I loved – and still do like – our national Song of the Republic. And the story behind it. The story alleges that the late attorney–poet Cleveland Hamilton, who was once Forbes Burnham’s law-student pal but became continuously upset over the autocratic President’s politics, really believed that Forbes would not have allowed the Culture folks to award him (Hamilton) any award if his entry had won the national Republic Song competition.
So Cleveland, the credible story goes, submitted his entry under his original Halley family name. He won and we now enjoy
