The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-05-22
A GREAT STATESMAN.
Alexander Hamilton's Place in
American History.
a LECTURE BY JOHN FlskE.
Career ~ the Author OF tho "Federal-
ist'-A Bold Financial Poiicy-Di-
plomatfc Achievements.

John Fishes lecture at the Unitarian
church on Alexander Hamilton was well
attended last evening, but the audience
was by no means as large as the fame OF
the speaker and briliiance of his address
should have drawn.
Mr. Fiske began with the stirring scene
OF the great mass-meeting in New York. on
the 9th of July, 1774, where an unknown
boy of IL, allowing his interest in the cues
tions discussed to overcome his tImidity.
arose to his feet and addressed the assem-
bly, in a superb speech. This was the be-
ginning of Hamilton public career.
There has seldom been case OF such pre-
cocity in the political world.
The lecturer gave an account OF Han1il-
toms birth in the West Indies, his father
being Scotch and his mother Frenca.
From his infancy he was equally at home
in the French and English languages but
by nature and turn of mind he was always
to some extent q Frenchman. lie had
cume to the United States for an educa-
ton, and was student in the college now
called Columbia at the time of his first APP
pearance in public. The next year some
remarkable pamphlets III defense of con-
gress, written by him, caused him to be
regarded as one of the foremost spirits
in the popular party. He began drilling
company of volunteers, served in
the campaign of i776 about New York.
and early in LIT was made member of
Washington's staff; this put him into
closely confidential relations with Wash
ington. 1t was also favorable position
for inquiry into the weaknesses that were
caused by the imperfect union between
the states. Hamilton's experience here
bred IN him an intense desire for stronger
and closer federal union. II was to be
observed that he was not native of any
one of the states and thus was naturally
free from what we call sectional preju-
dice" so that he was less hampered than
any other man of his time in working
toward the formation of a closer union.
The lecturer then told of Hamilton's
services In the Continental congress in
1882 and the part taken by him in bring
Ing together the federal convention at
Philadelphia in 1857 His work in writ
ing a large part of "The Federalist" was
also commented upon, and criticised. 1t
indicated his marvellous hexibility of
mind, for the constitution WIS much more
Madison's work than his own. or any other
mans, and in defending it SO ably as he
now did, Hamilton was to some extent in
vesting himself with Madisons PERSONAL
ity. The lecturer made some remarks
upon the secret of Hamiltons great sue
cess as an orator in the art of persuasion,
and gave an account of the most remarka-
BILE instance of it in the Poughkeepsie con-
vention of 1888.
After this came new era in HamiIton's
life. Heretofore he had been considered
an advocate of important measures, but
now it was necessary to consider him as a
man invested with executive power and
responsibility, statesman of creative
genius At home and abroad American
credit was so dead that the promise of the
United States government was not consid-
cred good security for loan of $500 900 in
Amsterdam. The success OF the new gov
eminent depended entirely upon its finan-
cial policy. Unless it could pay its debts
and obtain a steady revenue from the very
start people would soon be asking wherein
was it any better than the old con-
federation, which had just died,
. laughing-stock among the people.
At the same time this revenue
must be obtained without arousing too
much hostility from the unwilling tax
payers. Hamilton's conduct was now
marked by boldness and knowledge of
human nature. His greatest act, as it was
the greatest act of Washngton's admins
tration was the assumption of all the state
debts by the federal government. This
made every state creditor from Maine to
Georgia, federal creditor, and thus all
became ct once interested in the federal
government and anxious to see it invested
with sufficient power to secure steady
revenue. But this act of ASSUMPTION was
an extreme exercise of federal power.
which shocked and alarmed many people
IL was more popular in the North than in
the South. because the federal creditors
were mostly Northern capitalists. This
act OF assumption created the first
division between national parties in the
United States, and it drew the line be-
tween North and South; Hamilton's
strength being chiefly in the North. while
the party opposed to him was led by JEFF
ferson, and found its chief strength IN the
agricultural South. Ham;lton's opno-
nents called his assumption policy uncon-
stitutlonal. In order TO protec. IT he
asserted the loose constructionist theory.
to which all parties following his steps
have ever since appealed The next
step was to obtain revenue for nav
ing these debts. A direct tax was in
the highest degree unpopular and
would never have been endured. This
was proved by the whisky resurrection
in the Alleghanies in 1924. Hamilton was
thus compelled To resort TO custonl-house
duties. lie won great favor for this policy
by advocating protection 10 manufacture
ers. The great feature of his policy was
to attempt To strengthen the government
by allying it with powerful class interests,
and il was with this end in view that he
carried INTO operation his scheme Of y "a
fional bank Hamilton's policy was so
important that it may be said that TODAY
we owe 70 it the preservation of the Fed
eral Union. which otherwise would have
soon dissolved under the stress of local
prejudice and clashing interests. Nj
the same time it must be confessed that
there were elements of danger in this
policy of concedinc too much to nower.
full class interests. 1t was liable
10 end in class legislation. in a kind al
government which is not in the best sense
of the people, by the people and for the
people In politics it was seldom. ii ever
that all the right was on one side, and in
the arguments of Jefferson and his party
against Hamiltons measures there was
certainly much that was sound.
The lecturer closed by re counting some
instances of our foreign relations. the alien
and sedition laws OF las, the quarrel be
tween Hamilton and Adams. the election
o. Jefferson in 100. the -thwarting q
Rurr's schemes by Hamilton, and tn,
death of the latter in his duel with Bur-
in 1904.