“Let experience, the least fallible guide of human opinions, be appealed to for an answer to these inquiries.”

he who forgets history is doomed to relive it

As a stand alone quote I give it 5 stars. As for Hamilton? He should have been hung as a traitor.

Hamilton often spoke well in the Federalist regarding the founding of the republic upon what became Constitutional principles. But let us not forget the experience of Hamilton's private central bank that nearly transferred all power to the aristocracy. Thanks to Jefferson, the bank's charter was not renewed as it had already raised a huge public debt upon the American people with profits flowing to Hamilton and his crowd. Hamilton talked a good game but was quick to introduce some of the old tricks for living off the labors and property of the people. If only we would learn from the experience, the US would not have had the economic booms, busts, and crunches that are inevitable with a central bank and fiat currency.

It is a cruel trick to be forced, through reason, to agree with somone that I generally disdain. I would suggest that Hamilton never posessed the experience that he is advocating.

That is quite a conserative quote from such a liberal as he was.

What is conservative about the use of experience. Conservatism as preached by many is a set of hard and fast rules dic tums or theories that pay no attention to experience.