Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-18

had little sympathy With North Caro-
ina Rhode Islani had IDEAS Of it's cwr
and Maryland had Others. There were
bourddly disputes and there were varl-
Gus other complications. Congress had
little or no power to enforce its will
Many persons had false or exaggerated
notion of what freedom meant. To
them freedom meant license. They want
ed no taxation. They had fought Eng
land On a question Of taxation. More
for the part they had played in the revo-
'ution.
BY the treaty Of peace 1t had been
agreed that no obstacle should be put In
the way of the recovery Of debts due to
British subjects by citizens of the repub-
lie; that no fresh prosecutions or con-
fiscations should be directed against 10y
alists and that Congress should endeavor
to get the various states to repeal exist
ing acts of conflscation.
Candor compels acknowledgment of the
fact that in few. If any. Of the thirteen
states were the treaty obligations lived
UP to. On the contrary, various states
passed more oppressive acts against 10y
alists than had been in force. AS for a
British creditor collecting a debt, it was
not thought of.
Hamilton was a stickler for national
honor He fought against this current of
passion with all the strength of his pow
erful influence. He lost popularity but
ne WOE respect. re 1dO determined On TIE
law for a profession. and after four
months study was admitted to the bar.
Within few years he became the leader
at the bar. He dominated there as he
did in almost every field he entered.
England, although she had lost the col
onies. did not despair Of recovering them.
British statesmen saw in the disorder
that followed the war an opportunity to
win by trade discrimination what had
been lost by the sword. They planned to
play on the jealousies of the states, to
favor one port as against another. to
build up one market and ruin another
until the commercial pressure applied
would gradually detach one section of the
Union and then another ard lead them
back to their old allegiance.
AS If to make the road easier for Eng
land in this game the thirteen states pro-
ceeded to engage in domestic tariff
war. The states with seaports preyed
upon their landlocked neighbors. New
Jersey was preyed upon by Pennsylvania
and New York. North Carolina was
sweated by South Carolina and Virginia.
Rhode Island put up the bars against
Connecticut. And with it all the north
distrusted the south and the south the
north.
Next there came a plague of paper
money. SO much of this stuff was is
sued by the various states that it soon
fell to . cents in the dollar and was
so debased that even the counterfeiters
gave up, the work Of putting out
spurious bills.
In 1885 there was meeting at
Washington's home, Mounts Vernon, of
a few earnest men, who saw the only
salvation for the country through the
establishment of strong central gov
crnment. AS result of that gathering
Il call was issued for a convention at
Annapolis the following year. Only
five states appointed commissioners
who attended. -Four appointed com
nissioners who did not attend and
four states disregarded the call. Hamil-
ton ruled the convention. Ostensiblv
this convention was to consider the
trade and commerce of the United
states and the question Of the threat at
Spain. but in the skillful hands Of
Hamilton it was worked around to a
recommendation to the states to ap-