Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1906-07-27
CHAPTER XIII-CoNTINUED.

Hamilton manifested no inclination to
recur to the former topic.
Nothing but what you have heard.
The treaty is ratified, and we are soon
to have a French fleet upon our coast
and a French army fighting by our
side"
And / sincerely WISH" exclaimed
Billings, that fleet may find its way
to the bottom of the Atlantic before 1t
touches these shores. His most Catho-
lie majesty has thrust his spoon into
a dish where he is not wanted. There
is no more porridge than will suffice
for our own stomachs, and pray earn
estly that he may get we'll scalded for
his impertinence."
II cannot agree with you, Billings.
This alliance was all important 1t Sc
cures our independence beyond cavil or
dispute"
TT was secured without 1t. Eng
land had but one chance from the be-
ginning to reconQuer these colonies,
and that was thrown away by the fool
ish statesman who controlled her coun-
ellis. If she had poured an overwhelm-
ing force upon us before the Declara-
ton of Independence; If she had land
ed an army at Boston another at New
York, and another at Charleston, and
marched from each place directly into
the country, one-half Of the people
would have joined her standard, and
the other half would have been subdued
in a twelvemonth. AS Ii was, they
sent over an insignificant force, which
has been confined to the sea- coast, be-
cause they dared not move beyond sup
porting distance of their ships, and
even there have been compelled to hud-
die together, lest they should be cut to
pieces in detail. The necessary result
of such a policy has been to give the
republicans full time to overawe the
loyalists, to dissipate their dread OF
British prowess, and inspire them with a
confidence in themselves which makes
reconquest an impossibliity. The first
two years of the war achieved the in
dependence of America After that,
1t was merely a question how long
British obstinacy would persist in
hopeless attempt at subiugation.
hoped and believed that 1t would be
ten or twelve years, and in that time
I calculated that the free necks of the
colonists would be pretty well prepar-
ed to receive the yoke of military
leader, under some title, no matter
what, so he had the power of an en-
peror. Now this interference of France
disturbs those calculations, and leaves
me at sea, without chart or compass
to guide me. John Bulls game Is pro-
verbal. He may become incensed at
the intermedding of his old enemy and
rouse himself to more strenuous eX-
ertions; but, on the other hand, there
is a chance Of his being alarmed at
the probability of America becoming
dependency of France, and he may
thus be induced to conclude treaty
with his revolted subjects as soon as
decency will permit-a result that
would put an effectual eXtinguisher
upon your hopes and upon mine.
could see my way clearly before; l can
not do so now. The probabilities are
so nearly balanced that it is difficult to
decide which scale preponderates; and
therefore l pray that the French fleet
may be met on the ocean. and sunk or
captured, whenever it sails. great
naval victory will so stimulate the ma
tional pride of England, that parlia-
ment will vote liberal supplies to carry
on the war, and ministers dare not run
counter to the national repugnance of
the people to surrender these rich
provinces to the fostering care of King
Louis Every time they beat the
French by land or sea, the fortunes of
Alexander Hamilton will wear
brighter verdure."
There Is another side to the argu-
ment," replied Hamilton, Ito which you
do not seem to attach sufficient import
ance. The same success that encour-
ages them will depress the spirits of
our army and people, and dispose them
to return to their allegiance upon terms
of simple forgiveness for the past
You will admit that this would be
more fatal to our hopes than the case
you have supposed"
l wish, Colonel Hamilton" answer
ed Billings, earnestly, that you would
study the history of this people more
carefully than you have done, and make
yourself better acquainted with their
character The three tides Of emigra-
ton, which have at different periods
swelled the number of Inhabitants Oh
this continent were all singularly
alike in one remarkable trait. Obsti-
macy was the leading feature in the
character of all of them. First, there
came the old Puritans, who rather than
comply with certain immaterial forms
of public worship, abandoned home and
kindred for a residence among savages
and wild beasts. The questions wheth-
er a man should repeat his prayers
standing or kneeling, whether he should
read them from a book or utter them
extemporaneouSly from the lips. wheth-
er a minister should or should not
wear a gown of a particular fashion,
and the dozen other equally important
points of disagreement between the es-
tablished church and the dissenters,
all seem to my mind unspeakably alb
surd Not so thought the Puritans.
They had marked out a particular road
to heaven. and were determined to
travel no other A creature possessed
of as much reason as a mad bull, ought
to have understood that it made no
difference through what avenue the
soul approached the kingdom of eter-
nal rest. 1t was foolish to require
them to follow a particular form Rf
worship: but since that form could IN
nowise affect their future welfare II
was the part of plain common sense to
yield obedience to the law. These stern
Zealots would not look at the subject
in any such reasonable or peaceful
light They loved opposition for It's
own sake. and clung to their preJu-
dices the more tenaciously because they