AARON BURR 45 



fascinating because of one such meteor of error. 

 It must be confessed, however, that a study of 

 the last thirty years of Colonel Burr's life makes 

 one more exasperated with human nature under a 

 political whip than with Colonel Burr's mistake. 



At forty-nine Aaron Burr was one of the most 

 brilliant, most admired, and beloved men in the 

 United States. For thirty years his had been a 

 career with few American parallels. He had but 

 one real and intense enemy, and that man had 

 hated him all those years. Alexander Hamilton 

 had never missed an opportunity to vilify Mr. Burr, 

 and his attack had never been resented. Calmly 

 had Aaron Burr pursued his upward and onward 

 course, simply smiling at the vituperation of Hamil- 

 ton. Could those two men have agreed, they 

 would have been the greatest leaders any nation 

 ever had. Their hatred was as expensive as was 

 that of Blaine and Conklin in after years. 



Every age must have a political scapegoat, one 

 upon whose head is placed symbolically the sins of 

 the period, and after he is sent into the wilderness 

 of obscurity it becomes a social and political crime 

 to befriend him. There have been several such in 

 our country's history, and there will be others. 

 Aaron Burr suffered more than any other simply be- 

 cause the glory from which he departed was greater. 



On March 2, 1805, Aaron Burr, vice-president of 

 the United States, and president of the senate, 

 retired from the chair two days before his term 

 expired. He made a farewell address, which pro- 



