The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1913-05-03
WERE PATRIOTS
FIRST GRAFTERS
Continued from Pore I.

f.. Continued from Page l..
He has ransacked thousands Of old
Wills, scanned thousands Of unpub.
lished manuscripts in the congression-
al library, unearthed private letters,
read hundreds Of old newspapers,
pamphlets, and so on. The results
are astounding. y - : III
For example, Prof. Beard has made
a sort of Bradstreet's report upon the
financial interests and standing OF each
of the IS members of the constitu-
tional convention.
l. This shows that in that conclave
the Public Security Interests were rep
resented by 40 men who held quanti-
ties of soldiers script and public Sc
curities; the Money, Lenders by "a
men engaged: in that practice; the
Land Spectators by II men who held
vast tracts OF western lands; the Mer.
chants and Manufa cturers by Ii men
directly concerned, and the Slave
Holders by IS men who owned slaves.
Property Interests There. ,
Not single man in the convent on
represented the small farmers, the
working classes or the propertyless
masses.
The actual politicafoplnions OF each
member, given in a separate chapter.
were based directly upon their econo-
mic interests and would delight the
heart Of present day corporation.
They, Beard seems to show, coined
the, phrases used bly, Root. TAFT, and
Bailey today. To them constitution
making and government were strictly
business propositions. They took good
care OF themselves and their class
the business interests. There is not
human throb in their deliberations.
Hamilton argued that one great
advantage Of encouraging manufac-
turing would be to better utilize the
labor Of women, girls and children
Of tender age"
The people, as father Gerry put
1t, was "a great BEAST to be RE
strained" They. feared for democ-
racy. and for good reasons.
Patterned Public Securities.
For example, they provided for the
payment in full of the state ana ma
tional debts, although the face valus
OF the paper represented millions
more than had ever been paid for it.
Then as soon as Washington was
elected and .Hamilton's funding.
scheme was established, 40 of the mon
who drew up that provision turned up
at the United States treasury with
quantities Of soldiers script and pub
lie securities which were promptly ex-
changed by Hamilton for government
bonds This script and paper had
been bought by the fathers and their
friends-the bankers and spectators
from the needy soldiers and holders
at five, ten and twenty-five cents on
the dollar! Some Of them had actual
ly been clipped off," Beard declared,
from the interior Of the secret con-
vention as to what would be done
and they bought right and left. The
whole transaction netted a profit of
at least $4o,ooo,0oo, and was, the au-
thor laconically remarks, "the first
really great achievement Of nascent
capita lisrn in the Pnited States, For
~ millions then would relatively equal
two thousand millions now!
Bought Soldiers Script.
The continental congress could not
pay the soldiers and the national debts
because taxes were then levied direct,
In proportion to each mans wealth.
And the rich refused to pay! That is
the big secret why the old govern
ment failed.
The new government succeeded be-
cause the fathers abolished direct
taxes, hated by the rich, and threw
the burden Of the support of the new
government on the backs OF the
masses by means Of Tariff Law!
Chief Justice Marshall used to Dc.
claim from the supreme bench that
the constitution was made for the
benefit Of ''all" and ratified by all the
people. Prot. Beard with his facts
seems to prove that it was approved
by less than one-sixth Of the adult
males Of the period, and that it was
put over" by the wealthy classes in
high handed manner; large numbers
OF it's supporters in the state conven-
tiQns held public securities; that in
many instances practices akin to mo-
dern bribery were used to whip into
line delegates who had been pledged
by the people to vote against it. In
fact, that there was the hottest kind
of a fight between the people and the
business interests-and business won,