Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-09-17


neglectful they must part. Washing
ton went further In his effort 20 APP
pease Hamilton than was right, but
Hamilton was obdurate.
III the early summer OF 1881 Washing
ton assigned Hamilton to command a
light corps Hamilton was eager for a
chance TO distinguish himself Tho
chance did not come until Yorktown.
Then he won the praise OF all Wash
ington declared that I'm the taking of
the redoubt Hamilton showed magnifi-
cent proof of lntrepidity hrmness and
courage.
DANGER AFTER THE WAR.
No one saw more clearly than Ham
ilton that the closing of the war ush-
cred in a most dangerous period for the
nation. No one realized more than did
he the weakness OF Congress, the bitter
jealousies of the l3 states and the men,
ace Of civil war unless a central gov
eminent strong enough to deal with
the situation was created. There had TO
be real union. not a loose connection
between the states But Massachu-
sets was Jealous of New York and Nir-
ginla had little sympathy with North
Carolina. Rhode Island had ideas of
its own and Maryland had others.
There were boundary disputes and
there were various other complications.
Congress had little or no power to en-
force its will. Many persons had n
false or exaggerated notion Of what
freedom meant. To them freedom
meant license. They wanted no taxa
ton. They had fought England on a
question of taxation. Moreover, they
wanted to punish the loyalists for the
part they had played In the Revolution.
BY the treaty Of peace II had been
agreed that no obstacle should De put
in the way OF the recovery OF debts due
49, 90 ~ rl
republic that no fresh prosecutions or
conf1scations should be directed against
lovallsts and that Congress should en-
deavor 10 get the various states to re-
peal existing acts of confiscation
Candor compels acknowledgment OF
the fact that IN few II any OF the 10
states were the treaty obligations lived
up to, on the contrary, various states
passed more oppressive acts against
ioyaliats than had been In force As
for a British creditor collecting debt-
II was not thought OF.
Hamilton was "A sticlSler for national
honor He fought against this current
of passion with all the strength OF his
po,Verful Influence. He lost popularity,
hut ne won respect. He had deter
mined on the law for profession ana
after four months study was admitted
to the bar. Within a few years ne pc
came the leader at the bar. He domi-
field he entered.
England although she had lost the
colonies. died not despair or recoNerlns
them. British statesmen saw IN the
disorder that followed the war an OPP
nortunity TO win by trade discrimina-
ton what had been lost by the sword,
They planned TO play on the tealousles
~ the states. to favor one port as
against another. to build up one mar
ket and ruin another until the com
mercial pressure applied would grad
ually detaCh one section OF the Union
and then another and lead them PACK
to their old allegiance.
AS II to make the road easier for
England in this game the Thirteen
states proceeded to engage In do
m estic tariff war. The states with sea-
ports preyed upon their landlocked
nelghbors. New Jersey was preyed upon
bv Pennsylvsnia and New York. North
Carolina was sweated by South
Carolina and Virginia Rhode Island
put up the bars against Connecticut;
And with II all,the north dlstrusted
the south and the south the north.
Next there came a plague of paper
money. SO much of this stun was Is
sued by the various states that II soon
fell to cents on the dollar and was
so debascd thar even the counterfeiters
gave up the work Of putting out
spurious bills.
WORK FOR THE CONSTITUTION.
In 1855 there was a meeting at
Washington's home, Mount Vernon,
of few earnest men, who saw the
only salvation for the country through
the establishment OF a strong central
As a result OF that gather
ing call was issued for convention
at Annapolis the following year. only
Ave states appointed com missioners
who attended. Four appointed COM
who did not attend and
four states disresca rded the. Hamil-
ton ruled the convention. Ostensibly
this convention was To consider the
trade and commerce OF the United
States and the question of the
closing OF the Mississippi
by Spain, but In the skillful hands
OF Hamilton IL was worked around to
a recommendation to the states to
appoint delegates to a convention at
to devise means to make
the Constitution OF the United states
adequate to the needs of the Union.
Twelve of the thirteen states re-
sponded. Rhode Island stayed out.
That convention was heartbfeaking. IL
opened MAY IA. 1857, and the final
draft OF the Constitution was not
signed until Sept. II, and then 10y only
80 Of the So delegates II was not
such q constitution as Hamilton hoped
for. lis plan had been rejected. lie
wanted something akin to a limited
or elective monarchy. He wanted
president elected for life. senator's
elected for life. a Capitalization or
power In the government and lessen
ing, II not a wipinR out OF state rights
lie wanted enc nation, not group
of 10 sovereign states.
Nothing stands out more nobly In the
career OF Alexander Hamilton than his
conduct after the Constitution was
framed ~ Philadelphia. He looked
upon the instrument as a thing OF lit
tie value, but II was the best he could
get after all the work he and wash
ington had done to awaken the peo-
pie 20 the need OF a national policy.
But the Constitution had 10 be adopted
by nine states before II could De put
in force To get the people 10 acceH
Il was tho next task. Nowhere was tne
struggle harder than I'm New YORK
Governor clinton and all his great
folloU,ing were against a. To explain
the Constitution and its needs Hamil-
ton started The Federalist one or the