New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-01-20

| toTlANS, through excess OF pau iNttN
sentiment, have complaccnuy repre-
scented 10 TO be.
Mn BevcridCc has Craspcd the true
I meaning Of MarShals career. lie also
shows a real understanding Of the pre-
vailrg temper and tendencies Of the
America of q century 90 century and
& third ago, against which MarShalIs
political opinions and activities we're
an Impressive protest Marshall was
rGtionalist az a time when n8tionalism
WAS an idea highly repuguanf TO the
great mass OF Americans when sec
tioualiSm. pagticulsrism, localism and
extreme individualism obsCsScd nearly
all minds. lie stood for strong,
united centralized government when
the ideal Of a large majority o. the
american people was the weakest pos
Sible government many of them con-
sidcring q really efficient government
worse evil than no government at all.
The people Of the Thirteen Colonies
revolted against Great Britain more be
cause they dislkcO government than be
cause they disliked the particular form
OF government which Great Britain had
imposed on them. The frontier cond'
tions prevalent everywhere outside the
few cities. the lack Of communications.
the isolation Of most of the settlers
and the rude and hard conditions OF
their life had created fierce lmpa-
thence with governmental interference
Of any sort Most OF the people away
from the towns lived in a state OF m
perfect government bordering al
most on lswlessness.
There was a great enthusiasm at
first for the Revolution, which was to
rid the colonists of British oppression.
But when il became necessary 10 set
I'D an American government and 10
support that government through SIX
wears war. popular interest Ragged
and nearly petered out Most Amer
cans Of the Revolutionary period baked
at bearing the burdens and response
biities Of nationality. Congress, the
only governing power, feeble enough az
first, steadily sank IN esteem and creGIl
and finally was dlvested OF pracueaII|
all vestige Of sovereignty.
The conventional American historian
has vastly exaggerated the patriotism
of the Revolutionary period and vastly
overrated the virtues and ability OF
the Revolutionary statesmen. The
colonies did not want 20 form ma
ton. Nationality was thrust on them
nv circumstances. much against their
will. There were few men at that
time with a keen realization OF what
nationalism meant then TO tins country
and what il was TO mean thereafter
The fires Of what we understand as
ratriotism-devotio 10 a natlonalized
America-never burned lower than m
tho latter wears Of the Revolution, the
irterregnum period of the Confederacy
and the first years OF liberalization.
Marshalps service in the Continental
army forced on him vivid and PAIN
full appreciation OF the need OF ma
tionality- of the need OF government
firm enough and efficient enough 10
protect the country and 10 give II
chance 10 develop IN power ana en-,
cheney. He became an ardent natlohdI-
ist. ike Washington and Hamilton
and like Madison in the days before
the latter fell under Jefferson's demor-
slizinq influence. II is the great merit
of Mr.. Beverages study that IT. recrc-
ates the whole background OF Mar
shalTs career, blinking at none OF the
ugly facts. and that T. appraises Mar
sbalTs rugged nationcAsm as u ough
"a he appraised as the keen. lar
sighted. unfailing instinct OF an IN
common man. rising superior 10 Ihe
weaknesses and illusions Of ms time
and laboring always with true com
Drehension of the spirit OF the future
Marshall was naturally a federalla''
and became 4 FederalsJ leader. bu.
he WAS always more Of Nauonahs0
than a Federalist. He did not nave
tbc narrowness Of Federahsts IKE
Hamilton and Adams. lie was not,
Federelist because he dlstruSted the
people and wanted 10 erect a govern
nont representing property interests
alone. semi-aristocratlc IN form ana
baeod on q very limited suffrage. lie
vas far more democratic in ms man
nerS and ideas than any other OF I"e
Fcderalist chieftains. lie was lncaPd-
hle Of approving or conSenung 70 IhC
stunendous blunder OF the passage OF
tho Alien and Sedition laws the
thunder which more than anything else
,,,recl,ed Adams's administration ana
Tho Federalist party. When he was
candidate for the House OF Represen-
tetives from the Richmond district IN
1898 he wrote a letter IN when NJ
said that he was not an advocate OF
the Alien and SeditiOn acts. and GER
tainlv would have opposed them aad
he been i'm Congress at the time WhGh
tbev were under consideration. ne
also pledged himself TO vote against
reviviog them (they were then ABOUT
TO expire by their own limitation
This statement scandalized the Feu-
o,olists of New England and the
Middle States. They bitterly censured
Marshall for IT, Sedgwick, the req
eraiist Sneaker Of the House OF Rep.
resentatives. in which Marshall served
i'm 1899 and 1900, wrote Of nm: lie
" I.,osad TO express great