The St. Louis Republic., 1904-06-26
3,317,521
THIS YEARS GLORIOUS FOURTH.

Just century ago, grassy ledge under the
heights of Weehawken, n. j., Vice President of
the United States and a former Secretary of the
Treasury faced each other in mortal combat. Sol
diers of long and honorable records, scholars and
5urists of marked ability, statesmen who had al
ready held many of the highest offices in the gift Of
their country, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
played out in the peaceful beauty and freshness of
m early midsummer morning a tragedy famous for
all time.
The Constitution was on trial The leaders of
the Federalsts including Hamilton, openly called it
a "crazy hulk and spoke of Thomas Jefferson as
''contemptfble hypocrite" They had faith in the
people no confidence in republican institutions. A
constitutional monarchy the and only way
which they saw out of the difficulties of the times
At the head of the Wings Republicans, confident
in the future and active in their present stood JET
Terson and Burr and if the former was attacked
because Of his political principles, the latter was
even more bitterly assaied on the ground that he
lacked all principle, political and otherwise.
Hamilton and Burr had first crossed swords at
the bar This early in the 17S0s; but even then
and by no means on account of their war records
alone, they were regarded men of the most
marked ability, and to all intents and purposes di
vided between them the most important law bus
ness of New York State.
If the "code7 is to he directly blamed for the
duel yet it is to the political situation of the day
that must look for its explanation. In the clos
ing years of the Eighteenth Century and the open
ing of the Nineteenth the foremost and ablest
men in the United States were not only in politics
but were ain" so whole-heartedly that the warmest
friendships and most bitter enmities resulted. The
antipathy of Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton
grew naturally out of the political and professional
situation in which they found themselves most
entertaining discussion of the political pre-
faces vivid story of the famous duel in The Re
,public's Sunday Magazine for July g. 1t is by
Mr. Warwick James Price and is most attractivey
illustrated.
In the Senate wing of the Capitol in Washington,
to the right of the corridor at the head of the mar
BILE staircase where the wall is adorned by the paint
ing of the Battle of Chapultepec there is door, the
knob Of which is tried annually by thousands; but
It never responds to the touch. 1t is mysterious
marble and iron combination, suggestive of secret
passage. Each day when the Senate is in session
with key approaches this door about five min
utes before noon unlocks it. closes it after him. and
disappears up a dark winding staircase which Wis
itors for only second A few minutes
later, anyone standing the floor of the Senate
and looking up at the ornamented, thick glass ceiling
can the figure of a walking in the sunlight
and dragging something after him. That picture is
spread upon the glass roof of the Senate by the
rays of the MONDAY sun. The explanation of that
mans action involves most interesting bit of his
tory and makes story far more absorbing than any
possible piece of fiction. 1t will be told by we'll
known writer in next Sundays issue Of the mag
azine
The Glorious Fourth will be appropriately in
augurated by several excellent feature stories in the
issue for next Sunday. Among them will be Freder-
ick Benziger's divertng 'Fiddles for the Fourth"
tale of a Sky Pilot in the Black Hills. Clinton
Dangerfeld's excellent patriotic poem will consti-
tute of the peasurabe features of this issue So
also will William E. Bartons illustrated sketch of
"The Painter of Patriotism In this we may become
acquainted with the painter of the famous picture,
esThe Spirit of '76."
Fiction for this number will include Sewell Fords
"Story of Little Red continuation of Marjorie
Benton Cookies "Flat-Dwellers" and apother chap
ter Of Kiser's Confessions Of Chares the Chauf-