OF his life and it was impossible to escape
| his destiny He was only thirty-two years old, in
| the flower Of his age, and with the flush of youth
| nnon him. The weapons which he had been lOrc-
ING for wears hung at last complete and glltterng
before his eyes, and he the last man to refuse
10 Grid on the sword and draw it in the cause of
! GOOD government" The following passage is 50
bad that it is worth looking at carefully:
! Finance was the great overwhelming trouble
| which laid bare the fatal vices of our political
system and it was upon financial rocks that the
rckety Confederation was dashing itself to
pieces. Our affairs in the way of debts and taxa
t1oir l..-t. and I
at the beginning of 1888, when the patriotic Morris
was resgning in disgust, and the young protector
of National banks was new in Congress. These
were of course questions highly attractive to Ham
iltons genus, and therefore 1t was that upon them
his most strenuous efforts wasted while repre-
sentlng his State at Philadelphia" That the ques-
| lions attracted him a reason why he should
amply himself to them; but surely it is not the
| reason why his efforts were wasted Moreover,
it hardly correct to say that thing is laid bare
by being overwhelmed. Jefferson. we told. had
to give his support 10 the Administration OF winch
he was a part and to its measures which consisted
| of HamtDns financial policy hanging in the bal
ance on the decision of Congress to assumption"
But Jefferson land this is delicious antclimax)
| fonnd himself much oftener than pleasant
pushed aside ridden over and less iategerel
trfhD Perhaps it Is not surprising that Jefferson
| with n discounted whine, bowed before the STORM"
The President writhed good deal in anger In
considering why Hamilton did not reply no to
Aaron Burrs challenge, Nj. Lodge writes He
could have said this, and would have said 1t had
| he not felt that failure to conform to certain
| prcjudces made the sacrifice Imperative" AS it
! stands this sentence is ncomprehensible; the
author probably meant very nearly the contrary of
what he says
We had marked for animadyerSiOn two or three
strange errors TO fact into which Mr. Lodge
seems to have fallen, but we may cOnine alton
! md tho of