The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-06-26

which has been preserved. MS hoWeNe
was borrowed from Holland. 1t Is also tru
thut Virginia contributed an idea. that OF tn
natural equality of man; but this was boz
rowed by her statesmen not from the commo
law Of England. but from tho Roman j,iris
prudence. and received o practical application
In the Netherlands long before 1t did In an
English. speaking country.
n.
Such being tho rotations between Americi
and tho Netherlands. Mr.. Campbell proceeds
to describe in detail tho influence which thel
excrted on American institutions. The mos
salient and significant feature IN the Fedora
| Government of tho Dutch republic was thu
| equality OF the States which composed TIL
union. something unknown In tho British
| cmrre. They were seven In number. and al
though one paid only about two rcr cent. o.
tho taxes. its nominal power was as great as
that OF tho wenlthiest member. which
paid more than 80 por cent OF them
| The States- General was tho body which
| conducted national affairs. and In this
| body each State. no matter what the
| number OF its representatives. had but a
| single vote The Same principle prevailed in
tho organization OF tho separate States. The
state OF Holland. for example. had its Legsla-
ture, or Estates. composed Of representatives
of the mobiles and from different cities. At
the conclusion Of the war with Spain eighteen
cities were represented. but no matter how
thcy differed in population they had but one
vote each. whilc tho mobiles wcre allowed only
very restricted power. having altogether
but a single vote
Ono OF tho most interesting things in this
history is the tracing OF the application Of this
principle, elsewhere unknown. to tho Consti
tuition Of one of our States and to our Federal
Government. Under the original Constitution
of Connecticut. adopted in 1889. zach town.
whatever the volume Of it's population. was
allowed the same number OF deputies in tho
General Court. This feature was retained in
the charter OF 1862 under which the colony
and State wore governed until 1878. no town
being permitted to send moro than two Depu-
ties. The Constitution OF 1918 gave new towns
one representative only. but kept the rop-
resentation of the old towns rs it OK
isted before. An amendment adopted in
1874. provided that every town which now
contains. or shul hereafter contain. popula-
ton OF 5000. shall be entitled to send two
repre- sentatives. and every other one shall be
entitled to its present representation in the
General Assembly" This system Of repre-
sentation by towns in opposition to repre-
scntation according to population. prevails in
Connecticut alone OF all tho American States.
and is curious survival OF tho Dutch ideas
imported directly by the early settlers. 1t is
further to be noted tina. when the American
colonies framed a collective government dur
ing the Revolutionary war. they adopted
articles decentralization in which this feature OF
the Dutch republic was faithfully reproduced.
Under these articles a Congress was establish
cd in which each state. whatever it's popula-
ton. and whatever tho number Of its delegates.
from two - seven. had but n single vote.
Moreover. this Congress. like tho StatesGeE-
eral OF the Netherlands in carly days. exercised
all executive powers. Neither republic had
a President or permanent executive officer.
their separate States had each such
functionary. In each confederation the locis-
lativc body made war and peace, appointed all
officers. civil and military. and exercised all
the functions OF government except those
purely judicial. Even in the i'm proved Federal
framed at PHILADELPHIA in 1887.
the old Netherland principle was retained.
When the Senate was devised each State how
ever small. was allowed in this important
body an equal representation. Nor is this the
only popularity Of tho United States Senate
which We have borrowed from tho Dutch re-
public. Its members are chosen for six years.
but only one-third OF their number go out of
office ut time. For this novel feature in its
for this element OF permaneRce,
yo have to look primarily to PENNSYLVANIA. in
which colony alone 1t prevailed. In the Upper
House Of the legislature organized by William
Penn one-third Of the members went out of
office every year. and this arrangement was
continued in the first State Constitutions
II Pennsylvania and Delaware. But Pom
merely borrowed this lden from the Neither
and cities. where it was universal When now
We add the fact of an age qualncation-some-
hing unknown in England. but familiar in the
Netherlands as legacy from Rome-we find in
he Senate of the United States a body which
lerives most o. its rcculiurit.cS from the
Dutch republic and not from tho English
House Of Lords
Nor is it only in tho organization of the Sem
tie that tho influence Of the Netherlands Is |
shown by Mr.. Campbell to have been eXerted |
N our FEDERAL Government coming III b. the |
way OF Pennsylvania. In England the cxecu- |
i've authority-former!yt the monarch. but row |
he Cabinet-aploints tho Judges and ali the |
subordinate officers Of State without tho con- |
lrmation and without tho control OF any other |
'ody. No such system. prevailed in the Low |
Countries. There the Senate. or whatever might |
10 the governing body In city. and tho Es- |
atcs in the various provinces presented 10 |
he Stakeholder a triple number OF candidates |
rom WnOm 40 nlRNo cltOn-h so Tor al lmEOr- |
ant Offices. This novelty also Penn intro
uced in his province. From this system.
'hch was perpetuntcd in the State Consti-
ut.ons o: Pennsylvania and Delaware. Mr.
'nmpbcll considers the transition easy to
lie method OF our Federal Constitution under
'hich tho President makes tho appointment l.
nd the Senate has the confirming power. Bat
;heiher the transition DO doomed easy or not
is clcur that the conception Of a dual action
n the appointment Of executive and judicial
Ulcers does not come from nionarchical Eng
md where K never has prevailed. and that its
My prototype is to DO FOUND in tho Dutch re-
ubic. From the same quarter We derive the
cstriction on tho power Of the Executive in
a@ard TO !laking pcaco and war. In Eng
md these powers have always been an at
..buto OF tho sovereign. In the Dutch
-Tublic they were exercised by tho legis.
Itiva body. and ,!is idea was incorporated
! our Federal Constitution. In truth. the
resident OF the United states is reproduce
on. not Of the English King. but Of the
ethrrland Stakeholder. whose great but lin.
ed powers have been porpctua,ed in our
rittcn organic law. When to those fcntur,s