Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-09-21
EARLY POLITICAL PLOTS.
Fhe Essex Junto's Schemes for the Dis
solution OF the Union
Chicago HsrEIf.

f1 those statesmen. Adams ascribed his
defeat for a second term to their influence
and HamiltOn's intr CUES, and jefferson
believed them to be cOnspiratOrs against
the Union and IN league with England
against the best interests Of the United
states. They were, IN fact, a knot of
ultr8-F edeTalists, native Of OF resident in
Essex county, Mass, men Ofdistinguished
character and high repute, TO whom, with
Alexander Hamilton, the Federal party
were i'm the habit Of looking for guidance.
Ev their influence the Federal cOnstitu-
ION was adopted in Massachusetts against
very powerful opposition, and they gave
4 discipline and organization to their
-a-rv that carried il successfully through
tle urst twelve years Of the Republic.
Their history is the history Of the first
POLITICAL party machine in the United
States. The chief among these men was
George Cabot. He was anatiye of Salem,
ana was educated as a merchant. Dur
lu- the revolutionary war he fitted out
many urivateers, as Robert Morris and
other merchants of the time did, and like
them amassed a large fortune from the
eerture of British merchantmen. After
taa war he favored the Union and a strong
government, and actively supported the
FEDERAL constitution. His natural dis
like III the personal collisions of politics
led aim To- refuse Office, though he served
five wears as senator from Massachusetts.
81 declined the appointment Of Secretary
Of the Navy, rendered him by John
Adams On the organization OF that depart
mont in I19S. His public life was Of little
Importance, but his interest in politics
never ceased. He was a FedeTalist to
the backbone, and hated chiefly two
things-DemOcracy and France. He was
revered by his associates as an oracle
second only TO Hamilton. He was a
-01i-natured, liberal, but somewhat
cynical, aristOcrat, opposed to Jefferson
and the Tabble, and turning on Adams
when he sent the peace ambassadors to
France. He firmly believed that Demo-
lracy would inevitably overthrow society,
and that the crisis was near, though he
never felt convinced that il was actually
I'd Eaud as Hamilton did.
Other members OF the JuntO We're John
lowell great and eminent lawyer of his
tav. appointed by Washington Judge Of
lie District Court of Massachusetts;
Stephen HigginsOn, merchant and ship
master at Salem, a member q the CONT
mental Congress, and Navy Agent at BOs-
ton during Adams administration; Ben
1uu GOOdhUe, merchant and politician
fr salem. member Of the first Federal
Congress. and United States Senator from
I-.6 TO 1900; and Timothy Pickering,
soldier Of the revolution, Postmaster
Nr-..4 LL anu EELAEL1AF Va " al uutlEA
Washington, and Secretary Of State under
Adams. Though holding Cabinet office
ul er him he was bitterly hostile to
Adams throughout his administration.
refusing TO resign. Adams removed him
do the summer Of 1900.
BIS far the greatest man among the
members Of the JuntO, and the one whose
name is best preserved TO Us, was
TleaQlius Parsons, afterwaTd Chief
~ NaEanuhrrEnNte ,1#
only a giant Of law and master OF all its
varied forms Of learning, but he was
equally learned i'm languages and science.
Il-t1 was scarcely a subject on which he
was not competent 20 instruct and delight,
and MS powers Of mind, resources and
requirements astOnished all who came in
contact with him. In the Massachusetts
Convention to ratify the Federal con-
srtltiuu IL was opposed by a clergyman
because the name of God was not in it.
Then" said Parsons, ''yOu must be
opposed 70 one of the books Of the Old
Testament, for the book Of Esther does
rl- contain the name of God" and the
clergyman was dumbfOunded.
Hamilton. hearing Of Parsons attain
ueu-s. and vain Of his own accomplish
u-rtS sought an interview. show did
sou md hims' queried friend OF Hamil-
TON. "Cufaud dried tor everything" was
the answer. Parsons cared nothing for
Office, and never held any until called to
the C-l.t JustiCeship in 1896. He died in
1918. With these men were associated in
closest political counsel and cOrrespOD-
telce Fisher Ames and Alexander Ham
L-ll. the latter being considered the head
% the party in the United States by
almost every Federalist but John Adams,
who believed himself to be entitled to
that position. 1t was the strife between
Hamilton and Adams that led to the dis
rLprIJn and downfall of the Federal party,
aud the Essex JuutO promoted it by sid
ing with Hamilton.
The character of Hamilton, like that Of
Napoleon, seems impossible to be fairly
drawn, His partisans make him little
less than a demi-gOd; his enemies, not
much better than n son of Belial. Between
these extremes, where the true character
undoubtedly lies, no sure footing has
even been found. His brilliant youth, the
friendship Of w Washington, his undOubted
Intellectual power and magnetic presence
and his tragIcal death have concentrated
attention on his person rather than on his
performances, and our sympathies being
aroused judicial fairness Is out OF the
question. Nor are his services to be
AEatly estimated. His exposition and
defense Of the constitution, little as he
believed in its permanence, his OrganiZa-
lru Of the Treasury Department sub
s.autially as it exists TODAY, and his re-
s.1ration Of the public credit, stamp him
Intellectually as a statesman of the very
Er-t r8uk-amOug those, indeed, who are
the founders OF nations. Had he lived as
long as Jefferson, or could he have
welded the power Of the Presidency, he
would have left a mighty impress for good
Ir evil on our nation. But his methods
were bad, and were founded on the school
-f WalpOle. II he could not obtain vote
lv argument he saw no objection to buy
ll- il. The first piece Of lOg-rOlling in
Congress was of his device, by means of
which the Federal capital was established
On the Potomac instead Of on the Della
ware or SusQuehanna. He did not believe
l- the people nor in general suffrage. He
believed that any method taken to defeat
the party opposed 20 him, or a political
opponent, was right. After the Republic
cans had carried the Legislature of New
York i'm 1900. thus securing the electoral
vote for Jefferson and Burr. he urged
upon Gov. Jay the calling of the old
legislature, which was Federal, for the
purpose OF changing the electoral law so
as 90 make the electors elective by dis
uicts instead Of by the Legislature. Jay,
rf course. refused. He set on foot an in
tri-ue 90 defeat Adams for his second
term, although the general choice Of the
party. The first idea Of Hamilton and
tla Junt0 was % bring out Washington
for "a third term, and Gov. Morris wrote a
letter t0 Washington urging it upon him.
When the letter reached Mount Vernon
Washington was cold IN death. Failing
% this the next scheme was TO bring &.
q. Piuckney, the FedeTalist candidate for
Vice President, into the Presidency over
Mr.. Adams. To accomplish this he
s-lemed and worked and wrote in
gessautly during the summer and fall OF
ESQ. He wrote a pamphlet entitled "a
Letter from Alexander Hamilton Con-
corning the Public Conduct and Charac-
s.I Of John Adams, Esq, President Of the
United States IN which he stated his
reasons for opposing Adams and descanted
freely upon his public conduct and pri-
Iats infiTmities. The pamphlet was
designed to be circulated secretly first
among confidential friends Of the Essex
slut1 i'm New England, and later
Gu be scattered throughout the
south extensively, when the double
play could not be known at the
N.rth until the election was over.
te plan was that Adams and Pinckney
s-.l-d be supported equally at the North,
--t 10 was hoped that at the South Pinck-
hey would lead Adams a few electoral
Yes, so that he would come in as Presi-
sent and Adams as Vice President II
"-s a Wild, mad and treacherOUs scheme,
--lelJakeu out Of personal enmity, and