The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-12-01


point delegates to this Philadelphia
convention. Washington was the first
one named. and Madison was rightful-
ly included in the list. A month be-
fore the gathering of the convention
Madison sent Washington a draft for
a new constitution strongly national in
spirit, and in the famous Virginia plan,
often called from the name of Edmund
Randolph, who introduced'it, he doubt
less had a large share. This plan was
the basis of the constitution, and in ad-
vocating its essential features and in
standing firm for a national system
Madison did good service. Another
service. of scarcely less value to the
country. was the fact that he took full
notes of every speech delivered in the
convention and wrote them out after
each session. AS there was no official
reporter and the convention sat with
closed doors. Madison's debates, as they
are called. are of incalculable
All through the summer he la
bored with the other delegates of
that famous body, and after the work
was complete he journeyed to New
York to attend the sessions of the con-
federation Of congress. of which he had
been again elected a member. He de-
Tended the constitution in that body
IL
state to call conventions to consider
the ratification of the new form of gov
eminent. With Hamilton he prepared
that remarks BILE commentary on the
labors of the convention known as the
Federalist. Jay rendered some little
assistance. but the mass of the work
fell on Hamilton and Madison, and to
the latter naturally came the larger
part of that section of the work which
do.,l xxrifh he Of hn
tuition itself. In the newspapers, where
the Federalist articles first appeared.
with the signature of Publius. they had
great effect, and that effect has en-
dured. Hurrying home from New York,
Madison served in the Virginia rati
flying convention and was the main
pillar" of the federalist forces therein,
successfully opposing the great elo-
quence and force of Patrick Henry.
When ratification was insured Madi-
son was the federal candidate from
Virginia for the United States senate,
and. failing to obtain this office, Sc
cured one he preferred-that of repre-
sentative in the house of representa-
tives-defeating his neighbor and
friend, Monroe. in a district which had
been constructed so as to have an anti
ington's two presidential terms Madi-
son served in the house and became
the leader there of the new Jeffersonian
Republican party. He soon parted
company with Washington, Jay and
Hamilton, but retained the friendship
of Washington to the last. He began
with broad ideas. claiming that I'VE
must consider the general interest of
the Union. for this is as much the duty
of every representative to consider as
state or local interests. and any system
of impost that this body will adopt
must be founded on the principles of
mutual concession" With these views
he introduced the first tariff bill for
revenue with incidental protection,
proposed constitutional amendments in
the nature of a bill of rights TO satisfy
the anti Federalists. advocating coll
lecting other facts than a bare emu
meration in inhabitants in the census,
and favored the adoption of the Poto-
mac site for the national capital. He
voted for the excise bill with reluc-
lance. opposed the plan of apportion-
ment which Washington vetoed. and
was an adversary of the United States
bank. claiming congress had no power
to charter it, He favored dividing the
payment OF the domestic debt between
the present and the first holder, to pre-
vent speculation, and opposed the as
sumption of state debts. jefferson and
he aided Freneau, an old Princeton
friend. TO set IN an opposition paper,
and when Hamilton. under the name
of Pacificus. defended Washington's
neutrality policy and a peaceful line
of conduct in Frances quarrels. Madi-
son answered the papers with great
force. using the name of Helvidius. He
favored discriminating duties against
Great Britain, and. opposing further
negotiation. attacked the Jay treaty.
A little before the expiration of his
term of office he married an attractive
young widow, Mrs. Todd, known to us
as Dolly Madison. He retired TO pri-
vate life during Adams term in the
presidency. built a house. served in the