“When a man unprincipled in private life desperate in his fortune, bold in his temper, possessed of considerable talents, having the advantage of military habits—despotic in his ordinary demeanour—known to have scoffed in private at the principles of liberty—when such a man is seen to mount the hobby horse of popularity—to join in the cry of danger to liberty—to take every opportunity of embarrassing the General Government & bringing it under suspicion—to flatter and fall in with all the non sense of the zealots of the day—It may justly be suspected that his object is to throw things into confusion that he may ‘ride the storm and direct the whirlwind.”
More from Alexander Hamilton
“Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.”
“The truth unquestionably is, that the only path to a subversion of the republican system…”
“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty that makes human nature rise above itself, in…”
“Moderation enough has been shown; 'tis time to assume a different tone.”