AND THE FEDERALIST PARTY 139 



intended to be Vice-president, but the situation offered 

 an opportunity for intrigue. Many leading Federalists 

 were so bent upon defeating their arch-enemy, Jefferson, 

 that they were ready to aid in raising Burr above him. 

 But political passion could not so far confuse Hamil- 

 ton's sense of right and wrong as to lead him to inflict 

 such a calamity upon the country. His great influence 

 prevented the wicked and dangerous scheme on the part 

 of the Federalists, and Jefferson became President. 



In a most tragic and painful way the shadow of 

 the duel was now thrown across Hamilton's career. 

 His eldest son, Philip, aged eighteen, a noble and high- 

 spirited boy, of most brilliant promise, had just been 

 graduated at Columbia. In the summer of 1801 this 

 young man was bitterly incensed at some foul asper- 

 sions on his father which were let fall in a public 

 speech by a political enemy. Meeting this unscrupu- 

 lous speaker some few evenings afterward in a box at 

 the theatre, high words ensued, and a challenge was 

 given. The duel took place on the ledge below Wee- 

 hawken Heights, which was then the customary place for 

 such affairs. Young Hamilton fell mortally wounded 

 at the first fire, and was carried home to die. As 

 one reads of the agonized father, on hearing the first 

 alarming tidings, running to summon the doctor and 

 fainting on the way, it comes home to one's heart to- 

 day with a sense of personal affliction. The student 

 of history becomes inured to scenes of woe, but it is 

 hard to be reconciled to such things as the shocking 

 death of this noble boy. 



It was to be the father's turn next. The unprinci- 

 pled intrigues of Burr with the Federalists had ruined 

 his chances of advancement in the Republican party. 



