Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1843-03-18
TIE, MISSOURI, SATURDAY, MARCH as, is4a.

oi the WORK Just referred TO, you will ud The t0l
lowing quotation: it is rom the pen Of James
Madison, and was addressed TO the American
people Tor the purpose Of inducing them TO forego
their objections TO the constitution. Ii seems that
upon this very subject OF Representation, an Oh
lection was raised by our counrymen IL was
cOntended that under our system, the districts
would he so large that the p,ember would not
have sufficient local information to he An eff
Gent Representative IN combating this objection
Mr.. Madison says:
divide the largest State into ten or twelve ais.
tric's, and it will be fouud that there will he M
peculiar local interests in either, which will not
be within the knowledge Of the Representative Ot
the district"
In this extract, Mr.. Madison clearly holds
the opinion that the system of single districts is
TO be adopted under the constitution But this
is not all. From the same work, but a d, lferen
number, make the following quotation. Mr..
Madison says:
The district in New Hampshire, in which the
State Sen are chosen Immediately by the PEG :
pie, are nearly as large as will be necessary for
Representatives in Congress; thnSe Of MaSSachu-
sets are larger than will be necessary for thai
purpose, and those in New York still more So In
the last State. the members of Assembly fur the
cities and counties of New York and Albany are
elected by nearly as many voters as will be entitled
10 Representative in Congress. Pennsylvania
isan additional example. Some of her counties
which elect her State Representatives, are almost
as large as her districts will be by whirh her Fed
eral REPRESENTATIVES, will be elected. The city Ut
fhladephia is supposed to contain between lift,
and sixty thousand souls, and will therefore form
nearly two districts for the choice of Federal Rep
resentstives
The tendency OF the above extracts clearly
80 to show that Mr.. Madison considered the
single districts as the proper system under the
! constitution.
Such were the views entertained by James
Madison upon the sub ject Of representation in
Congress. Such are the views Of one who is
Justly eeteemed as the ablest expounder OF the
Constitution in his day or since. The inquiry
very naturally arises here,-Who so we'll knew
the views and opinions OF the trainers Of the
Constitution upon the powers Of that instrument
or The duties Arising under it, as Mr.. Madison?
He was part and parcel Of that day himself
He knew The trainers Of the constitution we'll;
he shook them daily by the hand; met them face
10 lace; was upon terms Of intimacy with all oil
them, and was, in fact, the master spirit OF the
day and time in which he and they lived.
The debates in the State conventions upon
the adoption OF the constitution show clearly
that the same opinion prevailed there, thai The
single district was the natural system under the
constitution | will only refer to The debates in
the convention o! North Carolina, held in 1888.
Mr.. Galloway, an ardent opponent Of The consti.
futon, SAID, by way Of objection to it, that all
The members Of Congress would he eect-d from
the seaboard. Nj. Steele replied. that The OBJ.
jecllon was uniounded, as the State would IN
doubted!y be laid off into dsIrcts--to which no
reply was made, the convention no doubt coined
ing in opinion with Mr.. Steele.
But. sir, have something still stronger than
this, going to show the views Of the fra
mers oil the constitution upon this subject.
Something stronger than even the writings Of
Mr.. Madson--stiI stronger than the debates in
The State conventions, and stronger than The
conemporaneous writings and speeches Of that
day. Yes, Sir, we have something still stronger
than all these. We have action. Yes. sir. we
have action upon this subect-the best arber.
The best regulator, the best index. the hest finger
board, pointing The right direction, indicating as
certainly as The needle inclines to the pale. the
true path the right road TO the constitution
In Virginia sometimes called the Old Do
nnIon, where lived the Father Of his county
where lived Patrick Henry. the Myths, The Pen
delons, the Lees. In. New York. the home Of
Hamilton. Jay, and Livingston. In Mass ,chu.
sets. where dwell John and Samuel Adams.
Benjamin Hancock, and Fisher Ames Ia Sou'h
Carolina, the abode of Marion and Sunp,er In
North Carolina, that gallant old State. the first
oil the sisterhood that stuck for independence.
the hTst that adopted resolutions by her General
Assembly, declaring in favor OF the glorious
cause. the first Of the colonies that gave an
impetus TO that ball that is rolling round the
world-the ball OF Liberty. In all these States
the dstrt system was adopted from the very
origin Of the government. In eleven OF thirteen
Of the original States, the district system was es.
tAblished with the very adoption Of the constitu
ton, going 10 show most clearly that at least
eleven out OF the thirteen original States must
have concluded that the single district was the
most natural system under the constitution.
| hold. sir, that all our past history goes to
show clearly and most conclusveIy that single
d'str cts were contemplated by the trainers OF the
Constitution, when that instrument passed from
their hands, as is clearly evinced by the writings
OF James Madison, the debates in the Stat. con
ventions. by action Of most OF the original States,
and by all the contemporaneous writings and
speeches Of that day.
| Then sir, If we are satisfied AS 10 the intention
Of the trainers Of the constitution upon this in.
teresting question. We are bound to carry out
that Intention 10 reduce that intention to practice
by our action here, or else be fathess TO the trust
reposed in our hands, and show TO the world that
we are unworthy seat within these walls.
The next position assume, to wit. that popn-
lar representation, as designed by the architects
OF our system. cannot be carried out by any other
than the district psn.-Touching this subject
Mr.. Madison says, the peculiarities which distin
guish the TWO Houses Of Congress are. that one is
representation OF States, the other OF citizens
In the Senate, the people are represented as pc