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Show !B Li lib AARON BURR. I 'I Falfe "n "Aaron Burr Legion" has been organized I ' I' fill' n E08-011 to rehabilitate the memory of Aaron I ( IB II Burr. ' I fl i I rn''s s causmS much comment, and editors 4 II II everywhere are giving their ideas of Aaron Burr. ' 8 w 11 seems simple enough. His was the brightest B' r '1 ill intellect of his age; he was the most subtile of B' 1 1 I fir lawyers, one of the bravest of sojdiers, a proud, B r ' I high-bred American, and we do not believe that he ever for a moment harbored a thought of be- !trayal or of treason to his country, for he had helped create it, was proud of It, his own fame was interwoven with it. But he was ambitious, selfish, envious, and when he saw men less accomplished ac-complished than himself promoted he nursed a sullen wrath and thought he was not appreciated. He filled almost perfectly the description of the man in the story who, to avoid physical pain, had sold his soul to the devil. He was irresistible to women, men were magnetized under the charm of his voice and bearing. In answer to a question, ques-tion, by a young attorney, as to how long a lawyer's law-yer's argument before a court should be, Chief Justice Marshall replied: " It depends altogether upon the lawyer. Burr can often in twenty minutes min-utes so tie up a jury that it takes me three-quarters of an hour to straighten it out." Still the only evidence that comes down to us of any real affection that he ever displayed was toward his daughter, and there was as much satisfied pride and egotism as love In his devotion to her. She was his girl, through her he was honored and flattered. His Hatred of Hamilton was that Hamilton was more honored than he was; that his countrymen loved him more and trusted him more. He was envious of and cynical toward George Washington. Washing-ton. When shown Washington's picture he sneer-lngly sneer-lngly declared that the picture was not a likeness, like-ness, and added: "The foot in the picture is that of , a dragoon in the regiment. Washington's Wash-ington's feet are big and ugly beyond description." That showed the nature of the man. He had noticed the feet of the dragoon and was envious of them; when he saw them copied and Incorporated Incor-porated In Washington's picture he was angry. That Is, Aaron Burr was one of the bralnest of men, but his heart was absolutely barren and cold. His affection for his child was that of a lioness for her cub, and was relieved by no Impulse Im-pulse of generosity for mankind at large. There never was the slightest restraint on his passions except that he could not afford to wound either jB fiis own pride or his own self-respect. Considera- B tion for the rights of others he could not com- SB prehend; he was merciless alike to men and wo- B men; he could have made all the speeches that B Milton puts in the mouths of Ms devils after the B fall and could have delivered them in a way to B charm all his audience. That is he was all mind B and no soul. There is no occasion to try to re- B habilitate his memory. He fixed his own place. B "Though his tongue dropped manna, and could B make the worse appear the better reason, to per- B plex and dash maturest counsels," It was but a B play of acute intellect, there was no heart in it, B and down deep his thought was "rather than be less" than any other man, he "cared not to be B at all." m B |