[whodathunkit]

•In Verses 16 and 17, Bryan doesn’t believe that a man’s opinion should be trusted just because of his abilities. / Hamilton was no doubt horrified by Bryan’s statement, but even Jefferson would have had his doubts. Is there room for elites in American governance, and why or why not?

The word junto is used (Verse 74 "would either become the head of the aristocratic junto in that body or its minion") and refers to an exclusive club started by Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia around 1727.All members lived in Philadelphia and came from diverse areas of interest and business.

Given that the Authors Father was a political figure who enjoyed support from the rural areas of Pennsylvania and more of a contemporary of Benjamin Franklin than the Author himself, the seemingly casual insertion of the word may indicate a negative view of the original Pennsylvania Good Old Boys Club?

A good source of information about the Father of the Author of discussion may be found here . There was speculation that the Father was Centinel but was later found not to be. I'm sure that the influence and reputation of his Father was great and gave great weight to his arguments.

There had been much contention between the rural/frontier areas of Pennsylvania and the urban/Philadelphia powers. Unlike today, those in power had a real fear that an angry mounted mob would take time out of their pioneering endeavors to 'run the rascals out' and in fact it had happened previously. Samuel Bryan must have been aware of the disdain the phrase 'aristocratic junto' would evoke in those outside of Philadelphia.

As to the question 'Is there room for elites in American governance' I contend that, yes, there is room for elites. Any other response would point to an elitism itself.

[Publius]

There had been much contention between the rural/frontier areas of Pennsylvania and the urban/Philadelphia powers. Unlike today, those in power had a real fear that an angry mounted mob would take time out of their pioneering endeavors to 'run the rascals out' and in fact it had happened previously.

And when it happened, they chased the Confederation Congress north to Princeton. Hamilton wrote an incendiary letter to Washington asking him to leave Mount Vernon, take control of the army and re-take Philadelphia. The crisis petered out before anyone could jump on his horse.

That information you dug up about Bryan's father and the Junto is important. I suspect Franklin founded the Junto because Philadelphia did not have a Masonic Lodge in 1727. Usually, the local lodge took on the functions of social interaction and network building.

Before his death in 1984, I had an uncle who was the past grand master of a Masonic lodge in Philadelphia, and I'm sure he could have given me a detailed history of Freemasonry in the city.