The Irish standard., 1900-10-13
Thus both favored the

""op.Aoii VI lAe CONSTITUTION, but from
widely divergent reasons. When the
two came together in Washington's
cabinet the conflict began. For some
months they continued III friendly re-
lations. Then they separated POLITICAL
~, but remained on good personal
terms. Finally their difference of
opinion took on the guise of a quarrel,
and thus it continued to the end.
AT this time Hamilton was forcing
through the new congress his plans for
the organization of the money part of
the government. He was trying 10
take care of the debt which had been
incurred during the revolutionary war.
His plans were assailed bitterly by
Jefferson as tending to build up a
powerful political machine under the
lead of the treasury department. Ham
ilton, however, was successful, and the
credit OF the government was estab-
lished on a firm basis. The old debts
had become greatly deprecated in
value, and many holders parted with
their claims. The men who had faith
in Hamilton in the North bought these
claims, and when the plans had sue
ceeded they made large sums from
their investments. The friends aud
allies Of Jefferson, who had not shared
in the belief in the success of Hamll-
tons plans, naturally did not invest,
and they saw immense profits gathered
in by Hamilton's adherents. This
tended still further to widen the
breach between the two mcn.
When the great ucstion Of what the
United States was to do in the war
between England and France arose,
the two men found themselves diamct-
rically opposite. Jefferson was n
strong friend Of France, and lie en-
deavorcd to prevent the new govern
ment from taking an action which
might be favorable to England. On
the other hand Hamilton was Mortified
Mt the reign Of terror in France, and
leaned toward England's side in the
great struggle which followed the exc
cution of the French king. The great
mass of the people were with Jeifer
son at the outset. Washington was
bent on maintaining strict neutrality
btwecn the two powers. The cabinet
meetings of the time were bitter strug
gles between the two factions. Had it
not been for the foolishness Of Citizen
Genet, who was sent to this country
as ambassador by the French republic,
it is not unlikely that jefferson would
have been victorious, but when 1t
came to waging open war with Eng
land to aid France, Jefferson had no
more liking for it than Washington.
The documents he drew as secretary
of state ut this critical time ever since
have been the models of the state de-
Dartmcnt. He parted with the eX-
treme element in favor of France, and
was bitterly ssailed by Genet. When
in the course of time public sentiment
turned from the French, owing to their
gh-handcd proceedings, Jefferson
suffered no loss of political prestige
by his earlier course in the cabinet.
Washington was troubled beyond
measure at the friction between his
advisers, and wrote each of them II
letter bearing an earnest request that
they stop their quarrcls. In reply JET
fcrson wrote Il long letter, In which
he reviewed the quarrel from It's in
cepton. 1t was a bitter letter, and
Washington realized after he had read
it that peace was impossible in his
political household. When published,
the letter placed Jefferson Mt the head
of the new party which was slowly be-
ing formed out of the elements which
had opposed Hamilton's policy not only
in the treasury department but in for
eign affairs. Hamilton's reply was
brief, and did not take up at length
the differences of opinion between
himself and the secretary Of state. In
this contest of letter writer's Jefferson
easily had the better of 1t, which but
increased the intense bitterness felt
toward him by Hamilton's supporters.
The burden of JcfTerson's letter was
to the effect that Hamilton was schem-
ing to bring monarchy to take the
place Of the federal government.
Had other men than Jefferson and
Hamilton been in the lead of the
schools Of thought the same quarrel
undoubtedly would have resulted. 1t
might have taken other shapes, but
their theories could not live alongside
Of each other in peace. In the end
Jefferson was wholly victorious. He
lived to see the party that Hamilton
had formed and led to disappear from
politics. His own party Mt the time OF
Hamilton's death was SO much in the
asccndancy that its rule had ceased to
be disputed. And yet the strange part
of 1t all is that not only the treasury
department but the general plan of the
federal government, as worked out by
Hamilton, was little disturbed by JEFF
ferson WIN he became president. The
outward forms and ceremonies were
changed to some extent, but to this
day the treasury department remains
s11hstantiallY rs Hamilton made it. PO-