Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-07-21
MONTPELIER, Dec. %, 1897.

MONTPELIER, Dec. %, 1871.
Dear Sir am much Obliged by Your
polte attention in sending me the copies oil
the remonstrance in behalf of Religious LIB
erty. which, with your letter Of the 10th.
came duly to hand had suppose! they
we're to be procured ut the office whir'i
printed them. and referred Mrs. Outs I" tia'
source. Her failure there accustomed the
trouble YOU so kindly assumed. | wished II
few copies, on account OF Applications now
and then made to me; ana preferred the
edition OF which Yen had sent me II sample
AS being in the simplest Of forms. and Tor the
further reason that the pamphlet edition iiaa
inserted in the caption. the term "t"irra-
ton" not in the article declaring the Right.
The term being Of familiar use III the Eng
lish code, had been admitted INTO the oriGi-
nal draught Of the Declaration ot lights;
but, on a suggestion from myself, was readily
exchanged for the phrase"l"gy excluding H.
The biographical tribute You mediate, Is
Justly due to the merits OF your ancestor. Col
Geo. Mason tits to be regretted that. h'ghiy
distinguished AS he WAS, the memorials OF HIM
on record, or perhaps otherwise attanahle' are
more scanty than of many OF hls c"temp ma
ries, far inferior to him III intellectual pow
ers, and in public services. ltw"uld afford me
much Measure to be a tributary {" your un-
dertaking but, though had the advantage
of being on the list of his personal friends, and
in several instances of being associated ia
him in public life, | eau add little Tor the
pages Of your work.
NV first acquaintance with him was III
the Convention of Virginia, III lao. which
instructed her delegates to propose IN Con,
gress a Declaration of Independence, ana
Which formed the Declaration Of Rights, AMI
the Constitution for the State. Beng young
and inexperienced, had OF course hut little
agency in those proceedings. retain, how
ever, a perfect impression that he WAS
leading champion for the instruction that
hs was the author Of the Declaration as orr
einally drawn, and with very slight varIa-
tons adopted: and that he was the master
builder of the Constitutions, and ITS mann en-
positor and supporter Throughout the discus
sions which ended in its establishments
How far he may have approved 1t 10 all ITS
features as established, am not able to say;
and it is the more difficult now to discover,
unless the private papers lett 10y MN sh"u''
give the informatsSn, IA Mt that gay IA" "e
bates were taken down and IA the explaha
tory votes. If such there were, may have "c
.urred in committee of the whole only. and
of course not appear i'll the journals; nave
found among my papers printed copy "'
the Constitution i'll one "i MS stages winch
compared with the instrument fnaliy adopt
ed. shows some Of the changes 1t underwent;
but, in no instance, at whose SnS%esli'h' OF
by whose votes. i,
have, also, a printed copy OF sket'hed
Constitution, which appears to have been The
primitive draft on the subject. Ii Is =" DIT
ferent in several respects from the other copy
in print and from the Constitution hnaliy
passed that it NAV lie more than doubted
whether it was from the hand OF your grand
father There is tradition that 1t was from
that of Merriwether Smith, whose surviving
papers, if to be found among his descend
ants, might throw light "n the question.
ought to be less at loss than ! ,m, in speak
ing of these circumstances. having been my
self an added member To the committee. -
But such has been the lapse Of time. that
without any notes of what passed, and with
the many intery ening scenes abSurhinS my
attention, my memory cannot do justice t"
nv wishes. Your grandfather, rs the I"u:
nails show, was, ut later day, added to the
committee. being doubtless absent when 1t
was amounted, or he never would have been
overlooked.
The public situation in which | had the
hest opportunity Of being acquainted with
the genius, the opinions, and the public la
bors of your grandfather. was that OF our
co-service in the Convention "i l!sir which
formed the Constitution of the United States
The objections which led him tn withhold h's
name from it have been explained by HIM
self But none who differed from him on