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Posted by ABHouston on November 29, 19101 at 17:14:40:
In Reply to: Re: Very well posted by Ned on November 29, 19101 at 13:15:41:
Each of your clarifications are fine.
Rather than misrepresent, I'll just throw it back to you. Do YOU think Burr did anything wrong? Take the definition of "anything wrong" however you'd like--I think common sense makes the meaning clear enough. You've said you don't believe he committed treason, but I'd truly be interested in your answer to this simple question.
To answer YOUR question, of course communicating with a ciphered letter is not treasonous. The letter contained detailed plans communicated to Wilkinson about the psuedo-military mission to seize territory in the West. You've already said that Wilkinson was a scoundrel, and as we know, he would end up double-crossing Burr and claiming innocence. My point was that the letter was not entered into evidence in the way the prosecution wanted--Marshall felt that Willie's right not to incriminate himself cancelled that out. The missing link is what Morgan and his sons stated--that Burr spoke of breaking away from the USA with this new seized Western territory being proposed. (At the trial, Burr erted that that particular conversation was jocular. Hmmm.) When you put all the pieces together, there is a case for treason. It's not a cut-and-dry, slam-dunk of a case, but it's enough to investigate suiously.
Your statement that Hamilton "exhibited certain aspects of a damagauge riding the wave of popularity" can only be interpreted one way--that Hamilton acted like a popular demagogue. We've both agreed that he was not popular. Well, by definition, a demagogue is a leader who gains power by championing the COMMON popular prejudices of the PEOPLE. With your new and sole qualifier that Hamilton'"never found his wave of popularity," the term 'demagogue' is now inappropriate, leaving the entire statement unsuitable. I brought in that phrase to describe Napolean and Julius Caesar and CONTRAST them with Hamilton. By your qualifier, we are in agreement. You should use other terms to describe Hamilton's propensity for overzealous displays of force.
Finally, anything on that dinner between Burr & Jefferson? I only know that it took place--not the the details of what happened during. I wonder what happened.
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