Evening star., 1926-04-03
dividual advantages to the interest OF

dividual advantages to the interest of
the community
| AT the trade convention held at An
napolis in September 1886, to which
very few States sent representatives,
! there was just one important action,
! the report, which Alexander Hamilton
| drew up, calling for general conven-
ton to be held in Philadelphia in May,
| 1887. to amend the Articles of Con
! federation. Thus. as the Cambridge
| History of the United States says:
Every great undertaking has it's mas
ter spirit. The master spirit of the
convention that framed the ConStitu-
tion and of all that led to 1t was AL
eXander Hamilton"
| AT the constitutional convention OF
| 1887 Hamilton made but one great
| speech, and in that he took such an
extreme position in favor of central
ization of power that he could not gain
| supporters. When the Constitution
had been drawn up he saw that it
must be adopted If the disorders were
not to continue. In an earnest speech
he urged all the delegates to sign 1t,
as he himself did
| After the convention Hamilton did
wholly unparalleled service in explain
ing and defending the Constitution
and In leading to it's ratification. He
| great was local feeling people We're
against the Constitution. Between
| October, 1887, and April 1888. Ham
| ilton. with some help from James
| Madison and John Jay, wrote the
series of Federalist papers.
| OF that work Henry Cabot. Lodge
said Hamilton rendered his greatest
! services To the cause of the Constltu-
| housewives more important ana
more effective than those Of any other
one man at this last stage of what
was in truth a great political revolu-
! tion. THE Federalist. = continues Sen
| ator Lodge. throughout the length
and breadth of the United States. did
more than anything else that was
| either written or spoken to secure the
! adoption Of the new scheme.
| The 81 papers of the Federalist
| made a defense of the Constitution
| that was powerful beyond belief. The
| opponents of Union" says Frederick
| $. Oliver, had no artillery of suffi-
cient weight TO reply to the Federalist
and to withstand its tremendous at
| tack" Because of that work the Con
| stitution gained ratification.
! With all his heart Hamilton believed
what he had written: we must Sc
cure our Union on solid foundations
| a herCulean task and to effect which
| mountains of pre- judice must be level
| ed" Perhaps because of the great
| ness of his effort he produced in the
! Federalist what Joseph II. Choate
| called the book which is thought by
many competent authorities to be the
greatest book that America has given
/ to the world
! Hamilton did not confine his efforts
merely to writing. In the New York
/ convention of 1888. for the Considera-
| tion of the ratification of the Consti.
! tuition, Hamilton found Gov. George
! Clinton and ma jority of 26 mem
! bers heartily opposed to ratification
With all his powers he threw himself
into the debate. When some one told
him that the convention had risen. he
said sharply: Tell them that the con
ventiOn shall never rise until the Con.
stitution is adopted" He continued
| the fight until he won the New York
ratification by q majority of two
votes. 'Federalization. says one
writer, was his passion and to it he
gave all his natural genius and all
the energy of his life
In this great work" SAYS John
Lord. Hamilton rendered a mighty
service to his country. Nothing but
the conclusive arguments which he
made, assisted by Jay and Madison.
ii'uScu titt pcOpic IuHN 10 q sense or
the danger attending an imperfect
union OF States. BY the efforts of
Hamilton outside the convention. more
even than in the convention, the Con
stitution was finally adopted-first by
Delaware and last by New York. in
1888. So difficult was the work of
construction. We forget the obsta-
cles and the anxieties and labors of
our early statesmen in the enjoyment
Of our present liberties"
In addition to all else Hamilton in.
sisted, says Randolph Leigh, that in
creating the Government it was i'm.
pied that 1t was to have the powers
necessary to its successful and vigor.
Gus operation II was Hamil.
,on' the master-builder of the Repub-
nc. VINO formulated the doc.
trine without which our national de-
Velopment would have been impOs.
sible. The Literary Digest.