The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-20

men to value even the authority Of sunors,
ton" There was a cynical contempt n, da.
dreams and Utorian fancies. While doinp ui,h
stole fortitude what It lay In them To IL,
the men who took the chief po-t
foundinR tho republic had painful ri.'
givings rs TO the durability Of tb.i.
work. In a %footnotc MIR. Ford rcc,u,
n characteristic ~nllusion In a number ~,
the Fei@0lisi, written 10y Hamilton. To tho ~.
thusiasts who expect to see the hnlcyon s,or,,
Of tho ,ooetic or fabulous ngc realized in Amor'
lea" Toward the close of tho career wht,,
was brought to an untimcly end, HamiI,,.
wrote to n friend; Perhaps no man in o..
Unitnl States has sacrificed or done NOR, 10
the pt nsent Constitution than myself. AMI
contrary to oil my anticipations OF its ro,o -,
You know, from the very beginning, | am s,n
lnboring TO prop up tho frail and worthless,
fabric" John Adams. in n letter pcnncd in nj,
old a %. says that Wa%shin aton. after orcupyirv
the Presidential chair. was made unharrr -
his retirement by fears for his country.
The class supremacy. dextcrously rcasscr+,1
by the American gentry. through tho adoption
of the Constitution framed at philadelnb,
was. however. doomed TO destruction. Th.
English gentry. who. from the Revolution a,
1USS until after the passage of the first Reform
bill, continued to rule their country, had to al,
with u settled population trained to habits ID,
deterence. and unable TO escape from lanIl,rJ
control. The American gentry were differently
situated. II IL true that. during the greater
portion oftle colonial period the pressure %, tbs
French and Indians upon the English -n,tln.
mcnts had so confined tho field Of scttlrmcn.
that the prestige Of the gentry could not ho
seriously impaired. With the expulsion of ths
European powers and the driving back III ,bs
Indians. Il profound change in social rondi.
lions ensued, The land was thenccforth rra,.
tically illimitable in extent. and coercive social
arrangements were impracticablc as the father,
soon discovered. I'VE need. as all nation,
do" wrote Fisher Ames to Rufus King in 1870
the COMPRESSION on the outside Of our circ,a
of a FORMIDABLE" neighbour. whose presence sh,l
at all times excite stronger fears than dem.
agogucs can inspire the people with toward
their Government"
The actua! conditions were such as 10 favor
concessions of a democratic kind. Tho ,in,,r,
to obtain settlers caused the tender Of induce.
ments which early took the shape of offer,
Of political franchises. The restrictions npon
the suffrage, on which the authors ri tina
Constitution had depended as guaranteeing
the political control Of the gentry. soon began
to loosen. Tho breach between society AMI
politics. which was sure to occur when political
influence ceased TO be a class privilege Of tho
gentry. was not long delayed. Hamilton IA.
mented the growing Indifference Of the better
class OF people to the exercise Of their suffrage
much in the style so common nowadays. Tho
breach was destined to expand until the oncs
title Of politician should carry with
1t n social stigma. and what is known ms good
society would hold itself aIoof from politics or
merely invade 1t at intervals.