West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1888-04-06
THE UNITED STATES ONE
HUNDRED YEARS AGO.
Government, the Professions and Relig-
ion.

Government, the Professions and Relig.
ion.
Exactly 100 years ago-that is, ir
the month of March. 17SS-it was
still quite doubtful whether the new
Constitution which the Philadelphia
Convention had completed and sub
mitted in the preceding Autumn
would become the fundamental form
of government of the United States
or whether public affairs would &c
on as they had gone under the inef.
fectiye Articles of Confederation
Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New
Jersey had ratified the new instru.
ment before the year 1877 had ended,
Georgia and Connecticutin January
Massachusetts in February, but
whether the requisite nine States
would ratify remained uncertain.
Meanwhile the old Congress drag
ged on with very feeble existence.
Accordingly, if in framing picture
of the conditions of life in America
in that year we wish to give notion
of the part which government played
in the lives of men, we shall have to
leave at one side the central Govern
ment as thing of which the form
was not yet settled, and speak of the
State Governments, which, indeed,
generally occupied larger space in
the mental horizon Of the average
man.
The separate existence OF legisla-
tive, executive, and judiciary was
strictly maintained in every State;
but neither one of the three had the
same form in all. The Pennsylvania
Legislature, for instance, consisted
of but single chamber, and the
same was true of that Of Vermont.
All the States but Rhode Island and
Connecticut had framed new COnsti-
tuition for themselves during the
Revolutionary period, and in most of
these the upper house had, in ac
cordance with the prevailing classi-
cal taste of the time, received the
Roman name of Senate. Its numbers
varied from nine to sixty,with terms
ranging from one to five years. The
qualifications Of members, and OF
those entitled to vote for members,
were various. In the case OF the
former, two States required Protest
antism, several required an age OF
25 or 30 years, most required IN
habitancy of the State for period
of from three to seven years, and
eleven imposed a property qualifica
tion. Sometimes this might be any
freehold, sometimes freehold OF
specified value, sometimes given
amount Of real or personal property.
The value Of the necessary freehold
appeared to be greatest in South
Carolina, where the possession of a
freehold of $4,000 currency was re-
quired of Senator residing in the
county for which he was elected, and
$1,000 of non resident. But this
was. in the former case, only appar-
| ent, for the pound currency in South
Carolina was but onefourth or one
| fifth as large sum as the pound
| currency in the other States, and
| while f7,000 in currency was equiv
alenl to $4,000, $4,000 was equiya-
| lent to $l,230, less sum than the
! fl,000 of New Jersey and Maryland
money, which those two States set as
the qualification for their Senates.
The lower house was in most cases
called the House of Representatives
or Assembly, but in Maryland and
Virginia it was called the House OF
Delegates; in North Carolina the
House Of Commons. In numbers il
varied from 81 to $50, in terms from
six months to two years. The quail
| fications resembled those for the
upper house, but were generally
less. There was required of the vo-
ters the payment of poll tax or a
tax on property, a residence of q
year. or a freehold or other property
qualification, which in New York
and North Carolina was higher in
the case of voters for Senators than
in that for members of the lower
house. Sons or eldest sons of free.
holders were admitted to the suffrage
by Pennsylvania and Rhode Island
South Carolina, besides other quail
fications, required that the voters
should be white, and should believe
| in God and future life.
The chief executives of the State.
were chosen by the people in New
England, by the fl00 freeholders il
New York, elsewhere by the Legis
latures. Their terms were in mos
cases one year. The chief magis
| trates of New Hampshire, Pennsyl
| vania, and Delaware were called
Presidents, but elsewhere the title G
Governor prevailed, and even il
these three the existence Of Presi
dent Of the United States made ne
eessary change of title soon afte
1889. In most States propert,