New-York tribune., 1891-02-15

worry the Catholic friends of Dongan. No race or
religious faction had any motive 10 carry on the
narrow minded sduabbles which so disgraced and
injured The other colonies 50 that although New
York lacked the atOnaLe Of powerful proprletarles
and was not increased by assisted immigration, IL
was steadily laying the foundations through
| great shipping industry Of that commercial su-
premacy which came with National life, whlie
its rival colonies were spending large part of
their vitality cOntending with witches and hang
ing priests The old Dutch and liuguenot fam
lies retained their high place throughout the
| colonial period, sharing with the manorial lords
the responsibility of government and the duty
| of suppressins and depressing fussy Governors
\ society grew up as aristOcratic as that OF any
| European city and, relatively, as powerful ana
every year brought il more and more into sym
pathy with the interests and customs Of Eng
| and The colonial days were TO New-YOrk pro-
foundly peaceful and prosperous, and although
an American sentiment all the while growing
up, and behind 1t a democratic sentiment
among the poorer classes vet it was not
without reason that many of the old NewYorkers
when agitations arose and strife became immi-
nent. counseled moderation, compromise, and. at
the end anything but war. New-York's divided
councils in the Revolutionary crisis cannot be
fairly criticised by those who fail to under
stand how different in it's constitution was this
city from those of the other colonies; how cos
mOpOlitan were the people here, and how init
matcy connected in business with their English
relations; and how closely their manners, Gus
toms and social divisions were shaped nftcr
English ways Their fortunes were all the
sea. and as for their rghts-they had grown as
fast and as fully they were earned.
Mr. Roosevelt has presented the colonial story
admirably, showing how the situation of 1114
came from that of 1864 how it opened the way
for the magnificent era of Hamilton and Gouv-
erneur Norris and pointed the destruction Of the
great families and to the fierce reign of fierce
Democracy. The rise of the Federalists, their
splendid achievements and humiliating fall. are
described with all the zest of a politician and
with almost journalists sense of the picturesque
and dramatic Such fault as we find with Mr..
Roosevelt is not for what he has done, but for
onitting to do that which more important
still The fact that he had to write the book
for given purpose and therefore on a given
plan neither interests us nor excuses him. cspc
cialy when, in its closing pages, he furnishes such
eXasperating evidence of what thoroughly good
book he could have made.
That part of the history Of New-Yor1 which
has never been adequately written and which
possesses peculiar interest to the social phlosO-
pher well the political economist begins
breaking down of iamilton's noble sway meant
a great deal 1t meant that the doom of the
important families was fixed, and that the rule
of the majority. counted by numbers and not by
brains or dollars, at hand. If it had meant
no more than this, overwhelming the change
was sure TO be, there might be no occasion
for mourning. But it meant the rise of a power
Of which Aaron Burr was the prophet and illus
traitor, the power of bossism. Mr. Roose-
velts description Of the final political battle
between Burr and Hamilton is brilliant. He
portrays the position of the Federalists. the work
they had done and the purposes they entertained,
justly observing that New-York has never stood
high politically, either absolutely or relatively
to the rest Of the country. it did in the open
ing days of the Republic. This is shameful
confession to have to make, but it is to the letter
true Burr won the day, and. in winning set
the pace for every succeeding leader of the New
| York Democracy. 1t is a pace that only the
| professional politician can travel and it leads
where the scrupulous Will not 90. Burr the
prince of practical politicians, the Moloch among
Tammany chieftans.
Polished, adroit, INSCRIPTIONS, he dcXtcrously
managed TO get up combination ticket. contain
ing the names OF the most prominent members
of each faction He then devoted himself 10 the
work Of organization. BY his tact. address. ana
singular personal charm, he gathered around him
Il
| energetic young men He made out complete lists
| of all the voters and cndeavorcd 10 find how
each group could he reached and influenced. and
| he told off every worker TO the district where
| he could do the most good. He was indciati-abc
| in getting up werd meetings also. Hamilton
| fought him desperately and with far greater
| eloqucnce. but he could not devote his mind
| TO the mastery OF the petty political detail and
| intrigue in which Burr revelled. As So often
| since in this city. the statesman went down
| before the ward politician.
Tammany knows no trick which this master
| llnave did not originate
| Burrs authority did not long survive his vic
tory. He was a false character, and his fate
! taught the useful lesson to subsequent bosses
that pirate kings must maintain faith with their
| allies and followers. They may pundcr and
seal-in fact, the more the better-but they must
divide fairly and stand true to their contracts.
Among criminal politicians, among other knaves,
certain sort Of honor is Indispensable Their
| arrangements are not such the courts viii
enforce. Their power rests on the confidence of
their henchmen, and when that goes they -
| Burr his reridy, if not the rest of lis
| heart, on his cOat-sccvc, and soon fell victim
to the cold steel Of the ClnonS and LivingstOnS
He had the satisfaction, however, of seeing those
who had broken him break each other With the
fall Of the Livingstons the political power Of tie
aristocratic families was forever overcome. ana
| the rule Of the masses, at times scarcely TO be
distinguished from the rule Of the mob began
| in good earnest.
At this point Mr.. ROosevelt's book becomes the
mcrcst sketch, strong and interesting far as it
goes, but unsatisfactory. There is conjunction
in our history of conditions apparently irrccon-
| cilale-2reat and general commercial prosperity
and rank political corruption, golden age ot
commerce and black age Of politics. Nothing
can be more interesting than the inquiry suggest
ed by this strange situation, but it has yet to be
undertaken. If the writing Of history consists
merely in telling who at given times have been
Mayors. Judges or SheriHs, and what their public
acts, OF course small good would be accomplished
by the record this town has furnished during the