Tempest at Dawn (46 page)

“
No further need for secrecy. Since
the vote, everyone knows we’re in league.”

“
Yes, I’ve felt the heat.” Baldwin put
his arm on Sherman’s shoulder as they climbed the steps. “I
appreciate your buying me a fine supper.”

“
I assumed you were
buying.”

“
The obligation belongs to the
debtor.”

“
I believe the duty rests with the
supplicant.”

“
I asked for nothing.”

“
You begged for relief from your
boorish delegation.”

“
If I’m to pay for our entertainment,
then we must return to our former haunts.”

“
Since neither of us is rich or
generously supplied by our states, I propose we split the cost of
the evening.”

“
You ol’ skinflint, is there nothing
you won’t barter?”

“
Nothing … except possibly my wife.
That I must think about.”

“
Think hard. Rebecca’s the only
valuable thing you possess.”

“
Let’s go in. After a long winter, I
crave fresh vegetables.”

“
You can have green things. I smell
roast beef.”

Sherman and Baldwin were shown to an elegant
table set with willow-pattern china on an indigo blue tablecloth. A
card at each place setting listed the night’s offerings.

“
Since I’m going to pay only half, I
suggest we order a bottle of French wine,” Baldwin said.

“
Do we have something to
celebrate?”

“
Not today’s session. I was bored into
a stupor.”

“
We argued the fate of the
empire.”

“
Raw wilderness is more like it. If
rocks and trees don’t keep a good man from making a go of it, then
savages will take a turn at dashing a man’s dreams.”

A servant came to take their order. “What
can I get you gentlemen?”

“
Are the vegetables fresh?” Sherman
asked.

“
Arrived by ship from Savannah this
morning. No root vegetables

too early

but the peas, beans, and asparagus are
fresh.”

Sherman traded a smile with Baldwin. “It
looks like we have an opportunity to support Georgia commerce.”

Baldwin laughed. “I’ll have the roast beef,
a heavy portion. And a big stack of cornbread.”

“
And you, sir?”

“
The same, only for me a heavy portion
of vegetables.”

“
And to drink?”

“
I’ll let my young friend order; he’s
partial to French wine.”

The servant inclined his head toward
Baldwin. “We’ve received glowing reports on a new Bordeaux.”

“
That’ll be fine,” he said.

“
May I bring you gentlemen
water?”

“
Where do you get it?” Baldwin
asked.

“
From far up the Schuylkill River. We
bring it in daily and chill it.”

“
By all means.” After the servant
left, Baldwin turned to Sherman. “Now I know how the rich live.
Fresh cold water brought in daily. I’ll bet they even wash the
goblets.”

“
Yes, with tainted well
water.”

“
You scoundrel, don’t spoil my
evening.”

“
You may already have spoiled mine.
You never asked the price of the wine.”

“
The wine’s my treat. I just received
a generous allowance from Georgia.”

“
I wish I could say the same. I write
to no response.”

“
Our respective states know our
worth.”

“
Jesting aside, I need money or I’ll
soon take food off my family’s table.”

“
Then we must finish our business.
Besides, I tire of being jailed up with a bunch of windbags in a
sizzling oven.” Baldwin started rocking his spoon with his middle
finger, slapping the stem against his wrist. “Someone should
explain to those rambling fools that you can’t use the same
kindling over and over.”

“
They think we’re stupid. They believe
if they explain things one more time, we might finally grasp the
point. They fail to recognize that we understand
but
disagree.”

“
Blind bastards. I sometimes want to
march to the front of the chamber, shake that prudish Wilson, and
tell him that I don’t need to hear any more of his sanctimonious
preaching.”

“
In that case, I’m glad you were bored
into a stupor. Safer for us all.”

Baldwin stopped his nervous twitch with the
spoon. “Roger, when will I get to go home?”

“
The same question Rebecca asks
me.”

“
Problems?”

“
I have fifteen children, four still
at home, the youngest two ill. I’m almost insolvent. In a fit of
patriotism, I invested all my savings in worthless Connecticut
bonds.” Sherman looked into his friend’s eyes. “Abe, Rebecca’s a
saint, not a martyr. She wants me home to put things in
order.”

“
Can you blame her?”

Sherman tried the trick with the spoon but
had no rhythm. “I must complete this business. It may be all I
bequeath to my children.”

Sherman thought a minute. “These things have
their own rhythm.” Roger picked up the spoon and showed it to
Baldwin. “I’m a clumsy man. That’s the real reason I’m not a boot
maker.” Sherman laughed. “Probably would have punched an awl
through my palm. I don’t have physical grace, but I possess a keen
sense for the rhythm of politics.” Sherman put the spoon down. “I
have sad news for you. It will be some time before you get to go
home.”

“
If we can get past the legislature,
the rest should fall easily.”

“
We haven’t sealed our bargain with
New York.” Sherman leaned across the table. “Hamilton returned last
night. He brought someone with him—Manasseh Cutler.”

“
Cutler? That’s good news,
right?”

“
One would presume so. He would not
have made the trip from New York if he hadn’t taken the
bait.”

“
Then why can’t we get this damn thing
over with?”

“
I’ll push tomorrow morning for a vote
on the entire legislative proposal, but that still leaves the
executive and the judiciary.”

Baldwin nodded and then said, “Any
scuttlebutt on Cutler?”

“
None I’ve heard. I presume he’s
meeting with Washington and Franklin.”

“
They’ve not taken you into their
confidence?”

Sherman picked up the spoon and distractedly
held it aloft, as if fascinated by his upside down image reflected
on its shiny surface. “They want to come to an understanding
amongst themselves first.”

