The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-01-11

Connecticut never failed during his long and
useful life. and Oliver Ellsworth. eminent as
the Chief Justice of the State and as one Oh
the first Senators of the United States
adopted the constitution by vote of 12S to
So. Compared with the narrow maJoritles IN
some other States, this was a most encourag-
ing expression Of appreciation of the new
constitution. Indeed, Connecticut had every
reason to approve the instrument, In the
formation Of it she had left a monument of
her ideas of government which will probably
be as lasting as the government itself. At
this day in the light of the thrilling expert
ences of the last quarter of century it is
difficult to believe that a century ago the
State Of Virginia championed in the consti-
tutional convention centralized national
form of government, and that the vigorous
stand which she took then for such an oblit-
Grafton of the rights of the States was most
firmly antagonized, not by South Carolina or
Georgia, but by the New England State of
Connecticut backed by the Middle State of
New Jersey. When James Madison and
George Mason would have had the States
represented in the Senate as il the House
according to their population, they were met
by the unalterable determination Of Els
worth and Sherman of Connecticut and Pat
terson of New Jersey, that, while the House
might be body of representatives of the
people, the Senate must be body of repre-
sentatives OF the State, in which each State
should have an equal voice. Sand when the
Virginia statesmen pictured with their most
convincing oratory the advantages OF a CEN
tralized, national rather than federal
government, it was Ellsworth of Connect
cut who declared that a national government
could net know his needs and provide for
them, that he was as dependent ON his State
government for his well-being as citizen,
as newborn infant is upon its mother for
nourishment. Connecticut prevailed, and
the United States became federal union. In
later years, as the time was drawing on
when the statesman OF Virginia, forgetting
the national aspirations of their fathers,
exalted the State as verything and the
nation as nothing, the most famous apostle
of State sovereignty, John q. Calhoun, re-
called the work of Connecticut sixty years
before in the constitutional convention. 1t
is owing mainly to the States Of Connecticut
and New Jersey that we have federal in
stead Of national government-the best
government instead of the most intolerabie
on earth. Who are the men Of those States
to whom we are indebted for this admirable
government? ! will name them-their
names ought to be engrayen on brass and
live forever! They were Chief Justice Els
worth and Roger Sherman of Connecticut
and Judge Patterson of New Jersey. The
other States further South were blind; they
did not see the future. But TO the GOODNESS
and sagacity OF these three men, aided by a
few others not so prominent, we owe the
present constitution" But if Connecticut
insisted that the Union should be federal she
also meant that it should be permanent
and when the time of trial came she never
dallied with the theories of Calhoun. But it
is entirely in accord with the traditions of
the State of steady habits that its leading
newspapers. believing with Ellsworth that
there are certain things which the State
government and the State government alone
should do for its people, have ranged them
selves fearlessly and openly against Mr..
B.air's plan of extending federal aid to
schools that should be supported by the
States themselves.