Washington and His Colleagues

Washington and His Colleagues,
by Henry Jones

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Henry Jones Ford
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Title: Washington and His Colleagues
Author: Henry Jones Ford
Release Date: March 24, 2004 [eBook #11702]
Language: English
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WASHINGTON AND HIS COLLEAGUES

A CHRONICLE OF THE RISE AND FALL OF FEDERALISM
BY HENRY JONES FORD
NEW HAVEN: YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS
1918

Textbook Edition
The Chronicles of America Series
Allen Johnson, Editor
Gerhard R. Lomer and Charles W. Jefferys, Assistant Editors

CONTENTS
I. AN IMITATION COURT
II. GREAT DECISIONS
III. THE MASTER BUILDER
IV. ALARUMS AND EXCURSIONS
V. TRIBUTE TO THE ALGERINES
VI. FRENCH DESIGNS ON AMERICA
VII. A SETTLEMENT WITH ENGLAND
VIII. PARTY VIOLENCE
IX. THE PERSONAL RULE OF JOHN ADAMS
BIBLIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

INDEX
CHAPTER I
AN IMITATION COURT
Washington was glad to remain at Mount Vernon as long as possible
after he had consented to serve as President, enjoying the life of a
country gentleman, which was now much more suited to his taste than
official employment. He was weary of public duties and the heavy
demands upon his time which had left him with little leisure for his
private life at home. His correspondence during this period gives ample
evidence of his extreme reluctance to reassume public responsibilities.
To bring the matter to its true proportions, it must be remembered that
to the view of the times the new constitution was but the latest attempt
to tinker the federal scheme, and it was yet to be seen whether this
endeavor would be any more successful than previous efforts had been.
As for the title of President, it had already been borne by a number of
congressional politicians and had been rather tarnished by the behavior
of some of them. Washington was not at all eager to move in the matter
before he had to, and he therefore remained on his farm until Congress
met, formally declared the result of the election, and sent a committee
to Mount Vernon to give him official notice. It was not until April 30,
1789, that he was formally installed as President.
Madison and Hamilton were meanwhile going ahead with their plans.
This time was perhaps the happiest in their lives. They had stood
together in years of struggle to start the movement for a new
constitution, to steer it through the convention, and to force it on the
States. Although the fight had been a long and a hard one, and although
they had not won all that they had wanted, it was nevertheless a great
satisfaction that they had accomplished so much, and they were now
applying themselves with great zest to the organization of the new
government. Madison was a member of Congress; Hamilton lived near
the place where Congress held its sittings in New York and his house
was a rendezvous for the federal leaders. Thither Madison would often
go to talk over plans and prospects. A lady who lived near by has

related how she often saw them walking and talking together, stopping
sometimes to have fun with a monkey skipping about in a neighbor's
yard.
At that time Madison was thirty-eight; Hamilton was thirty-two. They
were little men, of the quick, dapper type. Madison was five feet six
and a quarter inches tall, slim and delicate in physique, with a pale
student's face lit up by bright hazel eyes. He was as plain as a Quaker in
his style of dress, and his hair, which was light in color, was brushed
straight back and gathered into a small queue, tied with a plain ribbon.
Hamilton was of about the same stature, but his figure had wiry
strength. His Scottish ancestry was manifest in his ruddy complexion
and in the modeling of his features. He was more elegant than Madison
in his habitual attire. He had a very erect, dignified bearing; his
expression was rather severe when his features were in repose, but he
had a smile of flashing radiance when he was pleased and interested,
Washington, who stood over six feet two inches in his buckled shoes,
had to look down over his nose when he met the young statesmen who
had been the wheel horses of the federal movement.
Soon after Washington arrived in New York he sought Hamilton's aid
in the management of the national finances. There was the rock on
which the government of