The people's voice., 1941-01-22
By o'BoYLE

BY O'BOfLE
Hamilton's government was to b,
: allied with men of wealth. It would
be rule Of aristocrats, of gentlemen
They should rule by strong military
establishment. An enthusiastic ad
mirer of Hamilton wrote, "The nearest
approach to his ideal government is
the popular conception of the empire
of Japan-a mass of intelligent human
1 ity, reckless Of their lives, yet filled
with the joy Of life, eager for distinc-
tion. hungry for success, alert, prac-
tical and merry; but at the same time
subordinate, humble and piously sub
ordinate, to pure abstraction That
abstraction, of course, must not be
rule by the people. Where the people
ruled was anarchy He told Washing
ton that he Tong since learned to hold
public opinion of no value"
So what did Hamilton do in the
Constitutional convention?
He presented in a five hour grafton
plan in which the president would
be elected for life; the senators for
life or the duration of good conduct
and by electors who had or who voted
for property. No state was to have
sovereignty. Governors would be ap-
pointed for life by the president and
have complete veto over all acts of
not enforce and he could ignore any
law he wished.
This was his plan but his inclina-
tion went farther. "The monarch .
ought to be hereditary, and to have
so much power that it would not be
to his interest to risk much to acquire
more" The country should be "res-
cued from democracy" Republics
are liable to corruption and intrigue"
and as a republican government does
not. admit of a vigorous execution, it
is therefore bad"
These are not Hitler's words nor
the words of fifth or sixth or sew
enth column but the words of Alex
ander Hamilton, the father of our
present brand of American Capitalistic |
democracy" that controls our country |
The power of the states should be |
The object of the admins |
tration should be to acquire for the |
federal government more consistency |
than the constitution seems to promise
for so great country to the end
that it may triumph altogether over
the state governments and reduce
hem to an utter subordination."
Hamilton had dislike for the Con-
5titution He accepted 1t "as better
han nothing" He said in his last
speech in the Constitutional conven-
ion, mo mans ideas are more re- i
note from the plan (the Constitution
If the United States) than my own are
Known to be; but is 1t possible to
deliberate between anarchy and con-
rood to be expected from the plan on
he other?"
Imagine how enthusiastically he I
would swear to uphold the Constitu-
ion. Would present day Capitalists
swear to uphold it If the fifth and
lCCutu hdh nv -OCCh
in their favor, or IL as a
irst principle 1t had defined that the
,rimal title to property comes from
iod our common Father and is written /
n every hungry face and in every h
uman need? That that living de- I
land is paramount and that mere {
sgal and paper titles come after? c
Would they swear? They would curse /
s well as swear!
Upon leaving the cabinet Hamilton S
eferred to himself as a monarchist 7
tho had mo objections to trial being t
lade of this thing of republic" C
Shortly before his death he wrote Il
Utterly about the constitution in n
hich he had no faith from the be- b
inning" and which he described as "a v
all and worthless fabric" p
On the night of Hamilton's death a
Iorris, his close friend wrote, "He I
as in principle opposed to republican Z
nd attached to monarchical govern Ia
ent, but then his opinions were gen. IL
ally known and have been long and C,
udly proclaimed. His share In form
g our constitution must be men,
oned and his unfavorable opinion
.nnot therefore be concealed"