OCR Text |
Show I THE 4TiAM C were willing to leave the service of states or the security and ease their across chain had been stretched life to try the untrodden of private the street (n front of the house where federal The of paths he lay, to check the noisy traffic that states were old andgovernment secure so inen him more have disturbed deepmight the federal government was ly In his fever. Rut the government thought new and an experiment. Tbe stronger had not stood still the while. He had sort of men, amongst steadily attended to important mat- those bred to theparticularly showed, many law, ters as he could. 'Twas scarcely neca great reluctance to identify of them, out he bed should be of and essary with new Institutions set abroad again to make all who handled themselves or months ago; and Washfive six but affairs feel his mastery; and by the time the summer was ended that mas- ington, though he meant to make very Installment 23 A tery was founded upon knowledge. The First Cabinet. the end of September (1789) congress had completed Its work of had organization and Washington drawn his permanent advisers about him. The federal courts, too, had been erected and given definitive jurisdiction. The new government had taken distinct shape, and was ready to digest Its business In detail. Washington chose Alexander Hamilton to be secretary of the. treasury, Henry Knox to he secretary of war. Thomas Jefferson secretary of state, and Edmund Randolph attorney general young men all, except Jeffersou. and he was but forty-six- . The fate of the government was certain to turn, first of all, upoi questions of finance. It was hopeless poverty that had brought the Confedera-(tlointo deep disgrace; the new government had inherited from 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 Pest. Alexander Hamilton was only thirty-twyears old. Ilu hail been a spinred and capable soldier and an astute and eloquent i.dvocate; but hu had not had a days experience In the administration of a great governmental department, and had never bandied so far as men kmw, had never studied questions of public finance. .Washing- By n o HlU.-'l- 1 hill?. 'Rhum must certainiy i:ul,vrihi-Ie6p- hesitation, for what turn out the most critical post in his administration. No man saw more-c-learl- y than Washington did a capacity for st:itesmai-eh!Hamilton had shown in his masterly-paper- s in advocacy of the Const ilu tion. lie had known Hamilton, moreover, through ell the quick years that bed brought him from precocious youth to wise maturity; had rend his letters and felt the singular lower that moved in them; and was readv to trust h'm with whatever task he would cousrnt to asi.ui.iu. Hi nry Knox, that galbnt officer of the Revolution, hud ulready tour peer cccretury or war for the Coifed-ration- . In appointing him tu the came offire under the new Constitution, Washington was but retaining a man whom he loved and to whom be had for lone been accustomed to look for friendship and counsel. Jeffrraans Wide Experience. He chose Thomas Jeffersou to handle the delicate questions of foreign affairs which must press upon the young atate because, John Adams being there was no other mun of qual gifts available who had had so large an experience in the field of diplomacy. Again and again Jefferson bad been chosen for foreign missions under the Confederation; he was American ministry to France when Washingtons summons called him to the secretaryship of state; and he came of that race of Virginia statesmen from whom Washington might reasonably count upon receiving a sup-with personal loyalty. Krt touched Henry Lee. Patrick Henry and George Mason were spirits, and doubted of the success of the new government; but Jefferson, though be had looked upon Its making from across tbe sea, approved, and was ready to lend his aid to Us suchow-larg- e be--- vice-preside- home-keepin- g cessful establishment. In appointing Edmund Randolph to be attorney general, Washington was but choosing a brilliant young man whom he loved out of a great faintly of lawyers who had held a sort of primacy at the bar 1u Virginia ever since he could remember almost ever since she bad been culled the Old Dominion. Knox was thirty-ninEdmund Ranbut if Washington dolph thirty-six- ; chose young men to be his comrades end guides In counsel, it was but another capital proof of hia own mastery fn affairs. Himself a natural leader, be recugnlzed the like gift and capacity in others, even when fortune had not yet disclosed or brought them to e, tbe test. it HM to Fill Offices, acs hard. In filling even the great- er ofies, to nuiI iii.-i- i of eminenca who liberal allowance for differences of opinion, would Invite no man to stand 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 Supreme court, and to choose them from as many states John Jay of New York to be chief justice; Johu Rutledge of South Carolina, William Cushing of Massachusetts, John Ulair of Virginia; James Wilson of Pennsylvania, and R. 11. Harrison of Maryland for he knew that the government must draw its strength from the men who administered it, and that the common run of people must learu to respect it In the persons of its officers. Rut 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 appointment declined; minor offices seemed most to go amongst men of assured position rucli aB it was his 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. His letters again went abroad by tho hundred, and. aa so often before, to persuade men to their duty, build a bulwark of right opinion round about the government, make his purposes clear and liis plans effective. He would Bparc no pains to make the government both great and permanent. Tours Eastern States. In October. 