The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-08-03


Tended by his most partial friends. He
Is bankrupt beyond redemption. except
by the plunder of his country.' '"rhe
appointment of Burr as president
| would disgrace our country abroad. No
agreemert with him could be relied
upon. For heavens sake let not the
Federal party be responsible for the ele-
walton of this man, He Is bankrupt
! beyond redemption. except by she re-
| sources that grow out of war and dis
| order. or by sale to a foreign power.
, or by great peculation." IF there be
a man In the world ought to hate, ii is
Jefferson With Burr l have always
been personally we'll" "'Tis enough
for us to know that Mr.. Burr Is one OF
the most unprlncipled men In the
United States" ''He Is a. man OF ex-
treme and irregular ambition: he is sell
fish to degree which excludes all So
cial Affections, and he is decidedly
profiigate." 1t was in the course OF
this correspondence with his friends
that Hamilton disclosed the conversa-
| tions and toasts he heard at Burr's dim
ner table. an offense against good man.
ners and honorable dealing, considered
unpardonaible among gentlemen.
The truth Is that Hamilton was so
| carried away by his insane jealousy of
Burr that he left no sort OF eXpedient
untried to compass his defeat He was
! successful. jefferson was elected presi-
dent and Burr was chosen vice-presi-
| dent.
Burr Slow TO Resent.
Hamilton partisans sometimes s,ay
that Burr had plenty of opportunity in
this contest to fasten a duel upon
HamfL,on. but that he did not do II, and
therefore was not justified four years
later IN picking a quarrel with him on a
less pretext. But all these charges
| made by Hamilton were to his friends
| ana never reached Burr's ears. They
We're not men to disclose The contents OF
private letter and they also knew
that should such charges reach Burr a
duel would be Inevitable.
| Ihese attacks from Hamilton, exceed
ea all me limits Of decency, let alone
those or honorable political warfare.
burr was heavily in debt, but so was
hamilton, and the private character of
he''her was above reproach-very much
on par. In fact Hamilton had pub-
| hcly admitted most dlsgracefui in.
trigue. and certainly Burr was no more.
ambitious than he
Years afterward Burr said that Soma
intimations of Hamilton's metbods 30
po..Nai warfare had reached him a
year or TWO after this campaign of 1900.
ana that he had a conversat ton with
MN IN 1902 on the subject, and thai
hamilton had pledged himself to re.
lrain from attacking him personally
anu that for the next two years they
were apparently very good friends.
The New York Governorship.
III le"4 burr's term as vice president
was approaching its end, and though
ne had lost the friendship of Jefrer-
son ana the southern Republicans be
was sun strong In New York. The Re-
Pupiican party there was split into
Burrites and Clintonians. One faction
nominated Burr for governor ana tha
otner Morgan Lewis. The Federalists
neiu the paiance Of power, and the
leaders or the party, not only in New
iorK' but In New England, wanted the
reueralists to support Burr and thus
eject MIN. to the permanent disruption
OF the party. Again Hamilton opposea
the plan and pursued the same methods
OF attack on Burr as he had in the
campaign of 1900. He succeeded and
Burr was defeated. but, unhappiIy for
Hamilton, some of the friends he od.
dressed this time were not altogether
discreet.
| The Cause Of the Duel.
| Dr. Charles De Kay Cooper ia tho
man who gave the information that re-.
suited in the duel. Cooper was an Al.
bany politician belonging to the Repub.
iican faction that opposed Burr. One
OF his electioneering letters to a friend
found Its way into the Albany papers.
1t contained. among others, these two
sentences: General Hamilton and
Judge Kent have declared in SUBJ
stance. that they looked upon Mr.. Burr
to be dangerous man, and one who
ought not to be trusted with the relns
Of government" II could detail to you
a still more despicable opinion which
General Hamilton has expressed Of Mr..
Burr"
The election took place in the latter
part OF April. 1904, and about the mid
die Of June the paper containing DR..
Cooper's letter was brought to the
knowledge Of Colonel Burr.
| The Fatal Correspondence.
He summoned a friend, William p.
Van Ness, a lawyer, afterward Judge of
the United States district court, and
sent by him a note to General Ham
ilton, with the Cooper letter, the Offend
Ing passages being marked, saying:
You must perceive. sir, the necessity
Of prompt and unqualified acknowl-
edgment or denial of the use of any
expressions which would warrant the
assertions Of DIR. Cooper"
Hamilton had not seen the letter, but
after reading 1t he replied to Mr.. Van
Ness that the matter required consid-
Grafton, for 1t certainly must have oc-
Cured to him that for something like
twelve years past he had been express
ing both "despicable" and more des-
picable opinions" Of his rival
Two days later, on June 20. Hamilton
replied to Burr In q long and ingenious
letter in which he sought to show that
without a more distinct statement Of
the particular opinion ascribed him he
could not make, the avowal or dis
avOwal demanded. II deem 1t inadmis-
sible on principle" he said, ito consent
to be interrogated as to the justness Of
differences which may be drawn by
others from whatever may have said
Of a political opponent in the course Of
fifteen years. competition" And add
ed, II stand ready to avow or disavow
promptly and explicitly any precise or
definite opinion which may be charged
with having declared Of any gentle
man. More than this cannot be ftly
expected from me; and especially 1t
cannot be reasonably expected that
shall enter into an explanation upon a