University of Virginia Library

5344. MONARCHY, Hamilton and.—

[Alexander] Hamilton's financial system had
then [1790] passed. It had two objects. First,
as a puzzle, to exclude popular understanding
and inquiry. Secondly, as a machine for the
corruption of the Legislature; for he avowed
the opinion, that man could be governed by one
of two motives only, force or interest. [332] Force,
he observed, in this country was out of the
question; and the interests, therefore, of the
members must be laid hold of, to keep the
Legislature in unison with the Executive. And
with grief and shame it must be acknowledged
that his machine was not without effect; that
even in this, the birth of our government, some
members were found sordid enough to bend
their duty to their interests, and to look after
personal, rather than public good. * * * [The measures of Hamilton's financial system,—the Funding and United States Bank Acts,

&c.,] added to the number of votaries to the
Treasury, and made its Chief the master of
every vote in the Legislature, which might
give to the government the direction suited to
his political views. I know well, and so must
be understood, that nothing like a majority in
Congress had yielded to this corruption. Far
from it. But a division, not very unequal, had
already taken place in the honest part of that
body, between the parties styled republican
and federal. The latter being monarchists in
principle, adhered to Hamilton of course, as
their leader in that principle, and this mercenary
phalanx added to them, ensured him always
a majority in both Houses; so that the
whole action of the Legislature was now under
the direction of the Treasury. * * * By
this combination, legislative expositions were
given to the Constitution, and all the administrative
laws were shaped on the model of England,
and so passed. * * * Here then was
the real ground of the opposition which was
made to the course of administration. Its
object was to preserve the Legislature pure
and independent of the Executive, to restrain
the administration to republican forms and
principles, and not permit the Constitution to
be construed into a monarchy, and to be warped
in practice into all the principles and pollutions
of their favorite English model. Nor
was this an opposition to General Washington.
He was true to the republican charge confided
to him; and has solemnly and repeatedly protested
to me, in our conversations that he would
lose the last drop of his blood in support of it;
and he did this the oftener, and with the more
earnestness, because he knew my suspicions
of Hamilton's designs against it, and wished
to quiet them. For he was not aware of the
drift, or of the effect of Hamilton's schemes.
Unversed in financial projects, and calculations
and budgets, his approbation of them was bottomed
on his confidence in the man.—
The Anas. Washington ed. ix, 91. Ford ed., i, 160, 164, 165.
(1818)