Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-11-08
0blo Statesman,
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
The Ohio Statesman Company
TUESDAY MORNING, NOV. s.
The Constitution of the United
States.


States.
The country had passed through the fiery
ordeal of seven years war with the
mother country. On the 18th of Septem-
ber, 1887, there were assembled in Phila-
delphia some fifty men who proceeded to
sign the future Constitution of the United
States. All the States were present but
Rhode Island. Her harbor at Newport
gave her such advantages as an importing
port for Massachusetts,, Connecticut and
even New York, that to have free port
of her own to import cheaper than Boston,
New York or New Haven was deemed OF
more Importance to her people than gov
ernment which should impose duties of a
uniform character.
Washington, Franklin and Hamilton
thought differently; and these master
spirits of the Convention labored from the
14th of May to the 14th Of July without
making any headway whatever. The de-
bates of the day exhibit much bitterness
of feeling. Hamilton had left in despair,
when Washington sent for him to return.
On his arrival, Franklin proposed prayer
to Almighty God, to relieve them from
their difficulties, which was accepted
Finally, after series of concessions and
compromises (aye, compromises in that
day., the Constitution was agreed upon.
But here commenced new difficulty.
Washington had signed it and sent it to the
Congress of the Confederation, and at last,
amid the greatest difficulties and trials,
eleven of the States adopted it-Rhode Is
land and North Carolina alone declining.
In some of the States the struggle to ratify
the Constitution was terrible. In Mas
sachusetts, in a body composed of over
three hundred and fifty members, it was
carried by only nineteen majority, though
the whole weight of intellect and of prop
erty in the State was i'll the convention
urging its ratification.
The struggle in Virginia was equally hard.
Madison, Randolph and John Marshall had
all they could possibly do to stem the storm
against the almost matchless eloquence of
Patrick Henry.
But what really carried the State of Vir-
ginia was the news of the adoption by New
Hampshire, the eighth State-so that on
Virginia alone fell the awful responsibility
of being the ninth State to create the Fed
eral Government-nine States being neces-
sary to adopt the Constitution and set the
wheels of Government in motion. In the
State of New York the convention had met
at Poughkeepsie in June, 177S, and on the
first vote the Constitution was rejected.
The merchants and mechanics Ofthe State
of New York voted for it, while the farmers
and agriculturists voted against it-and it
was only when the Convention heard OF
the ratification of the Constitution by Vir-
ginia that they voted for it, and on a call for
the yeas and nays there was but three ma
jority for it, in that great State.
The first Congress under the Constitution
assembled at the city of New York on the
4th of March, 1889; but here were new diff
ficulties, and no quorum could be had for a
period over thirty days, and no Senate
could be brought together until the last OF
April, so Indifferent were the people to the
Federal Government. Members received
threatening letters from anonymous per-
sons; their lives were in peril, and it was
only with the greatest amount of prudence
and coaxing that members were induced to
take their seats
1t was through such scenes and perplex--
tiles this Government passed-a wise and
great Governnsent-not aleague, but Gov
ernment of the Confederated States was
made by "all the people" Of the States, and,
in the opinion of the great Democratic
party, who have carried it on for nearly
seventy years, it is ordained to last forever