On December 30, 1786, the election results, tallied by each state, gradually converged on Philadelphia, the capital of the United States
The Election Commission immediately convened a meeting to tabulate the final results. This tabulation was quite straightforward, and an oral announcement was made that same afternoon.
"Ladies, sirs, citizens of the United States! Charles Godfrey of the Republican Party and his running mate James-Monroe have won the electoral votes of nine states, securing victory in the third Presidential election with an absolute majority…"
As soon as the news spread, the entire city of Philadelphia became a sea of cheers.
Although the official written results would still take time, the victory was already a foregone conclusion.
The well-prepared Republican Party and its supporters immediately brought out a large quantity of recently manufactured fireworks. After a series of boisterous explosions, the sky was filled with brilliant displays.
"Long live the United States!"
"Cheers for President Charles!"
On the streets of Philadelphia, passersby cheered loudly to one another.
The cold weather could not dampen their enthusiasm.
At this point, if anyone were to tell them that Charles' election was invalid, they would likely be beaten to death.
Therefore, the Democratic Party's original attempt to recount the votes was immediately silenced upon witnessing the enthusiasm of the Philadelphians. Although they remained unconvinced, they harbored a slight apprehension.
As for party leader Jefferson, after learning of the election defeat, he too was quite displeased for a time. However, he was not a small-minded person prone to impulsive actions, and after a brief period of dejection, he regained his composure. Not only did he not deny the election results, but he also sent a congratulatory letter to Charles. At the same time, he requested other members of the Democratic Party to face reality and stop questioning the election results haphazardly.
No matter how hard the Democratic Party and the Federalist Party tried, victory ultimately belonged to the Republican Party, and to Charles.
Charles, who had learned of the news earlier at the Presidential mansion, did not go out to celebrate with the crowd. Instead, he gathered a few close friends and family to sit together in the mansion's glass-walled hall, watching the fireworks outside.
"President sir, how do you plan to arrange the cabinet list?" Hamilton, as an old friend and subordinate, asked Charles.
With Charles officially elected as the third President, many older generation Republicans were preparing to gradually retire.
When they saw Charles choose Monroe as his Vice President running mate, they already knew that this President sir was preparing to employ younger individuals. So, these elders, who were already sixty or seventy years old and had experienced the most glorious period of their lives, after analyzing the pros and cons, decided to step down first and then see how Charles would proceed.
Figures like Morris and Wilson had all relinquished public office, serving only as elders within the Republican Party. The only old acquaintance confirmed to remain at a high level was Hamilton, the Finance Minister. However, his age was similar to Charles', so he naturally wasn't among those who could retire. Therefore, it was most appropriate for him to inquire about the cabinet members' list at this time.
"Hamilton, I have already prepared the list of cabinet members. This time, it will be a mix of new and old, without age or party restrictions. Positions will be determined solely by an individual's ability to get things done," Charles said with a smile, producing a list.
On it, Hamilton, James-Jonathan, and others were prominently featured.
"Before this, I had already drafted several major policies that I hope to implement during the new term. What your departments need to do now is to ensure these plans are fully realized and truly put into action," Charles said, looking around at the people, and finding that they were mostly on the cabinet list, he gave his instructions in advance.
During previous conversations with Charles, Hamilton had occasionally heard him mention some advanced theories and plans, which greatly piqued his interest, and he repeatedly pressed for detailed plans. Unfortunately, because Charles was not in charge at the time, and he also had no intention of pushing for their implementation, he casually brushed him off with a few sentences and said no more. This time, however, the plans were truly revealed in full, naturally making Hamilton interested, and he eagerly asked what the plans and arrangements were.
Charles no longer had any intention of hiding anything. He directly called for an attendant to bring out the document outline for Hamilton and James and others present to review.
The plan was simple: internally, vigorously develop the steel and textile industries; externally, advocate for an open door policy and free trade, and comprehensively export American values.
Hamilton, as the Finance Minister, was naturally most interested in domestic policy.
"President sir, I can certainly understand developing the steel and textile industries, but is it really necessary, as your document states, for steel production to reach a million tons annually and for the number of spindles to reach a million?" Hamilton questioned.
