New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-08
THOMAS JEFFERSON'
.n.NSs HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES

Tho scaIe and the method adopted by Mr. ADAMS
in this work are such to justify the expectation
that when completed IT will be at once the iuiiese
aud the clearest history eNtant OF tne periou
treated The first six chapters. comprising nearly
half NJ the first volume, are devoted 10 carelui
o,d tborouph review Of the general conditions.
phvsical intellectual and material, ex-
listing in the United States at the beginning OF the
century These chapters are in themselves SUI
fcent to decide the question OF the authors n'neSs
for his undertaking. and they exceed, in grasp.
penetration and Photographic fidelity, any previous
survey of the kind To perfect understanding
Of Jefferson's Administration such birdseye view
Of the country and people is necessary; but the
situation was so full of paradoxes contradictions
false pretences inconsistencies and crosspurposes
that only an infinite patience and an imperturD-
able temper could trace out the entangled lines
of action and thought, or do justice TO the miAeu
motives and often strangely conflicting purposes
of the leaders These qualifications MI hoa"s
has brought TO his work, and with the happiesU
results upon it's character.
The first charters deal with the general state
of the country in / 500, exhibit its backwaroness'
and throw into relief the difficulties which stood
between il and more rapid progress III - ~
picture singuhrly vivid and deeply lnVeres'ihs'
II has become hard for us to realize the compare
barharOuS
than n hundred wears ago, but in the luminous
pages of Mr. Adams we are carried DacK 10 'hoee
primitive times and made to grasp their real sisnl-
cameo clearly There was not single real Guy
in the United States Boston was an overgrowh
village of 10000 inhabitants. New-York was
small Mace. with the Battery for its Central Park
and Wallst for an uptown residence quarter
PHILADELPHIA was then the most important Town
ON the continent; and Pennsylvanans were the
truest Democrats in the country. ana TINS peciuSe
they had been educated by peculiar social system
and remarkably liberal religious standards WASH
inrton was wretched hamlet, in which the miSer-
able members of Congress were crowded lnto seven
or eight boarding houses and left without society,
without amusement, with no occupation peyohu
their official duties which had to be performed
in a fragment of a Capitol possessing TWO Wings
but no body. and one Of whose wings ALREADY
threatened to fall in upon the heads OF the peoples
representatives.
TRANSFORMATION was everywhere difficult ana
costlv and laborious Railways were not only
not begun. but highways generally were IN
,vofuI state False economy and silly pohtlcal
fantasies had combined to discourage the IN
penditure of any public money upon ROADS inc
Americans at this period were sadly hcFuhe III
that Roman sagacity which so reco2nlzeu INC
importance of means of communication aiA' 50
insisted upon thoroughness in improvement 'hi'
the causeways built two thousand years ago ia
many instances still remain TO show frivolous MOD
ems how such work ought 10 be done Our ancestors
were in this respect curiousy sluggish ana snoIV-
sighted Some of them were foohsh enough W
object 10 public roads on the ground that turn
mixes in England were part OF the monafchIcdl
system The population was not merely sparSe'
but il was scattered in spots over immense AREAS,
so that far.separated communities might "h"
often did develop quite distinct tendencies man
ners and customs There was not steam-ehglhe
in the United States in 500, and what was more
the popular mind was opposed TO the new he.
chanical renaissance. The hrsO lhVenVors VI
marine engines could not secure hearing, and
one of them at least died in misery. Fulton had
an uphiI task but fortunately backed Dy
o.r;,aI or no TOO would have failed. The Yankee
spirit Of invention had but Just begun TO de-
yelop and did not yet realize its own capa-
bilities Society generally was rude, ana Tor the
moment apparently little disposed to experiment
in new ideas.
AT sucb a period it could not be expected that
literature should flourish or exhibit fecundlty,
nor did it, Politics absorbed the best literary
talent of young and middle-aged America. ne
oloqy had already ceased TO do so. In New'Eng-
land the last retreat and stronghold OF Federalism
tho long sway of the theocracy had nearly reached
the minister might still retain much OF his ancient
authority in the State as well as in the Church,
and his censure and condemnation were still
terror to evil-doers But the sceptre had none
the less passed from the clergy with the spread OF
democratic ideas: and when Thomas Jefferson
took Office filled with the purpose Of revolution
izng the government and applying TO 1t his own
necnlar doctrines the New.Engand Federaliss
felt that fatal crisis was upon them, ana thao
unless they could oppose solid ana resolute
front 10 innovation, the country was lost For
the terror OF democracy consumed them our
copntrvp wrote Fisher Ames in sos, " is too big
for union, too sordid for patriotism, too demo-
cratic for liberty. What is TO become of 1t he who
made it best knows. Its vice will govern II, by
practising upon its folly This is ordained Tor
democracies democracy cannot last Its
nature ordairs that its next change shall be into
a military despotism all known governments
ne-haps the most prone TO shift its head. and the
slowest to mend its vices. The reason ls'that
the tyranny of what is called the people and that
bv the sword both operate alike to detase and
corrupt till there are neither men left with the
spirit 10 desire liberty nor morals with the power
10 sustain Justice" Ames was the most ultra OF the
Federalists hut even George Cabot went nearly
as far. Gloom and dreadful forebodlngs rendered
these good people very unhappy
Alexander Hamilton, who a notable phrase
maker summed up the Federaist doctrines more
tersey than nny of his contemporaries when, re-
plying to some democratic sentiment at New
York dinner, he struck his hand sharply upon the
table and cried: Your people ar your people is
great BEAST" The Virginis Republicans stood
over against New.Engand. md vt5h them were
Joined the Northern Democrats, who did certainly
at that time represent blind mouths" rs com
pletely as possible. They were formidable from
numbers and discipline, but they had no ideas nor
principles. In the latter respect it might be
contended that they have made little progress since
the beginning of the century, but at least they
lave produced leaders capable of independent &C