Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1886-06-04
ALEXANDER HAMILTON.
Characteristics Of the Man who Marked
Out the Lines Of American Govern.
ment.

characteristics Of the Man who Marked
Out the Lines Of American Govern.
ment.
The most precocious young man OF
that day, save perhaps William Pitt,
he had already given promise of q
great career before the breaking out
Of the war. He was born on the Island
of Nevis, in the West Indies. in 1857.
His father belonged to that famous
Scottish clan from which have come
one of the most learned metaphysi-
clans and one of the most original
mathematlclans of modern times. His
mother was French lady, of Hugue-
not descent, and biographers have been
fond of tracing in his character the va
rious qualities of his parents. To the
shrewdness and persistence, the admin
istrative ability, and the taste for alb
stract reasoning which we are wont to
find associated in the highest type OF
Scottish mind he joined a truly French
vivacity and grace. His earnest
ness, sincerity and moral courage
were characteristics alike of Puri-
tan and Of Huguenot. In the
course of his short life he exhibited a
remarkable maIfy-sidedness. So great
was his genius for organization that in
many most essential respects the
American Government is moving to-
day along the lines which he was the
first to mark out. As an economist he
shared to some extent in the shortcom-
ings of the age which preceded Adam
Smith. but in the special department
of finance be has been equaled by no
other American statesman save Albert
Galiatin. He was splendid orator
and brilliant writer, an excellent law
yer and clear-headed and industrious
student of political history. He was
also eminent as political leader, al
though he lacked faith in democratic
government, and generous impa-
tience of temperament sometimes led
him to prefer short and arbitrary by
paths toward desirable ends, which
can never be securely reached save
along the broad but steep and ar
duous road of popular conviction. But
with all Hamilton's splendid qualities,
nothing about him is so remarkable as
the early age at which these were de-
veloped. At the age of fifteen bril-
liant newspaper article brought him
into such repute in the little island of
Nevis that be was sent to New York to
avail himself Of the best advantages
afforded by the Kings College. now
known as the Columbia. He had at
first no definite intention of becoming
an American citizen, but the thrilling
events of the time appealed strongly to
the earnest heart and powerful intelli-
gence of this wonderful boy. At
gathering Of the people in New York
in July, IVA, his generous blood
warmed, till resistless impulse
brought him on his feet to speak to the
assembled multitude. 1t was no COM
pany Of haf-drunken idlers that
thronged about him, but an assem-
blage Of grave and responsible citizens,
who looked with some astonishment
upon the boy of seventeen years, short
and slight in stature, yet erect
and Cesar-like in bearing, with
firm set mouth and great,
dark. earnest eyes. His eloquent
speech, full of sense and without a syl-
liable of bombast, held his hearers en-
tranced, and from that day Alexander
Hamilton was marked man. He be-
gan publishing anonymous pamphlets,
which were at first attributed by some
to Jay, and by others to Livingston.
When their authorship was discovered,
the Loyalist party tried in vain TO buy
off the formidable youth. He kept up
the pamphlet-war, in the course of
which he wofully defeated DIR. Cooper,
the Tory president of the college; but
shortly afterward he defended the doe
tors house against an angry mob until
the unpopular old gentleman succeed
ed in making his escape to British
ship. Hamilton served in the army
throughout the war. for the most part
as aid and secretary to Washington;
but in 1881 he was a Colonel in the line,
and stormed a redoubt at Yorktown
with distinguished skill and bravery.
He married a daughter of Philip Schuy
Ter. began the practice of law, and in
1882, at the age of twenty-five, was
chosen a delegate to Congress.
Fiske in 4flnUfic