The term 'spindle' had only emerged a few years prior, as Pittsburgh had begun to use spindles on a large scale in spinning machines. Thus, the unit of measurement for textile capacity had become the spindle, rather than the previous method based on the number of looms. Of course, for many other countries, this concept had not yet been recognized.
"Yes, sir, right now we don't even have a total textile capacity of ten thousand spindles, so how can we set a target of a million spindles?" James-Jonathan, the old butler's son, also had doubts.
"Haha! What was consumed the most when Europe was at war two years ago?" Charles asked in return.
Hamilton and James exchanged glances; there was no doubt about it.
"Cotton cloth!"
"Exactly. Whether for civilian or military use, the consumption of cotton cloth is enormous. And in today's industrialized production, as cotton cloth becomes increasingly cheaper, its usage will only grow. Many impoverished commoners who previously couldn't afford new clothes are now able to purchase them, and as these commoners enter factories, the wealth they can create will also increase, and their purchasing power will similarly strengthen. In fact, I believe that the United States' own consumption alone will require a million spindles of capacity to satisfy in the decades to come," Charles explained to everyone.
Those present had some understanding of the development of various countries and the current situation of factories, so no detailed explanation was needed.
Most obviously, as Europe began its industrialization process, large numbers of proletarians started working in factories and mines. Their wages certainly couldn't afford luxuries, but they could still buy goods that had become cheap, like cotton cloth. Even during economic crises, these workers would try to save money to buy new clothes for their families during holidays.
The situation in the United States was much better. Charles consistently paid his workers high wages, and these workers, in turn, bought most of the daily necessities produced by his factories. Not only did the money return, but it also provided workers with living essentials, forming a virtuous cycle. Essentially, as long as the workers' lives were managed well, they could continuously create wealth for him.
Compared to the civilian consumption of cotton cloth, the consumption by national armies, though slightly smaller, was absolutely no less profitable than selling to civilians. The large quantities of fabric consumed by the military were certainly something every manufacturer dreamed of supplying. On this point, Charles, as the largest cotton cloth supplier during the Anti-French war, had the most authority.
"Haha! Actually, you haven't looked closely at this outline. I have detailed time requirements and specific plans on it, and it's not meant to be completed within a four-year term. This is a long-term plan formulated for national development, and if circumstances change in the future, it can be adjusted appropriately; it's not set in stone," Charles added.
Everyone looked closely and realized that it was indeed not a single target indicator, but a very specific plan. At first, everyone was stunned by the ambitious goal and hadn't looked closely at the content below.
Now, looking again and reflecting, although those present couldn't see as clearly as Charles, they somewhat understood that this plan was quite feasible. At least the potential of the cotton cloth market was indeed huge, and productivity had great room for expansion.
"But what about steel? Although we all know that the profits from steel are enormous, and the demand potential is equally huge, even a million tons of annual output could be distributed by the American and European states, but do we have enough workers to produce that much steel?" Hamilton continued to ask.
Currently, except for Pittsburgh's steel technology, which was relatively advanced and constantly improving, other steel mills in America still used old-fashioned workshop production, with very small output. More importantly, they required a considerable number of workers. If a million tons of steel were produced using the processes of these workshops, it is estimated that most people in the United States would need to change careers to become steelworkers.
"Haha! Steelmaking technology needs improvement. Currently, the production efficiency of the Pittsburgh steel mill is more than ten times that of an ordinary workshop. So, what is most needed now is to mandate the adoption of advanced steelmaking technology. If any workshops are unwilling to accept it, they will simply be eliminated," Charles said, still with a confident expression.
The promotion of new steelmaking technology had, in fact, only recently become feasible. If it had been a year or a year and a half earlier, the Pittsburgh steel mill might not have been able to propose new steelmaking technology.
Just six months ago, new blast furnace and converter steelmaking technologies were implemented. Furthermore, with the discovery and application of electricity, Charles had long since issued instructions for the development of electric furnaces.
Mandatory implementation of new steelmaking technology through national policy would not only benefit the entire nation but also generate revenue for steel mills. Charles was very willing to undertake such mutually beneficial endeavors.