Show installment 23 A chain had been stretched across the street in front ot the house achere he lay to check the noisy traffic that might have disturbed him more deeply in his fever but the government had not stood still the while he had steadily attended to important mat as he could tinas scarcely necessary he should be out ot bed and abroad again to make all aho vho handled affairs feel his mastery and by the time the summer was ended that mas tery was founded upon knowledge the first cabinet dy the end of september 1789 congress had completed its work of organization and washington bad drawn his permanent advisers about him the federal courts too had been erected and given definitive ju the new government had taken distinct shape and was ready to digest its business in detail wash ington chose alexander hamilton to be secretary of the treasury henry knox to be secretary ot war thomas jefferson secretary of state and ed randolph attorney general young men all except jefferson and he was but forty six the fate of the government was certain to turn first of all upon ques alons of finance it was hopeless por erty that had brought the Con federa lion into deep disgrace the new government had inherited rom it nothing but a great debt and the first test of character to which the new plan in affairs would be put whether at home or abroad was the test of its ability to sustain its financial credit with businesslike thoroughness and statesmanlike wisdom hamiltons critical post alexander hamilton was only thirty two years old he bad been a spirited and capable soldier and an astute and eloquent advocate but he had not had a days experience in the tion of a great governmental department and had never handled so tar BS men knew bad never studied questions of public finance washing ton chose him nevertheless without hesitation for what must certainly turn out the most critical post in his administration no man saw more clearl than washington did how large a capacity for statesman phlp hamilton had shown in his masterly papers in advocacy of the alon he bad known hamilton moreover through all the quick years that had brought him from precocious youth to wise maturity had read his letters and felt the singular power that moved in them and was ready to trust whatever task he would consent to assume henry khoa that gallant of the revolution had been already four years secretary of war for the canted in appointing him to the eime office under the new alon washington was but retaining a man whom he loved and to whom he had for long been accustomed to look for friendship and counsel jeffersons wide experience he chose thomas jefferson to handle the delicate questions of foreign at fairs which must press upon the young detate because john adams being vice president there was no other man of equal gifts available who had had so large an experience in tho field 0 dl again and again jefferson bad been chosen for foreign missions under the confederation he was american minister to france when i washington summons called him to the of state and he came of that race of virginia states men from whom washington might reasonably count upon receiving a support touched with personal loyala richard henry lee patrick henry and george mason were home keeping spirits and doubted of the success of the new government but jefferson though he had looked unan its biking from across the sea approved and as ready to lend his aid to its EUC establishment in appointing edmund randolph to be attorney general washington was rut choosing a brilliant young man whom ha loved out of a great family of lawyers who had held a sort of primacy at tua bar in virginia ever tance he could remember almost ever cance she had been called the old doi minion knox was thirty nine edmund ran dolph thirty six but it washington chose men to be his comrades find guides in counsel it was but an other proof of his own mastery in himself a natural leader he recognized the like gift and capac ity in others even when fortune had not yet disclosed or brought them to the test j hard to fill offices it was bard in filling even the great er offices to find men of eminence ahu were willing to leave the service of their states or the security and ease of private life to try the paths of federal government the elates were old and secure so men thought the federal government was new and an experiment phe stronger sort of men particularly amongst trobe bred to the law showed many of them a great reluctance to identity tj cm selves with new institutions sst 1 but five or el months ago and wash beato bo meant to make verja liberal allowance for differences of opinion would invite no man to eland with him in the new service who did not thoroughly believe in it he was careful to seek out six of the best lawyers to be had lu the country when he made up the su preme court and to choose them from as many states john jay of new york to be chief justice john rut ledge of south carolina william gushing of massachusetts john of virginia james allson of penn sylvania syl vanla and R II 11 of mary land for he knew that the govern ment must draw its strength from the men who administered it and that the common run of people must learn to respect it in the persons of its officers but he was equally careful to find out in advance of every appointment what the man whom he wished to ask thought of the new government and wished its future to be many to whom he offered appoint ment declined minor offices seemed most to go a begging amongst men of assured position such as it was bis object to secure it needed all the tact and patience he could command to draw about him a body of men such as the country must look up to and revere ills letters again went abroad by the hundred and as so often before to persuade men to their duty build a bulwark of right opinion round about the government make his purposes clear and his plans effective he bould spare no pains to make the government both great and permanent tours eastern states in october 1789 his principal ap all made the government in full operation and affairs standing still till congress should meet again he went upon a four weeks tour of the eastern states to put the people in mind there by bis own pros 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 and ad mi ration and he had once more a royal progress from place to place all abo way to tar new hampshire and back again ho studiously contrived to make it everywhere felt nevertheless by every turn of ceremonial and behavior that he had come not as the hero of the revolution but as the president of the united slates at boston governor hancock sought by cordial notes and of illness to force washington to waive the courtesy of a first call from him and so give the executive of missa chu precedence it only for old friendships sake but washington would not be BO defeated of his errand forced the perturbed old patriot to come to him swathed as ho was in flannels and borne upon mens shou ders up the stairs received him with arim courtesy and satisfied the gossips of the town once and tor all that precedence belonged to the federal government at any rate BO long as george washington was president having seen him and feted him the eastern towns had seen and done horn age to the new authority set over them washington was satisfied and returned with a noticeable accession of spirits to the serious work of fe eral administration hamilton his support no man stood closer to him in his purpose to strengthen and give alge to the government than hamil ton and no man was able to discover the means with a surer genius ham allton the well wishers of the new government were whence its strength was to be drawn what it must do to approve itself great and permanent with an insight and ibor ough ness washington himself could not match for hamilton knew ash ington