The Pennsylvania evening post — Philadelphia, Pa., 1776-10-10 00:00:00, page 1

For the PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
A DIALOGUE between Orator Puff and
Peter Easy, on the proposed Plan or Frame of
Government.
TA NEIGHBOUR Easy, lam glad to fee
Orator, you—l heartily congratulate you.
I # Peter. On what /
A. ^ Orat. On the glorious prolped that we,
the happy people of this Rate, 'now have before us of living
under such a frame of government as never was known on this
continent before. ,
Peter. Why does it differ so much from the other Constitu
tion's that have lately been formed bydeveral of the American
flares?,
Orat. Differ ! Why it differs as much from them as a crab
apple from Newtown pippins—But it is no wonder.'
Peter. Why so ?
Orat. Why, I'll tell thee, Peter— but itis only between us—
The other fates have no such leading men — in their
Conventions, as we have in ears —and what is the more ex
traordinary, our leading men have never had much experience
in public affairs.
Peter. That is very Strange.
Orat. Strange as it is, it is true—But so vast and amazing
is the genius n't our leaders, that the forming a frame of go
vernment, which in other parts of the world has been cod
fidered, when well executed, as one of the greatest efforts of
the human mind, is nothing but mere play to our states
men.
Peter. But let their genius be ever so vast, yet, as you fay,
they have had but little experience, what principle did they
luckily adopt, that has conduced them so fortunately through
this arduous undertaking?
Orat. Ah, Peter, now thou comest near to the point —and
since I know thee to be an honest, humble hearted fellow, I
will inftrud thee, Peter; I will illuminate thy mind in these
imperial secrets. The principle of our political leaders is
simplicity. There, Peter, is " the bead in a nußhell.^
There is the wonderful mystery that no mortal to the north
ward or southward, eastward or westward of Pennsylvania, ever
dreamt of. 1 will explain the matter a little more fully to thee,
simplicity, Peter, means an accommodation, a suiting,
an adjuring of things to common notions, that is, to notions
that are natural, or common, or most easily understood, or
nioft generally approved ; which they are, beeaufe they are
common, or natural, or simple, or easy, or not troubled with
much thought, which nearly approaches to the true meaning
'of natural or thou underftandeft me, Peter ?
Peter. Sufficiently.
Orat. This being premised, the next step was to determine
what noted things were generally agreeable to people of all
forts, by being natural, or common, or customary, in their
childhood or from it—as 1, you know, Peter, have just now
elucidated the matter. —In determining this weighty point,
cu . Statesmen soon were convinced that nothing would tend
more go render the new government agreeable to the. people
The PENNSYLVANIA EVENING POST.
Vol. Il.j
Price Three Coders. Published every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday ^/erhng3.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1776.
503
in general, than making it to referable some of the mod com
mon and familiargamer or plays. (Peter Harts.) What dolt thou
Start at Peter ?
Peter. Nothing, I believe. Didst not thou fee a faake in
the graft ?
Orat. No.
Peter. Perhaps I was mistaken then—Please to proceed.
Orat. The firft instance I will give thee, Peter; to confirm,
what I have said, Shall relate to the general method of ranging
the Several fedions of the frame. Thou knoweft, that in the
plans of government that have been formed in New-ferfy,
Virginia, the Carolinas and elsewhere, the Representatives
have pursued in all those States one dull uniform method or
beginning with the principal parts, such as their /tytmM,,
Council, Governor, Prudent, Uc.—fo as to deduce the whole
system from the greater to the Smaller branches, with what
they suppose to be a regular order. They may dream-as they
please of order regular, but I fay, and so do our leaders, tha%
it is unnatural; for does not a great poet fay, the works of
nature are '' confufion regular." From this idea of things our
statesmen have concluded, that the disposition of the Several
parts of the constitution, in the new frame, ought as much as
as possible to resemble the /Zy of chequers.
Peter. Bless me, how can that be?
Orat. By confufon regular, Peter, that is by confufion that
h# a certain object in view, and Skipping ir. pursuit of the,
game from one square to the other, some times over one corner.
Some times over the other, now to th d right hind, now to the
left. Now, Peter, observe the Similitude. The ftf three Ac
tions mention the House of Representatives, President,
Council, Supreme Legislative Power, and Supreme
Executive Power. Hey, presto, and be gone j Where are
we now ? We have, got to the fourth feftion, which wifely
provides, that there Shall be county courts throughout the state.
There's a Skip for thee, Peter; there's a leap from the top of
the house to the cellar. Thou haft read, I suppose, Pope's;
art of finking in poetry—.this finking exceeds the famous
lines'—
“ And thou Dalbouf, thunderbolt of war,
Lieutenant General to the Earl of Mar." —'
Note well the activity of the next jump to another point. In
feftion the ff/b—thedreemen Shall be trained and armed for
their defence, and the militia Shall ele& their officers, &c.
Oh, how lam transported at the velocity of the mental ope
rations of these geniuses! They ought not to be compared,
to any thing but large leaden bullets flying from the muzzles
of rifles, hot, heavy, rapid, and yet twitting to their marks.
In fe&ion the fixtb, a fubje& entirely revs again, is introduced.
66 /Every freeman twenty one years old, and who has refined
a year, and paid public taxes dating that time, Shall enjoy the
rights of an ele^or" And then cur statesmen, making mere
diverfan of their bufinofs, so easy are the most difficult things
to great minds, push on as they did when boys at play, with
a hop, step and a jump, to the end of the chapter, as thou mayest
observe by reading over the other Catons of the Frame, and
noting how curiodfly matters of different kinds arc put to
gether. Thus Much, my friend, for the general method.
[Num. 269,