New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-24
IN JEFFERSON'S TINE.
THE THIRD VOLUME OF McMASTER'S HIS
TORY.

HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE OF TIE T,, rT cIvi
STATES, FROM THE REL0LtIloT 19 lli Tonmd -
Volume III. svo, PIP XVII, 59i ID. Appleton " w.
The third volume Of Professor McNlasters HIS
fory Of the People of the United States Is h'ces-
early occupied largely by Congressional proceei-
ings and accounts of the relations and cohphca-
lions between the United States and England
France and Spain. For the period here treated
1sO2-1sl2-was filed with foreign emharIass-
ments. and domestic affairs were dominated by
that policy of Jeieson's in pursuance OF which
both he and his immediate successor subjected
the Constitution to almost breaking strain, ana
employed their power to override the rights OF the
people i'll q manner the mere recital OF when con-
stantly awaxens astoniShment at the extent OF the
public patience. 1t the pcriod when ''efr-
son put in practice his brilliant idea of escaping
English AID French commercial aggresslons ana
-outraqes by withdrawing the United States wholly
from foreign trade: when the Embargo ana the
Non-Intercoursc act paralyzed American enterprise
and energy. nearly destroyed the American marine.
brought ruin TO tens of thousands OF merchants.
ship-owners, ship builders and all who lived by
the sea; and coaded the New England States to
the verge of rebellion What the Embargo did has
not been so graphically described by any previous
historian though the subject is treated with care
In Mr. Adoms,s recent work Mr.. McMastcr shows
inst how the restrictions on traffic imposed by
the Government led to evasion; how the
Canadian frontier becaIle focus OF smuggling ;
with what small results the endeavors to stop
this smuggling attended: and how Jeher-
son proceeded from severity to severity ui''li
constitutional government might well have
seemed TO be abandoned and despotism oil
the most unflinching character established i'll its
place.
Jefferson" SAYS Mr.. McMaster, was fully de-
termined to support the Embargo at any cost Inc
whole coast of New England was patrolled by gun
boats fripates and revenue cutters The negligent
collector at New-Bedford was removed The col
lector at Sullivan was threatened. The importa-
tion of -four into Boston ordered to be stopped
and General Dearborn cOmmar1ed TO be ready at
any moment TO put down instruction by force
When the people of Nantucket Island peitloned Tor
leave TO bring in food jefferson refused. and gave
it as his opinion that if they wanted food II must
be because they had smuggled away what they
ought to have kept. In his eagernesS for the En-
barge he forgot all law and took to himself powers
which, had they been assumed by fedcrallst. lie
would have been the first to condemn. lie made
himself censor and put whole towns under ban. He
made himself commissary for the Nation and de-
clared what and how much the people should eat
Of the Treasury for leave 10 bring in Southern
-four. assuring him that the citizens would not he
content to eat bread made with the wheat grown
in New York State: but jefferson declared this
libel on the citizens and the -four and refused.
The next application said he, will be for YES
sells TO go to NcwYorl for the pippns of that State
because they are higher favored than the same spe-
cies of apples growing in other States 'Iou know,
he wrote two months later TO Gallatin, YOU know
! have been averse to letting Atlantic -four 90 TO
New-Orlcans merely that they may have the
whitest bread possible When the captlip of
schooner owned at Buckstown. on the Penobscot,
applied to the Secretary for leave TO SAIL the Presi
dent announced principle more startling. The
character of the place, he said be considered.
If it were found TO be tainted with general spirit
of disobedience, then the individual must give
positive proof that he has never said or done any
thing himself to countenance that spirit \ lit
tie later he went further, and announced the prin-
cipe of attainder"
There could be but one end to such measures so
enforced The restraining laws came to be more
and more openly defed. When the militia could
be persuaded (which was rot always or every
where TO act against the smugglers. they were
sometimes boldly confronted by the law breakers
and several times they were overpowercd. Long
before the eighteen months of its existence hal eX
pired. the situation had grown so threatening and
the public attitude so significant. that Congress,
despite fanaticsm, compelled to realize the
absolute necessity of repeating the mschevOus and
hated law. The Embargo, however was but one Of
the embarrassmcnts of JeffersOns second term
which embraced also, besides the foreign difficulties
from which notscape short of war seemed possible
the traitorous conspiracy of Aaron Burr which the
supineness of the Administration suffered to 90 50
far that IL was probably checked only just in time
10 prevent serious evils One of the strange events
Of the time was the immunity granted 70 James
Wilkinson, man even unprincipled than
Burr, who held high command in the army of the
United States at the same time that he was pen
sionary Of Spain who entered into conspirlcics
with the full intention of betraying his fellow plot
ters the moment failure or exposure threatened:
who had neither professional capacity nor private
character 10 recommend him who was known to be
neither loyal nor honest and whose name was a
by word among the Southern people he was cx-
pected TO conciliate That such man should have
retained his position not only under Jefferson but
under Madison, is TO this day unaccountable: but
wien war came in 1912 the country suffered from
tnis grave error on the part of two Administrations
JeHerson's second term closed in gloom and
eha'ne' Inc prestige OF the country and its
commerce had both been dragged down bv hin,
There was no stable peace abroad in spite Of all
the humiliations and insults he had submitted "a
at the hands of France and England, while an
nome the country was discontinued and i'm
povershedA Let us however, accompany Pro-
fessor McNlaster for moment 10 the retirinc
Presidents home at Mouticello dwelling. as
the historian well says whose pcculiarities NAV
help us to understand the character of its master
OF all the houses yet built by man none surely
was SO much part Of its owner. What the Shell
Is to the tortoise, all that Monticello 10 Je Ypr
son. The structure had grown with his growtb
and bore all over ii the marks Of his individuality
and curious inventive genius. The plan The
strange mixture of styles and orders, the bricks
that formed the walls. the nails that held down
the floors, much of the furniture was the WORK
OF his own brain, the manufacture OF his own
slaves. IL was in the fittings and furnishings Of
his home, however that the mechanical hn,I "a