MR HAMILTON ON THE PROSPECTS OF THE UNION. 295 



multitudes of bread, who but a month before were enjoying- 

 all the comforts of life. Let it be remembered, that in the 

 suffering class will be practicably deposited the whole political 

 power of the state ; that there can be no military force to 

 maintain civil order and protect property; and to what 

 quarter, I should be glad to know, is the rich to look for 

 security, either of person or fortune ? 



&quot; There will be no occasion, however, for convulsion or 

 violence. The Worky convention will only have to choose 

 representatives of their own principles, in order to accomplish 

 a general system of spoliation, in the most legal and constitu 

 tional manner. It is not even necessary that a majority of 

 the Federal legislature should concur in this. It is competent 

 to the government of each state to dispose of the property 

 within their own limits as they think proper, and whenever a 

 numerical majority of the people shall be in favour of an Agra 

 rian law, there exists no counteracting influence to prevent, 

 or even retard its adoption. 



&quot; I have had the advantage of conversing with many of the 

 most eminent Americans of the Union, on the future pros 

 pects of their country, and I certainly remember none who did 

 not admit that a period of trial, such as I have ventured to 

 describe, is, according to all human calculation, inevitable. 

 Many of them reckoned much on education as a means of 

 safety, and, unquestionably, in a country where the mere 

 power of breathing carries with it the right of suffrage, the 

 diffusion of sound knowledge is always essential to the public 

 security. It unfortunately happens, however, that in pro 

 portion as poverty increases, not only the means but the 

 desire of instruction are necessarily diminished. The man 

 whose whole energies are required for the supply of his bodily 

 wants, has neither time nor inclination to concern himself 

 about his mental deficiencies, and the result of human expe 

 rience does not warrant us in reckoning on the restraint of 

 individual cupidity, where no obstacle exists to its gratifica 

 tion, by any deliberate calculation of its consequences on 

 society. There can be no doubt, that if men could be made 

 wise enough to act on an enlarged and enlightened view of 

 their own interest, government might be dispensed with alto- 



