The truth is, that the federalists, pretending to be the exclusive
friends of General Washington, have ever done what they could to sink
his character, by hanging theirs on it, and by representing as the enemy
of republicans him, who, of all men, is best entitled to the appellation
of the father of that republic which they were endeavoring to subvert,
and the republicans to maintain. They cannot deny, because the elections
proclaimed the truth, that the great body of the nation approved the
republican measures. General Washington was himself sincerely a friend
to the republican principles of our constitution. His faith, perhaps,
in its duration, might not have been as confident as mine; but he
repeatedly declared to me, that he was determined it should have a fair
chance for success, and that he would lose the last drop of his blood in
its support, against any attempt which, might be made to change it from
its republican form. He made these declarations the oftener, because he
knew my suspicions that Hamilton had other views, and he wished to quiet
my jealousies on this subject. For Hamilton frankly avowed, that he
considered the British constitution, with all the corruptions of its
administration, as the most perfect model of government which had ever
been devised by the wit of man; professing, however, at the same time,
that the spirit of this country was so fundamentally republican, that
it would be visionary to think of introducing monarchy here, and that,
therefore, it was the duty of its administrators to conduct it on the
principles their constituents had elected.
Pages:
663
664
665
666
667
668
669
670
671
672
673
674
675
676
677
678
679
680
681
682
683
684
685
686
687