Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-10-31
jefferson and Hamilton.

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happy way of so ordering the Institute
courses that each year brings in re,
view some important study which did
not find place in the year preceding
Never before, we believe, at any of
our Institutes has the subject of United
States history been presented in the
light of it's central ideas. Such pre-
sentation has been given to us last
week by President Fess of Antioch
College, Ohio. In course of six lec-
lures he traced the development of the
two principles which, in combination,
make up the very heart of American
history. These are the principles of
liberty and nationality. The one idea
found its chiefembodiment and repre-
sentative in Thomas jefferson; the
other, in Alexander Hamilton. These
two men were bitter rivals and oppon-
ents, and though political parties are
still, and no doubt always will be, divi-
ded in their respective emphases upon
local liberty and central power, it still
remains true that the country has
equal need of both principles and
should accord equal honor toJefferson,
the representative of liberty ard to
Hamilton the representative of power.
1t was from this large, -partizan
point of view that DIR. Fess presented
the characters and achievements of
these two most representative and in
fuential Americans. 1t was the privi.
lege of the present writer to hear Mr..
Bryan some days ago at the Virginia
State Fair at Richmond. In the course
OF his two hour speech, Mr.. Bryan took
occasion to point out the contrasting
tendencies of Jefferson and Hamilton,
but he drew his contrast in a way that
was much less than fair to Hamilton.
Hamilton, it is true, did distrust the
common people, and did seek to have
the government removed as far as pos
sible from direct popular influence and
control. He would have had the presi-
dent and the senator's elected for life,
and the governors of the several states
appointed by the central government
While on these points Hamilton's infin-
ence was over-ruled by that of Jeffer-
son, it is an injustice to Hamilton to
represent him, as Mr.. Bryan has done,
as one whose sole interest was to
thwart and defeat the will of the peo
pie. Mr.. Bryan did not point out that
had it not been for Hamilton we should
not have advanced in national union
and strength beyond the loose and in
effective Article of Confederation of
l777. Mr.. Bryan apparently fails to
see that his own political program
could never be carried into effect had
our Contribution been framed entirely
according to the ideas of jefferson, for
In that case the Federal government
would be two weak and disjointed to
protect the people in their inalienable
rights. Hamilton saw more clearly
than did any other American of his
period the absolute need of a govern
ment sufficiently centralized and en-
dowed with authority to accomplish
effectively the ends for which govern
ments exist. Hamilton's interest was
not to defeat the will of the people but
to see that the government should be
invested with all necessary power. If
ne was too distrustful of the common
people, that must be regarded as a
mere detail Time has eliminated from
our political life the Hamiltonian dis
trust of the people, just as it has vim
dicated over and over again the Ham
iltonian contention that government
without power is useless and con-
temptible.
The nation had the greatest need
both OF Jefferson, the apostle of lib
erty, and of Hamilton the champion of
federal power. Jefferson gave the
country its dominant spirit and ideals;
Hamilton gave it the organization and
instrument through which alone any
large destiny can be fulfilled.