and the seats of his strength in the country as that pelt forgetful man himself could not he knew that it was the commer caal classes of the country such men as he bad himself dwelt amongst at the great port at new york who were bound by self interest to the now gov eminent which promised them a single policy in trade in the of policies a half score and that the men who were standing to its support out of a reasoned prudence out of a high minded desire to secure good government and a place of consideration for their country amongst the nations of the world were individuals merely to be found only in small groups hero and there where a special light rhone in some minds he knew that washington was loved most for his national character cha and purpose amongst the observant middle classes of substantial people in the richer counties of Penn sIva ala new jersey new york and new england while his neighbors in the south loved him with an individual at only and rather as their hero than as their leader in affairs he saw that the surest way to get both popular support and respect was to give to the gov at once and in the outset a place of command in the business and material interests of ahn country such a policy every man could comprehend and a great body of energetic and in fluent lal men bould certainly eup rort that atone could make the government real from the first a veritable power not an influence and a shadow merely here was a man unquestionably who had a in affairs and gave him leave and atle with such sympathy and corn and support as only a na equally bold and equally original could have given hamilton a meas ures lumped with washington s pur pose ran with washington s perception ot national interests and they were with aid put into execution with a promptness and decision which must have surprised the friends of the new government no less than it chagrined and alarmed its en emles his plan of finance having done its work of alon during its first bummer session the congress came together again january 4 1790 to attempt the formu lation of a policy of government and at once laid before it a 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 tha foreign debt in full that of course that the domestic debt the despised promises and paper of the confederation should be funded and paid and that the debts contracted by the several states in the prosecution of the war for independence should be assumed by the general govern ment as the debt of the nation no one could doubt that the foreign debt must be paid in full to thai con gross agreed heartily and without hes but there was much in the rest of the plan to give prudent men pause to pay oft the paper of the confederation would be to give to the speculators who had bought it up in the hope of just euca a measure a gratuity of many times what they had paid for it to assume the state debts would be taken to mean that the states were bankrupt or delinquent that the federal government was to be their guardian and financial proal dence and that the capital of the country must look only to the govern ment of the nation not to the govern ment of the states tor security and profitable employment this was nationalizing the government with a ven geande and was a plain bid behildes bei ldes to win the money class to its support members whose constituencies lay away from the centers of trade looked askance at such measures and deemed them no better than handing the government over to the money lenders of the towns but boldness and energy prevailed aa they had prevailed in the adoption of the alon itself and both measures were carried through the houses the first at once the second after a close and doubtful struggle by stratagem and barter part 0 plan opposed jefferson had been in france when washington called him to assume the headship of foreign affairs at home had not reached new york on his return voyage until december 23 1789 and did not take his place in washing tons council till march 21 1790 all of hamiltons great plan had by that time passed congress except the as of the state debts upon that question a crisis bad been reached it had wrought congress to a dangerous heat of feeling mem bers from the south where fiade was not much astir and financial interests told for less than local pride and sharp jealousy of a too great central power were set hotl against the measure most of the northern mem bers were as hotly resolved upon its adoption mr jefferson must hae caught echoes and rumors of the grait debate as he lingered at monticello in order to adjust hs private affairs before en terling upon his duties in the cabinet the measure had been lost at last in the house by the narrow margin of two votes but the minority were in no humor to submit they declined to transact any business at all till they should be yielded to in this mitter m itter there were even ugly threats to be beard that some would withdraw from congress and force a dissolution of the union rather than make concessions upon the one side or the other jeffersons support won it was to this pass that things bad come when mr jefferson reached the sent of government and hla arrival gave hamilton an opportunity to show how consummate a politician he could be in support of his statesmanship the southern members wanted the seat of the federal government lashed within their reach upon the po tomac where congress might at least bo rid of importunate merchants and money lenders clamoring at ita doors and of impracticable quakers with their petitions for the abolition of slavery and were almost as hot at their failure to get their will in that matter as the northern men were to find themselves defeated upon the question of the state debts mr jefferson was fresh upon the field was strong among the southern members was not embroiled or corn matted in the quarrel hamilton be sought him to intervene tb success of the government waa at be said and mr Jeff enoa could fluek it out of peril it not be ut tho southern men would consent ta vote for the assumption of the state debts it the northern members would vote for a capital on the the suggestion came as if upon the thought of the at a chance on the street as the two men waked and talked of matters of the day but it was very eloquently urged mr jefferson declared he was really a stranger to the whole subject but would be glad to lend what aid he could would not mr hamilton dine with him the next day to meet and confer with a few of the southern members 9 in the genial air of the dinner table the whole difficulty was talked away two of the diners agreed to vote tor the assumption of the state debts it mr hamilton could secure a majority for a capital on the potomac and congress presently ratified the bargain there was not a little astonishment at the sudden clearing of tha skies the waters did not go down at once hints of a scandal and ot the shipwreck of a name or two went about the town and spread to the country but congress had come out of its angry tangle of factions calm had returned to the government and hamilton s plan stood finished and complete he had nationalized the government as he wished jefferson la chagrined it was this fact that moat struck the eye of jefferson when he bad set tied to his work and had come to see affairs steadily and as a whole at the seat of government he saw hamil ton supreme inthe cabinet and in leg Islat lon not because either the dent or congress was weak but because hamilton was a master in his new field and both congress and the president had accepted his leadership it chagrined jefferson deeply to see that he had himself assisted at ham triumph had himself made it complete indeed he could not easily brook successful rivalry in leadership must have expected to find himself not hamilton preferred in the coun sels of a virginia president was beyond measure dismayed to |