Complete Works. Hamilton Alexander
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not in the House of Representatives, a numerous class prefers him to Mr. Jefferson as best adapted by the boldness and cunning of his temper to fulfil their mischievous views; and that it will be the interest of his Ambition to preserve and cultivate these friends.
Mr. Burr will doubtless be governed by his interest as he views it. But stable power and wealth being his objects -- and there being no prospect that the respectable and sober fœderalists will countenance the projects of an irregular Ambition or prodigal Cupidity, he will not long lean upon them -- but selecting from among them men suited to his purpose he will seek with the aid of these and of the most unprincipled of the opposite party to accomplish his ends. At least such ought to be our calculation -- From such a man as him, who practices all the maxims of a Catiline, who while despising, has played the whole game of, democracy, what better is to be looked for. T is not to a Chapter of Accidents, that we ought to trust the Government peace and happiness of our country -- T is enough for us to know that Mr. Burr is one of the most unprincipled men in the U States in order to determine us to decline being responsible for the precarious issues of his calculations of Interest.
Very different ought to be our plan. Under the uncertainty of the Event we ought to seek to obtain from Mr. Jefferson these assurances 1 That the present Fiscal System will be maintained 2 That the present neutral plan will be adhered to 3 That the Navy will be preserved and gradually increased 4 That Fcederalists now in office, not being heads of the great departments will be retained. As to the heads of Departments & other matters he ought to be free.
You cannot in my opinion render a greater service to your Country than by exerting your influence to counteract the impolitic and impure idea of raising Mr. Burr to the Chief Magistracy.
Adieu My Dear Sir Yrs with sincere
affecn & regard
A. Hamilton.
J. Rutledge Esqr
(The inclosure, also in Hamilton's Handwriting.)
(Confidential)
A Burr
1 -- He is in every sense a profligate; a voluptuary in the extreme, with uncommon habits of expense; in his profession extortionate to a proverb; suspected on strong grounds of having corruptly served the views of the Holland Company, in the capacity of a member of our legislature;1 and understood to have been guilty of several breaches of probity in his pecuniary transactions. His very friends do not insist upon his integrity.
2 He is without doubt insolvent for a large deficit. All his visible property is deeply mortgaged, and he is known to owe other large debts for which there is no specific security. Of the number of these is a Judgment in favour of Mr. Angerstien for a sum which with interest amounts to about 80,000 Dollars.2.
3 The fair emoluments of any station, under our government, will not equal his expenses in that station; still less will they suffice to extricate him from his embarrassments. He must therefore from the necessity of his station have recourse to unworthy expedients. These may be a bargain and sale with some foreign power, or combinations with public agents in projects of gain by means of the public moneys; perhaps and probably, to enlarge the sphere -- a war.
4 He has no pretensions to the Station from services. He acted in different capacities in the last war finally with the rank of LtCol in a Regiment, and gave indications of being a good officer; but without having had the opportunity of performing any distinguished action. At a critical period of the war, he resigned his commission, assigning for cause ill-health, and went to repose at Paramus in the State of New Jersey. If his health was bad he might without difficulty have obtained a furlough and was not obliged to resign. He was afterwards seen in his usual health. The circumstance excited much jealousy of his motives. In civil life, he has never projected nor aided in producing a single measure of important public utility.
5 He has constantly sided with the party hostile to fœderal measures before and since the present constitution of the U States -- In opposing the adoption of this constitution he was engaged covertly and insidiously; because, as he said at the time "it was too strong and too weak" and he has been uniformly the opposer of the Fœderal Administration.
6 No mortal can tell what his political principles are. He has talked all round the compass. At times he has dealt in all the jargon of Jacobinism; at other times he has proclaimed decidedly to total insufficiency of the Fœderal Government and the necessity of changes to one far more energetic. The truth seems to be that he has no plan but that of getting power by any means and keeping it by all means. It is probable that if he has any theory t is that of a simple despotism. He has intimated that he thinks the present French constitution not a bad one.
7 He is of a temper bold enough to think no enterprise too hazardous and sanguine enough to think none too difficult. He has censured the leaders of the Fœderal party as wanting in vigour and enterprise, for not having established a strong Government when they were in possession of the power and influence.
8 Discerning men of all parties agree in ascribing to him an irregular and inordinate ambition. Like Catiline, he is indefatigable in courting the young and the profligate. He knows well the weak sides of human nature, and takes care to play in with the passions of all with whom he has intercourse. By natural disposition, the haughtiest of men, he is at the same time the most creeping to answer his purposes. Cold and collected by nature and habit, he never loses sight of his object and scruples no means of accomplishing it. He is artful and intriguing to an inconceivable degree. In short all his conduct indicates that he has in view nothing less than the establishment of Supreme Power in his own person. Of this nothing can be a surer index than that having in fact high-toned notions of Government, he has nevertheless constantly opposed the fœderal and courted the popular party. As he never can effect his wish by the aid of good men, he will court and employ able and daring scoundrels of every party, and by availing himself of their assistance and of all the bad passions of the Society, he will in all likelihood attempt an usurpation.
8 [sic] Within the last three weeks at his own Table, he drank these toasts successively 1 The French Republic 2 The Commissioners who negotiated the Convention 3 Buonaparte 4 La Fayette: and he countenanced and seconded the positions openly advanced by one of his guests that it was the interest of this country to leave it free to the Belligerent Powers to sell their prizes in our ports and to build and equip ships for their respective uses; a doctrine which evidently aims at turning all the naval resources of the U States into the channel of France; and which by making these states the most pernicious enemy of G Britain would compel her to go to war with us.
9 Though possessing infinite art cunning and address -- he is yet to give proofs of great or solid abilities. It is certain that at the Bar he is more remarkable for ingenuity and dexterity, than for sound judgment or good logic. From the character of his understanding and heart it is likely that any innovation which he may effect will be such as to serve the turn of his own power, not such as will issue in establishments favourable to the permanent security and prosperity of the Nation -- founded upon the principles of a strong free and regular Government.
This letter, and those addressed to James A. Bayard, James Ross, and Theodore Sedgwick, as well as others, must have become public property, or at least have been known to reach Burr. Although the two men for a long time naturally hated each other, there does not appear to have been any very marked outward expression of this animosity. It is stated, that at a meeting of the Cincinnati, a few days before the duel, Hamilton entertained the company with a song, and that Burr, who was present, was observed to be silent and gloomy, gazing with marked and fixed earnestness at Hamilton during this song. It is not difficult to believe that this was one of those cases when one man breeds in the other a species of fascination and affection-distinct as it were from another self that becomes so hateful and insupportable, that destruction is the only relief. How the words of Brutus suggest themselves!
The first intimation of the duel was a letter written by Burr to Hamilton, June 18, 1804, and delivered to the latter by W. P. Van Ness, a legal friend of both. The attention of Hamilton was called to an alleged assertion made by a Dr. Cooper of Albany in effect that he ( Cooper), "could detail a still more despicable opinion which General Hamilton has expressed of Mr. Burr." In this communication Burr reminded Hamilton that "he must