He was adroit and quick, and was rather a
quibbler than a great lawyer.
"You ask me if I thought, or think, he ever deserted the Republican
party in heart? I answer, no; for I do not think he ever had any
well-defined political or moral principle, and was influenced always by
what he deemed would subserve his own ambitious views; and you ask me,
if I ever thought him a great man? Men greatly differ, as you will find
as you grow older, and become better acquainted with mankind, as to
what constitutes a great man. I think Colonel Burr's talents were
eminently military, and he might, in command, have shown himself a
great general. His mind was sufficiently strong to make him respectable
in any profession he might have chosen; but his proclivity, mentally,
was for arms--he loved to direct and control. In very early life he
showed much skill and tact as an officer in the Canadian campaign; but
he wanted those moral traits which give dignity and decision to
character, and confidence to the public mind. His vacillation of
opinion, as well as of conduct, was convincing proof that he acted
without principle, and was influenced by his own selfish views.
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