The Washington herald., 1913-05-18
n, A. d. JACOBSON.

AN ECONOMIC INTERPRETATION OF THE
By Charles A. Beard, associate professor Of poll
tics in Columbia University. New fork-Ihe
Macmillan Company. Price. S..
The movement for the Constitution OF
the United States was originated and
carried through principally by four
groups of personality interests which
had been affected adversely under the
articles of confederation: money, pupnc
securities manufactures and trade tsnlp-
ping). The first firm steps toward the
formation of the Constitution were taken
by a small but active group OF men
Immediately interested In the outcome Of
their labors No popular vote was taken
directly or indirectly on the proposition
to call the convention which drafted
the aIl-important document ana the prop
ertyless masses at the outset were ex-
cluded from participation through rep
resentatives in the work of framing II.
Thus, argues the author, the members
OF the Philadelphia convention, which
made the first draft. with few except
TONS were directly or indirectly, and
personally interested in and derived eco
nomic advantages from the establishment
OF the new system.
The Constitution was essentially pub
lie document based upon the concept that
the fundamental private rights of prop
erty are anterior to government and
morally beyond the reach Of popular ma
jorities. The major portion of the MEM
bers of the convention are on record as
recognizing the claim OF property to a
special and defensive position in the Con-
stltuton.
In the ratification of the Constitution,
says the author, about three-fourths of
the adult males failed to vote on the
question, having abstained from the cleo
tons at which delegates to the State
convention were chosen, either on &C
count of their indifference or their dis
reimbursement by lack of property
qualifications. Thus our Constitution was
ratified by a vote of propably not more
than one-sixth of the adult males
Prof. Beard says il is questionable
whetherNa ma jority of the voters partici-
pating in the elections for the State con-
ventions in New York, Massachusetts,
New Hampshire, Virginia, and South
Carolina actually approved the ratinca-
ton of the constitution. The leaders
who supported the basic law in the rati-
flying conventions represented the same
economic groups as the members OF the
Philadelphia convention, and in a large
number of instances they also were In
terested directly and personally in the
outcome of their efforts. 1t became
manifest in the ratification that the line
of cleavage for and against was between
substantial personal interests on the one
hand and the small farming and debtor
interests on the other.
The author challenges the declaration
of our Constitutional lawyers that the
Constitution was created by the whole
p.ople;" nor was il created by the
States as Southern DIRECTORS have long
commended. He argues that II was the
work of a consolidated group whose in
terests knew no State boundaries, but
were truly national in their scope.
fe fra On1P
signed to suggest new lines of research
rather than to treat the subject in an
exhaustive maner. But II throws
hitherto little known light on the eco
nomic conditions of the United states
in I7S3 to 1877.
MY PAST "REMINISCENCES OF THE COURTS
Of Austria and Bavaria: By the Counties Marc
Larfsch morsanatic daughter Of Duke Lnd"ls OF
Rararia and niece of Empress Elizabeth Of Aus
tria. Illustrated New 1ork-1 L. tu'nAn4
Sons. Price, 8 80.
The chief claims of the countess in CIV
ing her claims to the public are twofold
First. she intends to tell of an episode
a youthful love affair of the Duchess
Elizabeth of Bavaria, later wife OF EN-
peror Franz Josef of Austria ther Aunt
'.Cissy'D with her own husband, Count
Iarisch whom she married to shield her
immortal relative: and. secondly, she tries
hard to whitewash herself as to her con-
nection with the 'affaire Rudolph, his
liason with Marie Vetsera, and their
tragic end at Meyerlingk.
Saw what she will. the countess must
shoulder considerable of the fault of that
blot upon the escutcheon of the Haps-
burgs and of the terrible grief brought
upon the imperial parents, for she was
not only a friend OF the silly young ana
lovesick girl. but she actually aided and
protected her and her clandestine VEN
lures and escapldes. In my opinion. she
will never be able to cleanse herself fully
OF the odium of this accusation which
was felt so strongly by her own son
that he could not survive the scandal
The countess mother was the beautiful
CJewish) actress. Henrientte Mendel, who
was created a Baroness Wallersee upon
her left-handed marriage to the Duke
of Bavaria. Being a good deal Of her
time at the Vienna Hofburg or at the fine
imperial summer residence OF Schoen-
hrunn. as the guest of her aunt. the
Empress Countess Larisch. who had
keen powers of observation. was able
to make notes of number of incidents
connected with the royal and many
noble families of Europe.
The Vetsera family were. so to say,
"rastaqueres' though all smart Vienna
went to their palace. The baroness
father. Herr Balthazzi. originally came
from "HeTe ne 0elu HlkH
office in the house of an influential pasta.
Nine Eetseras reputation was not what
usually is termed good, but Viennese
society is rather tolerant of f1irtations
and much is forgiven a woman who en-
tertains lavishly. The countess omits to
state why she. in her high position as
a near kin to royalty. got to be so very
intimate with that family and especially
with Marie. who was either still in or
barely out of ner teens. She labors hard
through a number of chapters to explain
this and everything else that led to the
double tragedy of Meyerlingk. but she
fails to impress. Things surely must
have had an ugly aspect for her, and her
name dragged into the mire for cause
when her only son sided against her and
killed himself to escape the sinister ru-
mors and accusations.
Another thing. The noble authoress
errs when she AYERS that her pen gives
the "only true" version OF the Meyer
Iingk affair. Ex-Crown Princess Louise
OF Saxony, in her interesting biography.
Ny Own Story" has told us a far more
compact and more believable, more like
Iy story Of that terrible night, one that
bears the impress OF plain. unvarnished
truth.
THE CREEPING TIDES: By Kate Jordon Bos-
ton-Lttle. Brown Co Price. SIN.
Greenwich Village" in New York
City, has lost much of the picturesque
Importance 1t held in New York's fiction