Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1893-09-23
GOODWIN SMITHS HISTORY
Samples From Advance Sheets oil
His New Book.
The Canadi IN Tries TO Shattsr Soma
American Idols. jefferson Called an
Anarohiit ..Hsnry Clay Would
Rather Ee Presid ,nt.

NEw YORK, Sept. 14-Prof. Goodwin
Smith, who is best known TO the peo-
pie OF the United States as the most
learned advocate of annexation in
Canada, has written n book on the
Political History of the United States
which will make its appearance this
week, and will probably precipitate an
endless discussion, as did Prof. Bryce's
American Commonwealth" a few
years ago. 1t needs only a cursory
perusal Of the advance proofs 20 con
vince one that IL will be most enter
tanning reading, albeit the opinions
expressed by the Canadian professor
will net be Endorsed by Americans.
The book is intended for English con-
sumption. Prof. Smith explains this
in his predatory remarks, and adds:
IF il comes into the hands of an Amer
lean, his liberality will make allowance
for the position of an En%glishman who
regards the American commonwealth
as the great achievement of his race
and looks forward 10 the voluntary re-
union of the American branches of the
races within its pale, yet desires to- do
justice to the mother country and to
render to her the need OF gratitude
which will always be her due"
The political history of the country
from f492 To 1870 Is succinctly traced
by the writer. lie boldly skaters
some Of our most venerated idols. be-
| ginning with Columbus and ending
with Clay. OF Washington he says:
George WASHINGTON.
Washington was 10 the c~onfederacy
all in all. Without him it would have
been ten times lost, and the names of
the politicians who had drawn the
country into the conflict, would have
gone down 10 posterity linked with de-
feat and shame. History has hardly a
stronger case Of an indispensable man.
His form, like all other forms of the
revolution. has no doubt been seen
through a golden haze Of panegyric.
We can hardly number among the
greatest captains u general who acted
on So small "A scale and who, though he
was the soul of the war, never won a
battle. In that respect, Carlyle, who
threated TO take George down a peg or
two might have made good his threat.
But he could not have stripped
Washington Of any part of his credit
for patriotism, wisdom and courage:
for the union of enterprise with pru-
dence; for integrity and truthfulness;
for simple dignity of character; for
tact and forbearance in dealing with
men: above all for serene fortitude in
the darkest hour of his cause and I'M
der trials and perversity, insubordina-
ton, jealousy and pertdy of those
around him severer than any defeat.
Some American writer's seem anx-
ious to prove that WasiIington's char
acter is essentially different from that
of an English gentleman. About this
we need not dispute. The character OF
an English gentleman is certainly
devoid of any traits that might be de-
rived either from a plantation or from
war with Indians in the backwoods-
Yet an English gentleman sees in
Washington his ideal as surely as he
does not see 1t in Franklin, Samuel
Adams or Patrick Henry.
Washin ITO, and WslIin yton.
at has been truly said that Wash.
ington and Wellington have much in
common. Wellington, ~contending with
Spanish perversity and ministerial in
competence, reminds us by his calmness
and self control of Washington con-
tending with the folly and dishonesty
of congress and the righteousness of the
state militia. They write in the same
even, passionless and somewhat formal
style, the expression of n mind always
master of itself. In both of them
there was, though under control. the
strong temper which is almost insepa-
rable from force. Wellington might
be more of an aristocrat than Wash
ing on. less of n democrat he could
hardly be. Washington insisted that
his officers should be gentlemen, not
men fit to DC shoebiacks. He drew Il
most undemocratic distinction between
the officer and the private soldier. His
notions about the private soldier are
those of an old world disciplinarian.
lie says that the soldier should be sat
istied to serve for his food, clothes and
pay, and complains that ne cannot lay
upon the back of the insubordinate
patriot more than 100 lashes, holding
hat 500 are not o many.
1.-THE army leaders, Gates and Lee,
caballed against him and were abetted
by politicians, morbidly, or perhaps
selfishly, jealous OF his military ascen-
udncy. III dppcuTS tudt Dotu samuel
and John Adams, if they did not in
trigue, were un%friendly to Washington,
and would willingly have seen him
superseded. Washington bore the
attacks on him magnanimously. never
allowing his personal wrongs to inter-
fere with his duty nor ever thinking Of
abandoning his post. Perhaps in the
whole conflict the three noblest things
are the character of Washington, the
behavior of his army at Valley Forge
and the devotion Of the better class of
loyalists- On Washington's death the
flags o; the British fleet under Lord
Bridport were half-masted. We owe
the American, Hildreth, thanks for re-
cording the fact"
OF Washington's secretary of the
treasury, Alexander Hamilton, Prot.
Smith says:
Alex indsr Hamilton.
Hamilton, by general consent, ranks
first in ability OF American statesmen,
at least among those OF the old school.
1t is to him that hostile critics of Amer
lean craftsmanship nave special refer
ence when they say that the transform
alton of Rome by Augustus has been
reversed, and that what vas at first ar
edifice of marble had been turned into
an edifca of brick. lie was not a ma
tive patriot, but had been tc~ansplanted
~. vi -.