The morning call., 1893-10-09
MADIsON'S JOURNAL.

Tt is curious that it should have been left
to a Chicago publisher to give TO the world
a well-printed and well-indeXed edition of
Madison's journal of the constitutional
convention. Few works in our history
are of equal value. The convention en-
braced the best minds in the country
minds which had been sbarpened by the
attrition of long and arduous struggle
Washington, Franklin, Jefferson, Madi-
son, Hamilton, Jay, Pinckney. Gouyer-
neur Morris. Patterson and peers of these
They had assembled after long study of
what they had to do. They spent nearly
four months in debate, and every PROPOSE
ton was fully. calmly and exclusively
discussed. A verbatim report of their
proceedings would have shed priceless
light on the purposes of the founders and
would have enabled US to determine at a
glance how far the American people have
progressed in the business of self-govern-
ment. That has been denied us. The
only substitute We have is the condensed
journal of the proceedings which was
written out by Mr.. Madison each day
after The adjournment for his own salts
faction and instru cIion.
clear-h eaded reporter. He knew his coun-
try and he knew his men. He was quite
familiar with the differences of opinion
which separated the extreme North from
the South; the radical Democrats Of Vir-
ginia from The sticklers for class rights in
New England; the traders of New York
from the planters of the Southern States.
He knew that con solidaton could only be
affected through compromise, and he was
practical politician enough to be willing to
yield non-essentials for harmony. Like
Jefferson, Mr.. Madison hated slavery, but
he knew that if the convention set its foot
on the accused institution South Carolina
certainly and possibly North Carolina
likewise would bolt. On the other hand,
be could not let slavery in bodily without
alternating Pennsylvania. therefore he and
those " bo acted with him contented them
selves with fixing a period for the slave
trade and buying Southern aequiescence
with the clumsy device by which a slave
owner voted his slaves. The contest over
a property qualification was the shape
which the class controversy finally took
on, and it is quite remarkable that it was
settled so easily. when George Washingtt o,
Pnekney and the Adams sch DOL of Massa-
chusetts stood shoulder to shoulder in op-
position TO pure Democracy.
In studying the journal it must be re-
membered that the convention was prac-
tically without guide. The republics Of
antiquity fourshed under conditions
which had ceased to exist. The Dutch
Republic and the Swiss Republic were the
only examples to which the founders
could refer. and as to the latter its funda-
mental doctrines were only adapted to a
small rural community, while the Dutch
Republic. based on a burgher oligarchy.
had eliminated in the cleo ion of heredi-
tary stakeholder, who was in fact dictator.
The strict provisions of our constitution,
on which Washington strenuously in
sisted, were doubtless framed to guard
the United States against any such dan ger.
The founders did not rely as implicitly
as they might have done on the stalwart
opposition of New England to personal
ambition-of that perhaps they were not
fully aware. They had, too, to keep con-
staDtly in view the danger of having the
constitution rejected by the States. This
accounts for the timidity which prevented
them from clothing the Congress with
powers over such domestic concerns as
marriage. divorce. testamentary provisions
and land titles. If the work were to be
done over again the powers of the central
government would probably be enlarged
and some of those of the States possibly
circumscribed.