Hamilton

the same treatment your king got if they don’t go careful. Tallyrand Who helped you win your freedom? The king of France. Giles Well, we ain’t goin’ t’ have any kings in this country. Tallyrand Who desires to be king? Giles Fiercely. George Washington does. Monroe And Alexander Hamilton wants to be Prime Minister! Wants to be? He is Prime Minister this very minute. Prime Minister of America. Huh! By this time everybody in the room is listening. Jefferson Conciliatory. I assure you, Citizen Tallyrand, Citizen Giles and Citizen Monroe voice the sentiments of the great body of the American people. Murmurs of assent from the crowd. There is a growing unrest all over this land at the aristocratic tendencies of our President. There is bitter and righteous opposition to Alexander Hamilton’s efforts to centralize the government and assume the debts of the thirteen free and independent states. Such a centralization of power would inevitably lead to monarchy. I stand on the platform of the Rights of Man⁠—the rights of the individual⁠—the right of each state to its freedom. And I tell you, Citizen Tallyrand, the gravest danger that threatens America today rests in the persons of those men who are striving to centralize the power of the United States; striving to establish a military dictatorship. Approval from crowd at table R. One man strikes the table to emphasize his agreement. Monroe A condition that will involve us in European quarrels in which it should be our policy to take no part. Tallyrand How can you keep out of European quarrels when your interests are bound up with those of Europe? Monroe Our riches and resources can bid defiance to any power on earth. It is only when our rights are invaded that we should make preparation for our defense. Tallyrand With a shrug. Yes, and then it will be perhaps too late. Jefferson Citizen Tallyrand, I look for the day when during the rage of eternal wars in Europe, the lion and the lamb within our regions shall lie down together in peace. Tallyrand Down beside Jefferson. Yes, they would lie down together⁠—until the lion feel hungry, then he would get up and eat the lamb. Laughter from crowd. Monroe Against this tendency toward centralization, we who love the freedom of our own state will fight to the death. Tallyrand Moving to C. Yes, thirteen jealous states all working against each other. How are you going to pay your debts without a central government? You have no credit abroad. Your paper is not worth five cents on the dollar. Why don’t you pay the men who furnished you supplies for your war? Why don’t you pay the soldiers who gained you that liberty that you love so dearly? Giles Damn the soldiers. This country’s goin’ to put a stop to Washington’s coddling of the army. Tallyrand Advancing a little to Giles. It was the soldiers who won you your precious freedom. Monroe Well, Virginia’s paid her soldiers. Tallyrand Coming down on Monroe’s level. Has South Carolina? Has Rhode Island? Monroe That’s no affair of Virginia. Giles No, sir. Tallyrand Why not? Did not the soldiers of Rhode Island help Virginia to her liberty? Each one fought for the common good. Each one should be paid. Jefferson By that, Citizen Tallyrand, I understand you to mean that the government should assume the war debts of all the states. Tallyrand Those debts were the price of your liberty. If you have a government, it should pay the country’s debts. Jefferson Citizen Tallyrand, you are simply speaking from Alexander Hamilton’s platform. You are an aristocrat. Some of the crowd agree with this. Monroe So’s Hamilton. Tallyrand shrugs his shoulders and moves to R. C. Jefferson As such you cannot possibly understand the love of liberty that burns in the heart of every loyal American. Rising and coming to Tallyrand. This attempt by Alexander Hamilton to compel the central government to assume the debts of the thirteen states is merely a trick, a maneuver, to give greater power to that central body and to ruthlessly crush the freedom of the states. We, as Virginians, love Virginia. Her freedom⁠—We will fight for her freedom⁠— Moves back to his chair. Tallyrand Coming toward him. Fight! Mon Dieu! Where were you when Alexander Hamilton stormed the redoubts at Yorktown? Jefferson As you know, Citizen Tallyrand, I am not a soldier. Sits. Giles Winking at Monroe. Jefferson has never been a fighter, you know, Citizen Tallyrand. Tallyrand C. Citizen! Citizen! Citizen! You prate and boast about the rights of man, and sneer at Alexander Hamilton as an aristocrat. Have any of you worked for the Rights of Man as he has? When it was an affair of fighting for your liberty, he fought. At the age of nineteen⁠—twenty years, he had risen to be Colonel and was leading the victorious charge at Yorktown. At the hour when your liberty was assured he lay down his arms and commenced to make a nation of you. I tell you I have known all the great men of my time⁠—Pitt, Fox, Washington⁠—and of them all it is my boast that I know Alexander Hamilton. Adieu! He sweeps out, L. U. E. to the street. During the following dialogue there is general movement and talking amongst the crowd; some laugh tolerantly, others shake their heads in doubt. The First Man rises and bowing to the man he has been talking to, crosses to the man at the fireplace who is reading the paper, has a few words with him and then exits up R. The man he has been speaking to, down R., rises and is joined by the man who has been sitting on the other side of the table, R.; they take arms and stroll out up L., chatting as they go. One of the Quakers goes into the street L. and the other comes to C. and watches the men who are