The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1899-02-21
RKTROsPECTIvE As TO GOyERr
MENT AND ELECTION or sESA.
TORS

Mr.. Jefferson was not only a very
| wise, president statesman, but much Of
a political genius His trust in, conf
dence in the people was great and
abiding. He fought from the start the
strong government ideal of Alexander
Hamilton. It was well for this country
that this was the case. In the begin
ming Hamilton and those he led stood
for a much stronger power than even
the constitution granted before it was
amended under the influence of Jefer-
son, who oppo ed Hamilton's view as TO
what kind of government it was bes.
to have for the colonies. Hamilton
and all his crowd had a decided dis
trust OF the people, and hence the out
come was the original constitution
framed according to that idea of dis
trust. The twelve amendments were
framed on the other hand in distrust
of the government. Any careful stu
dent will easily discern the two facts
mentioned. Jefferson was not only
the friend of the people, a true patriot,
a most able man, but he was far-seeing.
He discerned the dangers ahead TO the
much distrustful and oppressive OF the
people. With Judge John Marshall to
interpret the original product of Ham
i%ltonianism it was easy to stretch the
letter and spirit of the constitution
North Carolina was in great distrust Of
the constitution as first adopted and
held aloof for some twenty months be-
fore it would enter the Federal Com
pact. 1t can be seen how much nearer
the true welfare of the country was
North Cardinals Judge James Iredell,
of the superior court of Presiden.
Washington than were the decisions Of
Chief Justice Marshall, of Virginia.
We refer to this now because there
is a decidedly awakened interest in our
land as to the election of United States
senators by a direct vote of the people.
1t is so apparent that legislatures are
now often corrupt and purchasable that
it is high time for a change from cleo
ton by legislature to election by the
vote of the people at large. The Fred
ericksburg (Va.) Free Lance, referring
to the secret debates in the Philadelphia
convention in the last century that
framed the constitution of the United
| States, tulls of the various views that
prevailed. It says that 1.-TWO Of the
very strongest men in the convention
| favored the ELECTION of senators directly
/ by the people. These were James Mad
ison, of Virginia, and James Wilson, of
Pennsylvania. Wilson declared that
the election by the people would be
most likely to obtain men of intelli-
gence and uprightness. Madison fav-
ored proportional representation in the
senate as in the house; and all the
large states avored this virginia
being at that time the most populous
and the w%ealthiest); but the members
from the smaller states deliberately
made up their minds TO withdraw from
the convention unless an equal represen-
tation was given them in the senate.
So great was the distrust of the peo-
pie in the early days of the republic
hat there was a very widespread feel
ing that the election of Mr.. Jefferson
(who represented the idea Of confiding
all power in the people, would result
in a disruption of the union. When
his name was spoken of as competitor
with Adams as Washington's successor
| Oliver Wolcott, of Connecticut, then
secretary of the treasury (Hamilton
having resigned), wrote: I sincerely
| declare that 1 wish the northern states
would separate from the southern, the
moment that event Jefferson's cleo
tion) shall take effect"
New England men for a long time
were very loose in their application of
i duU dix dUOuI Tic COuSIllutlOu. EdTly
in this century from 1905 to 1903 or g.
the talk was rife about seeding from
the young union and setting up for
themselves. There are hundreds Of
thousands of men in the south who
have not only distrusted New England,
but would have been glad if kicking
Wolcott's plan had been success
fully. worked. Let the organic
| law be amended as early as possible
and let the people choose their own
!, senator's.