The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-11-23

American democracy, and the Connecticut
Valley was its birthplace
Passing TO the part which Connecticut
played in the formation Of the Federal
Constitution under which we live, Mr..
Fiske recalls the strong opposition to such
a Constitution which was disclosed in the
Philadelphia Convention on the part OF
most Of the States. The Jealousy between
large and small States was at that time
more bitter than II In now possible for us
to realize. War seemed not unlikely be-
tween New York and New Hampshire,
md 1t was actually imminent between New
York and her two neghbors, Connecticut
and New Jersey The first question. there
fore. which had to he settled before any
further work could be done had TO do with
the way In which power was to be shared
between the States and the General Gov
eminent. II had been agreed that there
should be two houses in the Federal Legis-
lature, and Virginia, whose statesmen
were taking the lead in the constructive
work OF the moment, insisted that both
houses should represent population. To
| this the large States assen,ed while the
! small States. led by New Jersey, o'ld
have nothing Of the sort. but insisted that
! representation in both houses Of the Fed
| eidi ifRiSid'ult SnOull Only w
II IL obvious that such an arrangement
would have left things very much as they
were under the old Confederation. 1t
| would have left Congress a mere diplomatic
body representing a league Of sovereign
States. As Mr. Fiske says. if such a state
Of things were to be the outcome of the
Philadelphia Convention it might as well
not have met.
| Il,s.h a,,I 80 tl,..y
| troversy was extreme. Cunning Bedford
| Of Delaware minated that sooner than
submit to he ruined by the proposed dis
iribution Of power the small S ates might
have recourse to foreign Powers who would
take them by the hand. The convention
was on the verge Of breaking up. and tie
members were thinking Of going home.
their minds clouded and their hearts ren,
at the imminency Of civil strife, when a
compromise was suggcs,ed by Oliver Els
worth Of Windsor. Roger Sherman Of New
Haven and William Samuel johnson of
stratford-three immortal names These
men represented Connec' cut. the State
which for hundred and fry years lad
been familiar with the Harmonious co.
operation of the Federal AID National
| principles. In the elect ion of her Governor,
Connecticut was little nation; in the COM
position OF her Assembly, she was a little
confederation. However the Gaze may
F, stand under the altered conditions of tie
presen, time, Connecticut Rad IN those days
! no reason to te dissati SIZED with the working
/ Of her government. Her delegates sug-
| cested that the same two-fold principle
| should he applied on continental scale In
the new Constitution: let the nat onal prin-
| ciple prevail IN the House of Representa-
'ives ard tho 'deral principle in the Sen
| ate" Mr. Flske goes on to remind us that ;,
although the happy thought was greeted
with approval by Franklin. the delegates
| obstinatsly wrangled over it. until, when
the question Of equality of the suffrage in
| the Senate was put TO vote, the compromise
went to the verge OF defeat. The result
| was tie. Had the vote of Georgia been
| given in the negative il would have teated
| the compromise; hut this catastrophy was
| prevented by Abraham Baldwin. a native
| Of Guilford, Conn and at one tine a tutor
| in Yale College, who had recently en- grated
TO Georgia. Baldwin avertel the defeat OF
| the compromise, and the consequent break
ing up OF the Convention. by voting for
equality Of suffrage. contrary to his col
| lea que, whereby the vote of Georgia was di-
| vidsd and lost. thus it was that al one OF
| the most critical moments Of our ocUn,ry's
existence the SONS Of Connecticut played
| decisive part and made II possible Tor
the framework OF our National Government
! TO he completed. When We cons der this
| noble climax and the memorable beginnings
| which he'd up to ii, when We also reflect upon
the mighty part which Federalism is un-
questic lbly destined TO play in tie future
we shall be convinced that u IRE is no state
in our Union whose history viii better re-
pay careful study than Connecticut Surely,
few incidents are better worth turning
over and over and surveying from oil
possible points Of view than tie framing
Of a little confede ration Of rlv,r towns at
Hartford in January. 1880"
".
In the essay on Alexander Hamilton
will be found n searching and discri!ni-
mating exposition Of the actual ami prospec-
tive significance of the assumption of state
debts to the amount OF $50 900 600 by the
Federal Government This Is recognized
as great victory for Hamilton. for the
Federalist party and for the United St"tes
as a nation. 1t certainly require d pr, tty
liberal Interpretation OF the Constitution
TO Justify Congress in assuming these
| NpttS, Dut, III IL ild1 HpN t''H No'f' " u
very doubtful II the Union could have long
been held together. We must always be
grateful to Hamilton for his daring and
sagacious policy, yet. at the same time,
we must acknowledge that the opposition
was animated by sound and wholesome
feeling Every day showed more clearly
that Haniltons aim was to insure the sta
bility Of the Government through firm
alliance with capitalists, and the fear
was natural that such a policy. If not held
in check, miCht end in transforming the
Government into a plutocracy-that Is 70
say, a government in which political power
is monopolizcd by rich men, and employed
in furthcrng their selfish interests without
re gard to the general welfare Of the people
Those who expressed such fear were more
president than their FedcraliSt adversaries
believed them to be, for now, after the lapse
Of hundred years. the gravest danger
that threatSns u- is precisely such plutoc
n. La.. ~ ntt n tnT1