Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1881-09-08
A Suggestion to B. Ii. M.
BY THOMAS CALLAHAN.

Hearty thanks are hereby respectful-
ly rendered for the very courteous manner in
which "a Suggestion to Mr.. Callahan" was
made in the REGISTER of September 1st. And
tenfold more hearty thanks are rendered for
the suggestion itself, because It affords an
opportunity to speak of a merit OF the Consti-
tuition of the United States To which attention
had not been called.
1t would te a great mistake for any one 10
suppose that our organic law was the fruit OF
the wisdom and patriotism of only those few
men whose names are affixed to 1t. Many OF
the greatest men OF that day were financially
poor. Some were in poor health. Some were
in positions the duties of which they could not
neglect in order to attend a aconvention. Then
as now frequently. the question Whom shall
we senda was modified by the other question,
Who will GO for usl 1t is q very significant
fact that Of all those who eleven years before
had signed the Declaration of Independence,
only six were in the National Convention
namely, Roger Sherman, from Connecticut;
George Read, from Delaware; and Benjam
Franklin, Robert Morris, George Clymer, and
James Wilson, from Pennsylvania. Yet very
~
indie 2endence were dead at that time; and 1t
cannot be supposed that they suffered their
interest In national affairs to lapse. And SO
it fell out that many men whose names do not
appear on the roll Of Convention, were more
powerful IN the Convention than those who
were present on the floor Of the hall. For ex-
ample, John Adams, of Massachusetts,, was
not on the floor Of the Conventions; and yet q
comparison Of EllioS's Debates with his writ
ings and letters Of that period, will disclose
the fact that the Massachusetts delegation
was little more than the mouth-piece OF John
Adams. John Marshall and Patrick Henry
were not on the floor OF that Conventions; and
yet Elliott's Debates, compared with their
writings of that period, will show that John
Marshall and Patrick Henry debated for eigh-
teen days in that Convention, and that Mar
shall carried his point.
One suggestion is this: That In farming the
Constitution of the United States there were
men who d d more of the work outside OF the
Convention than was done I'm it.
Thomas jefferson was another example OF
the same fact.
The men who do the work of a convention
are really the convention; the parties who
may appear on the door are only proxies.
The supposed inaccuracy ia Mr.. Calahan's
article can be fully corrected by inserting be-
for the word ''member' the words de facto," I"
80 that the article will read: "He had been q
very prominent de facto member o: the Con-
vention," &c.
But the point which 1t is desired to make in
behalf of the Constitution is this: The Con-
stitution of the United States is not the work
Of those few men whose names are appended
to the original draft, but embodies all the wis
dom, Jurisprudence and patriotism of the
whole OF the United States at that day. Every
provision contained in 1: had been revised by
the greatest and best minds of that time.
Washington was President of the Convention.
Beuj ujamn Franklin's calm, strong. luminous
mind shone on its floor beside the upselfish
aud u fnchiDg patriotism OF Robert Morris
and Roger Sherman. John Adams, Thomas
jefferson and John Marshall were an extra
judicial committee on business What won-
uer then IL the Convention of the United
States ch ,l'enges the Investigation and ad-
miration of the world; and, Ike the Bible, Is
most highly priced and dearly loved by those
VINO know II best.
1t is hoped that B. B. Ms ink was well
spent.