HAMILTON
17
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.
