The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1904-01-10
A HISTORIAN OF GEORGIA
AND HIS VIGOROUS WORK
How Thomas E.. Watson Contributes to the Vind
cation of the Truth of History and Fair
ness to Men

by his three works On FRANCE On Ma
poleon, and on Jefferson, Is contributing
no little to the entertainment and lnstruc-
tion of readers and to the vindication of
the truth of history and fairness to men.
His "The Story of France" is really in
valuable for its bold, brave, vigorous, vim
dictation of the people Of France In the
great cataclysm that came in 17S9-95. 1t
is easily the most readable of all modern
historical works. In fact 1 know of but
one history that equals it In positive en-
MISUNDERSTANDING marvellous His
tory of England" which covers, however,
but a few years. Watsons recent Lille
and Times of Thos. jefferson" is attracting
attention in the North. and should be
widely read in all Southland. The New
York Saturday Review" says it sis a
vastly entertaining polemic and rndoubt-
edly directs attention to many generally
neglected facts His purpose Is to do
Justice to the South. which has not been
done. and to vindicate the facts of his
tory. He says he desires to emphasize the
part of the South in the great revolution
in 1776-82, and because the historical
writers in the North have Ignored or
minimized what was done. l quote from
the review of the book in the New York
publication: with glee he finds and
points out errors of these men, historians,
Henry Adams, Henry Cabot Lodge, Theo-
dore Roosevelt, modern outcroppings OF
the old Federalist vein, and he pours
the walls of his wrath upon the devoted
head of DR.. Woodrow Wilson. who. he
says, has recently published "a volunin
Gus history Of the American people II
FIVE bulky Volumes and gives Just on"
short sentence to the rebellion in North
Carolina but six pages to the Boston
street row. called by the historic nams
OF the Boston Massacre Mr.. Watson's
own account of the trouble in North Car
DINA is longer, and it must be confessed
more picturesque than the Boston massa-
ere, for it was the North Carolina rebels
who, at Alamance (battle so neglected of
history four years before Lexington,
bearded the Royal Governor Tryon. he
who spent the revenues of the province
building himself new house.
"Disperse, or I'll fire." shouted Tryon.
Fire, and be D. is the answer OF
the rebels.
Mr.. Watson is a careful cleaner. If
there is any genuine historic incident or
fact omitted by other writers he is quite
apt to make it appear. as is most mani
fest in many places in his splendid STORY
of France He comes to the rescue Of
Aaron Burr to some extent, and delivers
him out Of the hands of New England
professor of history at Harvard, VIII
refers to Burr, in students History Of
the United States.' as "a disreputable
politician who had been nominated for
the Vice Presidency because he controlled
the votes of New York" Then Mr.. wat
son quotes letters of Charles Carroll OF
Carrolltou. and others above suspicion to
show that Burr was not at that time
"disreptable politician" but had stand
ing as good as Jefferson's own For him
self, Mr. Watson. declares he is no par
tisan of Burr. He was" he says "a har5
fighter, fertile schemer selfish office
hunter, a man whose opinion OF human
nature was low. In other words. he was
the earliest specimen OF what afterward
became recognized as distinct type-he
was a New York politician
am glad he has taken Mr.. Jefferson,as
the theme of his fertile, dashing, caustic
picturesque pen. No man so great has
ever been more maligned and msrepre-
sented. He was beyond doubt the fore
most political genius thus far born on
these shores. He was never understood,
never properly appreciated by the North,
as has been the case often with other
famous men of the South. The reviewer
SAYS that "Mr. Watson holds a brief for
Jefferson and Democracy, and he pleaded
with ingenuity, reinforced by wit and elo-
auence He holds up to obloquy the dis
loyal conduct of New England in the war
of 1912 and the miserable showing made
by the troops in the Northwest"
He refers to Teddy Roosevelt's in
sulting reference to the illustricus Vir-
gilman and Southron, in speaking OF
politicians of the Infamous stripe Of
Thomas Jefferson" This strenuous
demagogue and sanderer is nice fellow
to be throwing mud at a great. pure.
honest man of the South. who was the
strong, unfaltering inflexible friend OF
the people Jefferson was most spotless
when compared with his great rival, the
British born Alexander Hamilton. whose
record is really anything else than pure
and admirable. Mr.. Watson is reported
by the Review as limiting that Hamilton
was an utterly INSCRIPTIONS scoundrel,
poltroon, and a libertine, nor does he
hesitate either to express very clearly his
conviction that John Adams was a vain
and pompous person with very little ir
him. Such sentiments doubtless will be
shocking to Massachusetts, and New York,
but Mr.. Watson, with everything his own
way, makes out a very good case"
Watson puts in few words why he DIS
likes Hamilton and his acts and principles:
eff it be right to run government in the
interest of selected class: if it be right
to allow the privileged to use the ma
chnery of legislation to plumber the I'M
privileged; if it be right to make the cor
ruption of trusted agents an incident to
the government of the principals, then
Alexander Hamilton deserves high rank
among statesmen and loving remembrance
with posterity For t was he who first
arranged the coalition between the Ma
tional Treasury and the money power: it
was he who committed the government to
the policy of taxing one industry to build
up another: he who surrendered to IA
vored class the prerogative of creating a
currency; he who first used corrupt prac-
tIces to secure legislation.
LAS surely as the harvest is due to the
sower, Alexander Hamilton was the father
of plutocracy. the trust. and the lobby.
''The people are great beast" said the