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Show 72 THE :E'EDEHAL GONVI!.:.N'l'ION. the second branch (Senate) onght to be chosen by the Slate Legislatures and hold their ofnce seven years," was taken up. ~Ir. Pinckney advocated the resolu tion. lie thought there should be one branch removed from the iufluenccs to be apprehended from the flu ctuations of the popular passion .. The States, too, shoulll be guaranteed some protection for their sovereignty, otherwise the Slate governments would be overborne by the national g;ovcrnmeut. Mr. Wilson opposed election by the legislatures as likely to foster local pri(le and prejudice . Oo the question Lo elect by the Slate legislature., it was agreed to, P ennsylvania anu Virginia only voLing No. It was then agreed that no person should be eligible for ::;cnator till he had arrived at the age of t hirty years. J une 26. The term of office for senaLorH being under consideration, ~1r. Gorham moved six years. Mr. Pinckney was in favor of four years. .1\{r. Itead favored nine years. ~1r. Madison said that we arc now t1 igesting a plan which in its operations will decide forever the fate of republican government. W c ought thcrcfot·c to provide every possible guard aud check to liber ty. 'rlwse charged with the pnblic happiness may betray their trust. Prudence would dictate that wo should so organize that one body might watch and check the other. W c should select a limited number of enlightened citizens, whose firmness might be interposed against impetuous connscls. Mr. IIamilton concurred with ~Ir. ~1ad i so n. On the question for nine years it was lo t; and on the question for six years it was agreed to. On the question of compensation, ~Ir. Pinckney proposed that the senators should receive uo pay, as that branch was designed to represent tbo wealth of the country, and it should be so ordered that nouc but the wealthy could take 73 that office. Dt·. Franklin srcondocl the motion. The mo· tion was lo t. Ay<;s 5, Noes G. lt was th en moved that the sen a to rs be paid by their respective States. Lo. t. And on the question that they be paid out of the national Lrcnsn t·y, it was lo t. clune 27. On the . evcnlh r •solution, that Lhe right of snfl'rngo in the first branch should ue according to an cqn itahlc ratio. Mr. Martin contouded wi th great zeal that the general government was meant to pre. erve the State governments merely, and not to go\'el'll individual , ; atHl that its powers ought, therefore, to be kept in very narrow limi t . 'l'ha.t to give representation according to population would place iL jn the power of the larcrc Stales to cru h out the small ones. The vote should be uy Latcs and. then all would stand npon the snme pl n.tf'urm of equal ity. June, 28. Mr. Madil:!on replied to lVIr. Martin's speech on representation, and i 11 a len glh y argn men tad vocatcd reprosen taLi on in the first branch ( llou.·c) according to the population. 'rho debate lusted two <lays during which mnch angry feeling was man ifcsted. 'rhe sn1all States were determined that no }Jrovisiou should pass that t1id not give them an equal vole with the large States. Some idea of the difficul· ties encoun tered at this Lime may be gathered from a speech of Dr. Franklin near the close of t be sccoud day's proceedings. We copy it en Lire : Dr. Franklin.-Mr. President: The small progress we have made after four or fi \·c weeks' close attendance and continued reasonino-s with each other-our dilferent senti~ 1 cnts on almost every qncstion, several of the last producIug as many noes as aye -js, methinks, a melancholy proof of the imperfection of the human un derstanding. We, indeed, seem to feel our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone |
