OCR Text |
Show 60 TilE l!'J~J).ln~AL CONVEN'l'ION. woulll thus represent tho people, and the other the interests of the States, and being independent they would operate as checks upon each other·. :Mr. Read thought too mnch attachment was betrayed for the State governments. The national government must of ncces ily swallow them up. If we do not cstabli h a goorl and strong government we should soon have to do tho work over again. Mr. Pinckney and Mr. V\Tilson were for preserving the State O'Ovcrnments. The motion of Mr. Pinckney to elect the first branch by the Stale lcgi laturcs was then nega· tivcd.* ~1 rom ,June 7th till the 14th, the Convention was cngo.rrcd in the discus..;ion of the rcmai nuer of Mr. Randol ph's resolutions, when they were reported to the llousc with amendments. June 15. Mr. Pu.ttcrson ~ubmittcd a series of resolu-tions, which were afLcrward dc ... ignated as "the Jersey plan." They were postponed, however, and on the lUth voted down, rccci viug but three voles. June 18. Mr. IIamilton addressed the Con vcntion, and at lhc close of his remarks, offered his plan of government. \Vc give both the speech and the plan, from Mr. Yates' notes, 'Yho observes that ~1r. llamilton saw an<l corrected * The roa<.ler cannot fail to observe, from this discussion, tl1o desi gn of the framers of tho Constitution in giving each State an equal representation in the Senate, and of electing that branch (the seconll branch) by tho Slate legislatures, viz.: that tho S<>nate should be the conservator of Stale sovereignty, as su gg ested by Mr. Dickinson, while the IIouso (tho fin;t branch) should represent the people. A happy blending of tho two sys· trms proposed, and a full anf.lwer to the objection so frequently ra iserl in l:trgo States, that they have no moro po,ver in the Sonn.to than the smallest. It is hero that tho strongest uarrior against tho despotism of a central government is erected. May it uevor be pulled down I TliE FEDERAL CO:NVEN'l'ION. 61 the speech at ihc iimc. Jt is worthy of noic that, from this speech and plan of governm nt sprang the political animo it.y Lctwccn Mr. J ·ffen:;on and Mr. IIamilton, that linally resulted in the organization of two great political parties, },cdcral and Republican, under the lc::ul of tho. e truly grcaL men. Mr. ]larnilton, it will he seen, wn.s cautious as to trusting power in ihc hands of the people, atHl a<lvocate<l a kind of clecLi vc monarchy. Mr. J cfl'erson took the opposite view, ntHl, in some form or other, those distinctive ideas, modified, it is true, have pervaded the politics of the country cvct· since. Mr. IIamilton. aid: To d 'liver my sentiments on so important a subject, when the first characters of the Union have gone before me, in. pircs me with ihc greatest diffidence, especially when my own ideas arc so malcrially dissimilar to the plans now before the committee. My situation is disagreeable; but it woulu be crirninnl not to come forward on a que:-;Lion of so much nH1[Ynitudc. I hn.ve well considered the Rnbj 'Ct, and am convinced ihat 110 amendment of ~he Confc<leration can answer the purpose of a good government, so long as the Slntc sovcecignlics do, in any shape exi ·t; and I hn.vc great doubts ·whether a national government on the Virginia plan, can bo ma<lc effectual. What is federal ? An as ociaLion of several in<lcpctHlent Stutes into one. liow or in whn.L manner this association is formed, is not so clearly distinguishable. V.lc fin<1 that the diet of a crmany has, in some in~-;to.nccs, the power of legislation on individuaiR. We fiud the United Stales of America have it in au extensive d grce in the case of piracies. Let us now review ihc powers with wbieh we arc invested. We are appointed with the sole and express purpose of revising the Confederation, n.nd to alter or amend it, so as to render it efl'cctual for the purpose of a good gov· ernment. Those who suppose it to be fedcml 1 In.y great .',' J.• t l) ;:I) .lh ,1..: !, ! ~~, |