1789, hVa prlnH-vi- i the government fn full operation, andf affairs standing still till congress should meet Again, he went upon a four weeks, tour of the eastern stales, to put the people in mind there, by his own presence, of the existence and dignity of the federal i.ovcrnment, and to make trial of their feeling toward it. They received him with cordial enthusiasm, foy he was Becure of their love and admiration; and he bad once more a royal progress from place to place all the way to fur New Hampshire and back again. He studiously 'contrived to make It everywhere felt, nevertheless, by every turn of ceremonial and beharfor. 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 Massachusetts precedence, if only for old friendships sake. But Washington would not be so defeated of his errand; forced the perturbed old patriot to come to him. swathed as he was In flannels and borne upon mens shoulders up the stairs, received him with gritn courtesy, and satisfied the gossips of the town once and for all that precedence belonged to the federal government at any rate, so long as George Washington was president Having seen him and feted him, the eastern towns bad seen and done homage to the new authority set over them. Washington was satisfied, and returned with a noticeable accession of spirits to the serious work of fed. eral administration. Hamilton His Support closer to him In his purpose to strengthen and give prestige to the government than Hamilton; and no man was able to discover the means with a surer genius. Hamilton knew who the 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 thoroughness Washington himself could n not match: for Hamilton knew and, the seats of his strength In man the country as that himself could not He knew that it was the commeruch men cial classes of the country as he had himself dwelt amongst at the great port at New York who were to tlto new govbound by ernment, which promised them a single policy In trade, In tho stead of and that the policies a men who were standing to Its support out of a reasoned prudence, out of a d desire to secure good government and a place of consideration No man 6tbod well-wishe- Wash-ingto- self-forgetf- self-intere- st half-scor- high-minde- e; GLOBE-HEADE- PAYSON, UTAH R. 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 rmost for his national character and purpose amongst the observant middle classes of substantial people In the richer counties of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and New England, while his neighbors in the south loved him with an individual affection only, and rather as their hero than as their leader in affairs. He saw that tbe surest way to get both popular support and International respect was to give to the government at once and In the outaet a place of command in the business and material interests of the country. Such policy every man could comprehend, and a great body of energetic and in-fluentlal 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 a man, unquestionably, who had a quick genius In affairs; and Washington gave him leave and Initiative with such sympathy and comprehension and support as only a equally bold and equully original could have given. Hamilton's measures Jumped with Washingtons purpose, ran with Washingtons perception of national Interests; and they were with Washington's aid pul into execution with a prpmptness and decision which must have surprised the friends of the new government no less than it chagrined and alarmed its enemies. His Plan of Finance. Having done Its work of organization during its first summer session, the congress came together sgain, January 4, 1790, to attempt the formulation of a policy of government, and Hamilton at once luid before it a plan for the settlement of the public debt which he had drawn and Washington had sanctioned. He proposed that should he made for the payprovision ment of the foreign debt in full that of course; that the domestic debt, the despised promises end 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 government as the debt of the nation. , No one could doubt that the foreign debt must be paid in full: to that congress agreed heartily and without hesitation. But there was much lu the rest of the plan to give prudent men - pay off paper of the P:.lil.