The nation of commoners Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin were skeptical about the common man and government. By PERRY TREADWELL Tuesday, December 14, 2004 This has been the year of Alexander Hamilton, with a new biography and a museum exhibit in New York City. All that I remember about Hamilton from high school senior history taken more than a half-century ago is a quote attributed to him, "The People is a Beast." More recently, a poem Hamilton may have read by a 17th century Italian cleric, Tommaso Campanella, has appeared. The first stanza goes: The People is a beast of...