“
Roger, I’m willing to struggle
through new issues, but I fatigue at rehashing the same old ground.
We backwoodsmen like the direct route. Chop down the trees, roll
the boulders out of the way, and plow a future filled with
plenty.”

“
First you must survey the
landscape.”

“
And kill the Indians.”

“
Or bribe them to go
elsewhere.”

On Saturday, Sherman tried to force a comprehensive
vote. “I move that we consider the legislature on the whole:
equality in the Senate, the money bill privilege, and the lower
house proportionality. It is a conciliatory plan, and a great deal
of time has been spent on it. If we alter any part now, we will
have to go over the ground again.”

Gerry surprised Sherman with an unusual
proposal. “In the interest of progress, I offer an additional
compromise. I propose that each state have two senators and that
each vote independently.”

Sherman sat straighter. This was an idea he
could embrace. Give away something that has the appearance of
substance, but in fact, changes nothing. He believed that the
states could control their representatives.

King threw in another surprise. “In order to
tie the states allegiance to the new government, I propose that all
state debts be absorbed by the national government, making one
aggregate debt of about seventy million dollars.”

Sherman guessed this suggestion came from
Hamilton. It made sense, and his Connecticut bonds might again have
value. He made a mental note to put this in a letter to Rebecca. It
would lighten her concern if she thought he could do more in this
chamber than at home to improve their financial future. After some
additional squabbling, he was disappointed to see them adjourn
without voting on any of the day’s proposals.

Sherman circled Franklin’s house to the rear
courtyard and saw Hamilton sitting with the doctor. “Good
afternoon, Doctor. Am I early?”

“
Oh goodness, no. The others are
scheduled to arrive in a half hour. I thought the three of us
should talk privately first.”

“
Always a pleasure,” Sherman said as
he warily sat in a chair facing Franklin.

“
Roger, the deal is struck.” Franklin
inclined his head toward Hamilton and added, “Alex has handled the
negotiations to this point, but Cutler wants to hear from the
leader of the opposition.”

Without bidding, John brought Sherman coffee
service. After the little ceremony, Sherman asked, “Doctor, if I
may ask, do you have qualms about this?”

Franklin’s normally good-humored countenance
grew serious. “Every night. Yourself?”

“
Every waking moment.”

“
It’s late to bring up
reservations.”

“
I’d suggest another approach, but I’m
empty.”

“
Then we’re of the same
mind.”

Hamilton shooed away a fly with a nonchalant
flick. “Our contemptible Congress would never move solely due to an
enlightened regard for the country.”

Franklin gave Hamilton a pat on the forearm.
“Alex, you never fail to offer a slice of gloom to temper my
natural goodwill.”

“
We all have a role to play in this
little drama.”

“
Indeed we do. But we’re here to
discuss Mr. Sherman’s role.”

Sherman set down his coffee. “That’s why you
called me here before the others arrived?”

“
There are things we need to discuss.”
Franklin’s eyes conveyed not a hint of their typical mirth. “Roger,
I want your assurance that you’ll add no new
conditions.”

“
You fear I came to
negotiate?”

“
Cutler wants to get your measure. The
general doesn’t want you to view this as an opportunity to gain
additional concessions.”

“
That’s disappointing. I was going to
ask for a two-horse buggy.”

Franklin threw a sideways glace at Hamilton.
“I apologize if I offended you.”

“
No need to apologize; we’re engaged
in politics.” Sherman leaned back, crossed his legs, and tried for
a relaxed pose. “You have my assurance.”

“
Excellent. I shall convey your
assurance to Gen. Washington.”

“
More politics?”

“
Yes, indeed. It’s a pleasure working
with a professional.”

“
What’s the timing?”

“
Congress will pass an ordinance in a
week or so. We’ll have to do our part in a session shortly
thereafter. In the meantime, we’ll pass your committee’s full
recommendation on Monday.”

“
Thank you.”

“
Roger, Virginia and Pennsylvania
won’t vote for the resolution. We have large delegations, and not
everyone has been taken into our confidence.”

“
The committee report should still
pass with six or seven votes.”

“
Five to four.” Franklin spoke with
finality. “Massachusetts will split, and the New York delegation
will be conveniently absent. The price of Clinton’s
acquiescence.”

“
And you worry about new concessions
from me?”

“
Clinton doesn’t want
footprints.”

“
He wants more.”

“
We’ll handle him.” Franklin signaled
closure on the subject by taking a huge bite of teacake that would
occupy his mouth for a long moment.

There had to be more to this story. Governor
Clinton had the most to lose from a strong central government.
Persistent rumors hinted that he sought complete independence for
New York. Sherman was certain Clinton was working dual strategies:
tentative support for the union, while keeping his options open to
strike out on his own.

“
Anything not discussed previously?”
Sherman asked Hamilton.

Hamilton looked at Franklin and received a
nod. “Full concurrence required some sweetener. Gen. Arthur St.
Clair, president of Congress, will be appointed governor of the
Northwest Territory, and Colonel William Duer used his pivotal
position in Treasury to become another sprocket in our wheel of
intrigue.”

“
How?”

Hamilton placed both elbows on his knees and
rested his chin against his folded hands. “Duer will loan the Ohio
Company the money to finance the first payment, and in return he
will be given a major interest in the companion Scioto Company.
Both companies will be awarded their grants simultaneously.
Congress will have previously set up a territorial government.”

Sherman kept quiet for a moment. He expected
personal accommodations and guessed that Hamilton had only
disclosed the breaking water of this conspiratorial sea. Sherman
knew St. Clair and Duer, and believed them capable, but seldom
constrained by ethical norms. St. Clair brandished political power
like a whip, and Duer alternately competed or partnered with Robert
Morris for financial primacy. Manasseh Cutler looked wholesome in
comparison.