The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-27

riculturo made the nation, and Alexander Ham
ilton, born on a. Little island seeing the proud
British ships sailing in laden with manufactured
goods Of Great Britain, came TO believe that the
glory and progress Of . century depended
upon her mercantile Importance. and that it was
smoke-stacks and sails thatmade the great nation.
And these two views, acquired in youth, sepa-
rated these men in after life. One represented
the manufacturing sentiment and the other the
agricultural sentiment But the people have
said it is neither agriculture alone nor commerce
and manufactures alone that make . great coun
try and great people 1t is these things put
together, and thus the United States have risen
to be what they are
When Alexander Hamilton was boy, fifteen
years old, in thecounting- house of the merchant,
there came great storm over the islands He
took it into his head to write description Of this
storm for newspaper. he did so, and it was
such . startling description so wonderfully
done, that 1t was copied into other papers and in
quiry was made as to who the author was Then
it was found that the writer was this fifteen
yearold boy. Then his well off relatives began
to take an interest in him, and it was determined
to send him to New. York to 60 TO college. So
he came to New York, great city, though only
one-third the population that Indianapolis
now has He started to a grammar
school. Then he went to Princeton, where he
asked to be permitted to take more studies than
were In the regular course, so he conld jump a
year. They would not break the iron bound
rule in his CASE so he went back to New York,
and then came to Kings College, now Columbia
and that college has the honor Of having edr-
Gated Alexander Hamilton. When at college he
used to walk in park. always muttering to him
self. In this way he acquired the habit of put
ting thought into speech, and of ready and pre-
else expression. He pursued his studies with
great zeal, applying himself fifteen hours day.
He was right in the midst Of his studies when
the Mohicans down at Boston threw the tea
over into the harbor. This West Indian
boy inquired into the cause Of the colonies and
made up his mind they were right. New York
was full Of Tories The patriots had meeting
on what was called the Fields. 1t was a great
meeting, and there were great speakers At the
end OF the meeting boy, seventeen years old,
small, and exceedingly boyish in his appearance,
rushed forward to the stand. When the great
men had spoken, it was thought the cause had
been fully presented. But this boy OF seventeen
made the great speech Of the occasion. / can i'm
agine the crowd there-the hard working people.
There was farmer, or mechanic, in the edge OF
the crowd, who testified to tho young orators
power and his puny appearance by Shouting.
go it. little pin feathers"
Hamilton from the time the guns began to fire
was not as good student Of the college curricu-
lum. He began to study tactics, and at nineteen
years of age he was appointed captain Of arti-
lery, and not long after that was in the disas-
trous battle of Long Island and covered the re-
treat with his battery. Not long after that
George Washington. the best judge Of men who
has lived in any generation, had singled out this
young captain of artillery and put him on his
staff.
Hamilton was man who had not sovereign
control over his temper. Jefferson never lost
his temper. There never was man in public
life who had so supreme control over his temper
as Jackson. But Hamilton was a touchy
man. So one day when he had been
sent by Washington on some mission
he did not come back as soon as expect
ed. Washington told the young colonel that he
took it as mark OF disrespect. "Do you?" said
ton attempted to copciliate him but the ambitious
youth was too much offended He joined his
battery. At Yorktown two redoubts we're the
key to the position. Lafayette had command of
one of the batteries, and Hamilton of the other.
Hamilton claimed that his rank entitled him to
the place of storming the redoubts, and was the
first man to enter the fortress It was this vic
tory that turned the tide again in Jefferson's
favor. in Virginia. So it was largely to Hamil-
ton that jefferson owed the retrieval of his rep
utation.
You have supposed, all of you. that the people
Of this country we're very eager to adopt the
Constitution of the United States; that every
body desired to adopt that instrument which
has carried us through so many storms. But
they did not. Nearly all the people who were
in fifty miles of the seaboard. New York
was opposed to it. Alexander Hamilton, in
order to get the Constitution adopted,
left his lucrative law practice and elected to
the Legislature. When he was elected there
were forty five members against it and only ff
teen in favor Of calling convention for adopting
the Constitution. Day after day, with ora
tory that stirred all hearts, he spoke for the Con-
stitution. until one day Melanchthon Smith, the
leader of the other side. rose in his place and
said he could not resist the overwhelming argu-
ments of Hamilton and the opposition to it's
adoption was dissolved
When Washlngton's Cabinet was formed Ham
ilton was among the earliest appointments
Washington invited jefferson. When these two
men met they found their different views irrecon-
ciIable. jefferson himself said they were like
two fighting cocks pitted against each other.
Everything one was in favor of, the other was
against. Hamilton was in favor of an
sssn f0 fnno, Of Ssf
form. There never was an hour that he did not
believe in the capacity of the people for self
government. Hamilton never worked for any
temporary measure. If he advocated policy it
was one that had reference to the far future.
He worked for eternity. The great measures he
set on foot have been incorporated into our
institutions, but we owe to Jefferson all
that simplicity which is the beauty
and glory of our institutions. On one
side we have tie simplicity of Jefferson,
on the other the constructive power of Alex
ander Hamilton, and between the two has been
made the great Republic we have Jefferson be-
lieved in the national government having as few
powers as it could get along with Hamilton
believed in it having many powers. Jefferson
believed in the greatest power to the State
Hamilton believed in the greatest power to the
government.
The Governor here made an apt illustration,
IMPLYING the country at peace as Samson 1.-THE
general government), shorn of his locks, the
States being then in their strength; in time of
all his strength. his locks full grown. So both
the great ideas of these great men incorporat-
ed in our government, and as long as this Re-
public shall endure the people will hold in affec-
ton the names of Thomas Jefferson and Alexan-
der Hamilton.
PERSONAL AND SOCIETY.