(l. rConfedrAaSBTl speculators, who had bought it up in the hop of just such a measure, a many times what they had gratuity paid for 'it. To assume the state debts would to' .taken to mean that the states were bankrupt or delinquent, that thefederal government vitas to be their guardian and financial providence, and that the capital of the country must look only to the government of the nation, not to the government of the states, for security and profitable employment This was nationalizing the government with a vengeance, and was a plain bid, besides, to win the money class to its support Members whose constituencies lay away from the centers of trade looked at such measures, and askance deemed them no better than handing the government over to the money lenders of the towns. But boldness and energy prevailed, as they had prevailed In the adoption of the Constitution 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 of Plan Opposed. Jefferson had been In France when Washington called him to assume the headship of foreign, affaire at home; had not reached New York on his return voyage until December 23, 1789; and did not take hie place In Washington's council till March 21, 1790. All of Hamilton's great plan had by that time passed congress, except the assumption of the state debts. Upon that question a crisis had been reached. It had wrought congress to Mema dangerous heat of feeling. bers from the south, where trade was not much astir and financial Interests told for less than local pride and sharp Jealousy of a too great central power, were set hotly against the measure; most of the northern members were as hotly resolved upon Its adoption. Mr. Jefferson must have caught echoes and rumors of the great debate as he lingered at Monticello In order to adjust his private affairs before entering upon his duties In the cabinet The measure had been lost at last In the house 'byaanfo narrow margin of two votes. But tie minority were In no humor to submit They declined to transact any business at all till they should be yielded to In this matter. There were even, ugly . threats to be heard that some would withdraw from congress and fbrei a dissolution of the Union ra.her thap make concessions upon the one sldj or the other. Jeffersons Support- Won. It was to this hiss that things had come when .Mr. Xiffersop reached the eat of government; and his arrival a ns-tur- - if - e gave Hamilton an opportunity to sho how consummate a politician he could be In support of his statesmanship. The southern members wanted the seat of the federal government established within their reach, upon the Potomac, where congress might at least be rid of Importunate merchants and money lenders clamoring at Us doors, and of Impracticable Quakers with their petitions for the abolition of slavery; and wfere almost as hot at their failure to get their will In that matter as the northern men were to find themselves defeated upon the' queation of the state debta. Mr. Jefferson was fresh upon the field, was strong among the southern members, was not embroiled or committed in the quarrel. Hamilton him to Intervene. The success of the government was at stake, he said, and Mr. Jefferson could pluck it out of peril. Might it not t9 that the southern men would consent to vote for the assumption of the state debts if thfe northern members would vote for a capital on the Potomac? The suggestion came as If upon the thought of the moment, at a chance meeting on the street, as the two men walked 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? In the genial air of th dinner-tablthe whole difficulty wai talked away. Two of the diners agreed to vote for the assumption of tbe state debts If Mr. Hamilton could secure s majority for a capital on the Potomac; and congress presently ratified the bargain. There was not a little astonishment at the sudden clearing of the skies. The waters did not go down at once; hints of a scandal and of the ship wreck of a fair 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 Hamiltons plan stood finished and complete. He had nationalized the government as he wished. Jefferson Is Chagrined. It was this fact that most struct the eye of Jefferaon when he had set tied to his work and had come to sec affairs steadily and as a whole at the seat of government. He saw Hamll ton Bupreme In the cabinet and in leg islation not because either the president or congress was weak, but be a niutsr in hli a e ynnil " I t president had accepted his leadership It chagrined Jefferson deeply to set that he had himself assisted at Ham ilton's triumph, had himself made It complete, Indeed. He could not easllj brook successful rivalry In leadership; must have expected to find himself not Hamilton, preferred in the coun sels of a Virginia president; was be yond measure dismayed to see the administration already In the hands as it seemed, of a man just two month! He began erf turned of thirty-threlong to declare that he had been "most Ignorantly and innocently made to hold the candle" to the sharp work of the secretary of the treasury, having been "a stranger to the circumstances." But It was not the circum stances of which he had been Ignorant; it was the effect of what he had done upon hiB own wish to play the chlel role In the new government When he came to a calm scrutiny of the matter, he did not like the assumption of the state debts, and, what was more serious for a man of political ambition, It was bitterly distasteful to the very men from' whom he must look to draw a following when parties should form. He felt that he had been tricked; he knew that he had been outrun in the race for leadership. What he did not understand or know how to reckon with was the place and purpose of Washington In the government. Hamilton had been Washingtons aide and confidant when a lad of twenty, and knew in what way those must rule who served under uch a chief. He knew that Washington must first be convinced and rwon; did not for a moment doubt that the president held the reins and was master; was aware that his own plans had prospered both in the making and In the adoption because the purpose they spoke was the 'purpose Washington most cherished. Washington had adopted the fiscal measures as hie own; Hamiltons strength consisted In having his confidence and support. Washington and Jefferson. Jefferson had slowly to discover that leadership In the cabinet was to be had, not by winning a' majority of the counsellors who sat in it, but by winning Washington. That masterful man asked counsel upon every question of consequence, but took nope hie own Judgment did not approve. He bad chosen Hamilton because he knew his views, Jefferson only because he knew his Influence, ability, and experience in affairs. When he did test Jefferson's views he found them less to his liking than he had ex pected. (TO BE CONTINUED.) e. UTAH STATE NEWS Reports from various canneries la the vicinity of Ogden indicate that the tomato crop for this season will be larger Large orchards in Salt Lake county 93 per cent free from the codling moth, according to the monthly report for July of the county horticultural Inspector. A site has been purchased, consisting of eighteeu acres, for the Roosevelt high school, and immediate steps will be taken for the erection of a $3J,U0( building. Set upon by thugs in the freight yards in Ogden. Joseph Burnett, a watchman, was terribly beaten about the face and head and was so severely injured he had to be removed to the hospital. A red hot rivet, falling from the eighth floor of the Eccles building now In course of construction in Ogden, struck Henry T. Atwood in the back, causing partial paralysis. He is in the hospital in a serious condition. A railroad Into the Uintah basin from Green River city is the talk of residents of Roosevelt. Baron Von Horst of London, purchaser of several thousand acres of land near Roosevelt, is behind the railroad move. Leon J. Ilildebrandt, a soldier ol fortune, who says that he makes his living by participating in revolutions, left Salt Lake City last week for New Yoik City, from where he will sail for Venezuela to Join the revolutionist, Castro. Acocrding to a report Just issued by the Builders Association of Chicago, the rate of wages by the hour paid In Salt Lake City Is less only than mat paid in San Francisco and Seattle, of the larger cities among twenty-twof the country. Orders have been Issued by the Ogden chief of police to arrest all youthful drivers of motor vehicles who exceed the speed li.nits in thelf attempts to outdistance the automobiles of tbe (ire department during the runs of those machines. William D. Shaw dropped dead at Logan on the 7th. He arose and went out after some kindling, and when he did not return his wife sought him. She found his lifeless body just outside tbe door. He was about sixty years of age and leages a family. Reports received from the several sugar plants of the amalgamated dls- are o - oiwueel crops, according flcials of the BUgar company. iTHtaiurrrjr to of- - The average tonnage for the Utah district is estimated at twelve tons per acre All the stores in Provo were closed Wednesday because of the annual outing of the retail clerks, held at Geneva, on Utah lake. 'More than 2,00i were In attendance at the festivities, which included a long program ol sports and did not finally end till after midnight. The wheat and oat crop in Cache last valley were Beriously damaged week by a hailstorm. In the vlcinitj of Lewiston the hail, which was In some cases half an inch in diameter stripped the leaves from the sugai beet plants and beat the oats and wheat from the stalks. Another farm demonstrator hai been appointed to supplement those already In the field. This is Lorln A. Merrill of Logan, and his field is tc be Sevier county. The appointment of these state agricultural specialists was authorized by the act of the recent legislature. After making a trip of inspection over the new state road from)Willard to Brigham, the county commissioners decided to complete the road at an additional cost of perhaps $5,000, which will be paid entirely by Box Elder county. The road will be one of the best In the state when completed. A bolt of lightning struck one of tl)e compressing plants of the Utah Copper company at Bingham, Sunday afternoon, starting a fire that did about $45,000 damages. While climbing up on some ties In Ogden, Donald Anderson, 6 years old, was crushed under several of the ieavy timbers which fell upon the boy, crushing him and causing internal Injuries. He is In a precarious : conditon. The new fruit packing house which is being erected at Orchard on the Bamberger route by the Ogden Fruitgrowers association, will be even larger than at first planned, a basement for storage of apples having been added. R. F. Spencer, 22 years of ago, arrested at Salt Lake several days sgo cn suspicion of being George Arthur Harper, wanted In Callente on a charge of shooting two men to death and wounding a third on the night of June 30, has been released. Lightning struck the steeple of the Granger nutating house Sunday evening In the midst of a severe electrical storm. The steeple was practically demolished and the fropt of the building was considerably danlaged if the bolt traveled to the ground. - - |