The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1884-02-06
Not SO Black as Painted

Aaron Burr Is, aud suppose will con-
tInuc for centuries 10 come. a popular
superstition. 1t is a part of our human
nature to deck one shrine with flowers.
while pelting some grave with stones. A
god necessitates a devil, and we prove
our detestatiOn OF one, IN our abuse, as we
prove through fiattery our devotion to
the other. Ii il our religion TO lie in
both directions. Having given our god Q
halo, we present our devil with horns.
hoofs, and a tail.
Through this iliotic process ". have
made Alexander Hamilton our National
saint and Aaron Burr our National stu
ner. And the impartial student searches
in vain for evidence to sustain the one or
the other.
OF course it IS historical. History IS
the Capitalization Of popular beliefs. A.
a plausible hctlon i more popular than
a simple fact, one readily sees what little
chance truth has for recognition. The
historian shapes his wares to suit hi,
market, like any other dealer whose sue
cess depends upon his catering 10 the
tastes Of his customers.
One Davis published the life and let
tiers of Aaron Burr, and to insure a sale
claimed to have destroyed a cart load Of
loye-letterS, locks of hair, AM souvenirs
that would have destroyed the peace Of
reputable families and the reputation. Of
prominent women.
Parton followed in a pleasant fiction, 10
which, without even the damaging love
tokens, he paints Burr as black a. the
devil Is supposed to be.
Yet. there are but two events on
which all this obliquy and abuse are
based. One i the killing of Ham ton.
the other his claimed treason against the
Government.
OF the last Judge Wright says there
was not a particle of evidence to sustain
the Indictment, and Burr went honor
ably acquit.
All that is left then Is the due. la
this Hamilton was clearly the agressor.
He made the political contest between
himself and his troublesome opponent a
personal fight got challenged, as was
the practice of tie day-accepted. went
out to kill, and got killed That is all
there is in that, and over that has grown
this sickly s~entimcntality that make.
Hamilton the martyr and Burr the
fend.
1t is ali bosh. There was nothing un-
fair about the duel, and had Hamilton
killed Burr, as he intended, the duel
would have passed without other COM
ment than such "a a growing dislike to
such contests would have called out.
This is ali on the debtor side of life's
ledger charged against this man. Now
let US look to the other.
He was a gallant soldier, a patriotic
citizen, a tender husband, an a Sin.u
larry affectionatc father. u t. the
time he killed Hamil on he It BOD to the
front as a leading and able statesman of
the Republic he helped to build. SO
popular was he that he occupied the
chair OF ce-President with the popular
belief that the next e'ec ION would make
him Chief Executive.
There was a cry Of horror went up
from the Federal party over the act that
Hamilton fell instead Of their enemy,
Aaron Burr.
At that time the line between the
aristocratic organization known as Federal
and the unma~ked u, mocracy Jefferson
cultivated was as >ia pt, drawn as cow.
The FederalS represented the social OF
respectable portion If our iand aad cried
down the man the Democracy failed to
sustain, because Jefferson faund il to his
personal advantage to destroy hun.
This i. the whole story. As for the
charge SO lavishly INDUCED in Of sexual
immortality, Burr's life, admitting all,
compares favorably with that of Hamil-
ton, who sang bawdy songs at suppers
and left of record above his own signature
a confession OF a low intrigue while Sec
rotary OF the Treasury Of which Burr
would nave been ashamed
If the same measure were awarded all,
the Father of his Country would not es-
cape, while this same party that is SO
shocked over the private life Of Burr
sUdiOir, that of Wrhs'cr uithom a rry
face. 1t ,couH not do, IN fact to inspect
too closely the social life o any Of the
sorld lenders.
The truth II. thlt bad T. AN ing men
are generally devils among women This
comes of the fact tha, the qualities Of
leaderships are more IN the !hl>icai
make than IN the intellectual powers.
Prompt, decisive. and self confident
action are not intel cctual quallfie, but
rather indicate the reverse. The thoughts
full man pauSes to consider, and in the
consideration loses the golden opportun-
ity. Fools rush in where angels fear to
tread aud In a }iority of instances
with success | said If Louis Napoleon,
thirty years since, that had he more
sense he would be less successful. The
world at last confirms in its opinion my
better judgment.
Your leader of men is seldom a great
man and never a good one. That is, if
one takes the definition of goodness from
the Young Mems Christian Associa-
ton. Don Pfau Washington Hatchet.
lie talks ike a man VIII could not
tell a lie"