The Old Monarchist Party of the United States [pp. 265-273]

OF THE UNITED STATES.
" While Washington was absent, Jefferson
invited the members of the cabinet, and Mr.
Adams, to dine with him, to consult on Genet's movements. After dinner Mr. Adams
said:'Purge the British Constitution, and
give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would be the most perfect
Constitution ever devised by the wit of man.'
Hamilton said:'Purge it of its corruption,
and give to its popular branch equality of representation, and it would become an impractical government As it stands at present,
with all its supposed defects, it is the most
perfect government that ever existed."'
On the subject of Hamilton's admiration of monarchy, Mr. Jefferson says:
"Mr. Butler tells me that he dined last
* winter in company with Hamilton and
others Hamilton declared openly that
there was no stability, no security, in
any kind of government but a mONARCHY."
Again, under date of December 27,
1797, Jefferson says: "Finch Cox
tells me that a little before Hanmilton
went out of office, (three years before,) Hamilton said: "For my part,
I avow myself a monarchist; I have
no objection to a trial being made of
this thing called a republic, but," &c.
Mr. Hamilton never disguised these
sentiments. He never let an occasion
pass to praise the British monarchy as
"the best government ever devised."
But while Washington was President the monarchist party were allowed to make no headway in the councils of the Confederacy. No sooner,
however, than John Adams was seated in the executive chair, than the
cloven foot of monarchism, which the
Convention that framed the Constitution supposed it had lopped off, made
its appearance again On this subject Mr. Jefferson said:
"Mr. Adams had originally been a Repubrican (Denocrat.) The glare of royalty and
nobility, during his mission in England, had
made him believe their fascination to be a
necessary ingredient in government. His
book on the American Constitution had made
known his political bias. He was taken up
by the monarchical federalists in his absence,
and on his return to the United States he
was by them made to believe that the general disposition of our citizens was favorable
to monarchy."
Under date of Dec. 26, Jefferson
says: "Langdon tells me that Adams
(in allusion to votes given for Clinton,) gritting his teeth, said:' Damn
'em, damn'em, you see that elective
government won't do."'
The election of Mr. Adams to the
Presidency, or the accession to power
of the monarchist party, which was so
signally baffled in the Federal Constitutional Convention, was the destruction of liberty in America for the time
being. During the whole of Mr. Adams' adminiistration a complete reign
of terror afflicted the whole land. Tihe
4lien laws" put every American in
the United States completely at the
mercy or whim of the President, and
the "Sedition Act" put the liberty and
personal safety of every Demrocrat at
the disposal of his caprice or malice.
Democrats were mercilessly thrown
into dungeonis, or knocked down in
tlhe public streets with impunity.
Their printing offices were destroyed;
their editors were seized anrd imprisolied for uttering the slightest syllable against the despotic acts of the
President. The extent to whiich this
despotism was carried may be understood when we mention the fact that
Gen. Sutmpter was knockled down in a
theatre in PhIiladeglphia, with a cane in
the hand of one of the satraps and
spies of the federal administration,
because he did not rise and take oif
1864.]