The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-07-25


people in mind there, by his own pres
ence, of the existence and dignity of
the federal government, and to make
trial of their feeling toward it. They
received him with cordial enthusiasm,
for he was secure of their love and adj
| miration; and he had once more a
royal progress from place to place all
| the way to far New Hampshire and
back again.
He studiously contrived to make it
everywhere felt, nevertheless, by ev-
cry turn of ceremonial and behavior,
that he had come, not as the hero of
! the Revolution, but as the president
of the United States.
At Boston Governor Hancock
sought by cordial notes and pleas of
| illness to force Washington to waive
! the courtesy of a first call from him,
and so give the executive of Massa-
| chusetts precedence, if only for old
| friendships sake. But Washington
would not be so defeated of his err
rand; forced the perturbed old patriot
! to come to him. swathed as he was in
fannels and borne upon mems Shout
| ders up the stairs, received him with
grim courtesy, and satisfied the Cos
sips of the town once and for all that
precedence belonged to the federal
governmental any rate, SO long as
| George Washington was president
| Having seen him and feted him, the
eastern towns had seen and done hon.
l 70 hn ~
them. Washington was satisfied, and
returned with noticeable accession
of spirits to the serious work of fed
eral administration.
Hamilton His Support
No man stood closer to him in his
purpose to strengthen and give pres
| tige to the government than Hamil-
ton; and no man was able to discover
the means with a surer genius Ham
| ilton knew who the well-wishers OF the
new government were, whence it's
strength was to be drawn, what it
must do to approve itself great and
permanent, with an insight and thor.
| oughness Washington himself could
not match: for Hamilton knew Wash
ington and the seats of his strength in
the country as that self-forgetfuI man
himself could not.
He knew that it was the CONNER
cial classes of the country-such men
as he had himself dwelt amongst at
the great port at New York-who were
bound by selfinterest to the new gov
eminent, which promised them
single policy in trade, in the stead of
policies a half-score; and that the
men who were standing to it's support
out of a reasoned prudence, out of a
high-minded desire to secure good gov
eminent and a place of consideration
for their country amongst the nations
of the world, were individuals merely,
| to be found only in small groups here
and there, where a special light shone
in some minds.
He knew that Washington was
loved most for his national character
and purpose amongst the observant
| middle classes of substantial people
in the richer counties of Pennsylva-
| MIA, New Jersey, New York and New
| England, while his neighbors in the
south loved him with an individual at
lection only, and rather as their hero
| than as their leader in affairs.
He saw that the surest way to get
both popular support and interna-
tional respect was to give to the gov
eminent at once and in the outset a
| place of command in the business and
| material interests of the country. Such
policy every man could comprehend.
| and great body of energetic and in
| duential men would certainly support;
| that alone could make the government
seem real from the first-a veritable
| power, not an influence and a shadow
merely.
Here was man, unquestionably,
who had quick genius in affairs; and
| Washington gave him leave and initf
ative with such sympathy and COM
prehension and support as only a ma
ture equally bold and equally original
could have given. Hamilton's meas
ures jumped with Washington's pur-
pose, ran with Washington's percep-
ton of national interests; and they
were with Washington's aid put into
execution with a promptness and de-
cision which must have surprised the
friends of the new government no less
than it chagrined and alarmed it's en-
| emies.
His Plan of Finance.
| Having done it's work of organiZa-
ton during it's first summer session.
the congress came together again,
January 4. 1890, to attempt the formu-
lation of policy of government. and
Hamilton at once laid before it plan
for the settlement of the public debt"
which he had drawn and Washington
had sanctioned. He proposed that
provision should be made for the pay
ment of the foreign debt in full-that
of course; that the domestic debt, the
despised promises ana paper of the
Confederation, should be funded and
paid; and that the debts contracted by
the several states in the prosecution