The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-08-03

future.
CORPORATIONS WERE THEN SO FEW
that not till four years later. in l791,
did New York incorporates first bank
and the charter for the second bank
was only obtained by the subtiIity Of
Aaron Burr, who c0rcealed the bank
ing privileges in an act incorporatinga
water company. Not to ~particularize
further, we are farther from those
times in point of development and
changes than those days from the
times Of Elizabeth. and in many re-
spects even more distant are we from
that era than it was from the age of
William or Alfred. Indeed the On
vention in some respects las shown by
prompt amendment } did not correctly
express the feelings and wants of it's
own day. It was a small body, only
IS in number, of whom only 80 con-
Cured in the final result. They had
no benefit from the public opinion of
their own day, but sat within closed
doors, Their work was barely ratified
by conventions in several States and in
nc instance received the ImppTGn2atasr OF
the people Of a single State.
That the Constitution was as good as
it Was is a marvel and it has been eulo-
gized accordingly. But mad it been
perfect then-and it was mott could
not fail in the wonderful development
OF more than a century to be in many
respects inadequate for this generation
and it must become more and more so
as the years pass. It cannot be long
before we have 100, OCO, OOO, and even
that is small to what is just beyond.
We have az yet only
''The first low wash Of waves
Where 0 o shall roll a human sea-"
Alaska, whose climate forbids hope
Of it's ever before becoming a State, and
the expected admission of Hawaii,
which indicates a colonial policy, are
features unprovided for by a Consti-
tuition which contemplated merely q
Union of CO equal States and not per-
manent territories or colonies. Time
and your patience would fail me to
discuss the many particulars in which
the
PRESENT FEDERAL CONSTITUTION
needs revision, I've if / possessed the
ability and the authority to Indicate all
its shortcomings, wherein the ancient
garment should be let out, wherein it
should be gathered in, what rents
should be sewn up and double PROCEED
where the sword has cut; what holes
and tears should be darned which the
Judiciary have made or where the
Executive or Congress has worn the
garment too thin. Such matters re-
quire more elaboration and most care
full thought.
shall only indicate in a broad way
original instrument and which time
has but a~cce1tuated. In the first place,
the Constitution Of the United States
was never Democratic, The expert
ment of self government was then new
and the masses were not educated.
The school master was not Gbroad in
the land. The dominant minds in that
convention, almost without exception,
feared to trust the people. There were
leaders like Hamilton, who preferred q
monarchy, and who made email con-
cealment Of a belief that ito that COM
plexion it must ccme at last" There
was quiet talk of calling TO the throne
the second son Of George the Third, he
who was afterwards the Infamous
Frederick Duke of York. As I have
said, that no breath of public opinion
might blow upon the convention the
doors we're Theoretically seaIed-closed
in the faces Of the people. upon whose
welfare they2were assuming to act as
guardians.
That an instrument so constructed,
and by such men, and for a people
averaging SC far in point of education
below the present generation, should
have heen undemocratic was to have
been expected. That it has remained
so till this day is the unexpected. OF
the great departments Of government,
the Executive, the Judicial and the
Legislative, the
CONSTITUTION GAVE THE PEOPLE
only a voice in selecting one half of the
legislative. And that remains, 80 far
constitutional forms go, to this day
the share of the people in the Federal
Government, e-half of one-third. In
all the rest the people were given no
voice whatever.
The executive was made elective by
electors, and it was contemplated that
those electors should be az free to select