The Washington herald., 1907-09-16
PELATlAH WEBSTER
AND HIS GREAT WORK

Clarence II. Poe. secretary treasurer Of
the North Carolina State Literary and
Historical Association, has secured the
Hon. Hannis Taylor. OF Washington, ex-
Minister to Spain, and possibly the most
distinguished son OF North Carolina in
the world of law and letters. as the main
speaker at the coming meeting Of the as
ISOLATION. to be held in Raleigh, Octo-
Der l5
We count this rare piece Of good
fortune" Mr.. Poe said, IN making the
announcement, "and the entire State Of
North Carolina. ! am sure. will welcome
the opportunity 10 do honor to a son
whom two continents have honored"
This is the first OF a series Of engage
ments Mr.. Taylor has made to speak
upon "Pelatiah Webster, the Architect
Of the Constitution Of the United States %
For a century the popular IDEA has been
that our Federal Constitution had no
personal author; that it was suddenly
evolved IN some strange and mysterious
way as the corporate act Of an assembly
which sat only III days with probably not
more than eighty working days
In a recent number Of the North Ameri-
can Review MI Taylor has offered con
I temporaneOus documentary evidence 70
/ prove % that Pelatiah Webster. the
! greatest writer upon finance os the ReyO-
! lutionary epoch, was the first 10 propose,
as early as 1851, the calling Of the cOnven-
/ tion for the making Of the Constitution;
| 90 that he invented the idea Of a Federal
/ government operating directly upon the
/ individual citizen. and not upon the State
as a corporation. 80 that he invented
/ the division Of the Federal head into
! three departments. executive legislative
and judicial In speaking Of our Federal
| Constitution. TocquevilIe said: This Con
stltutiOn. which may al first be confound-
cd with Federal constitutions that have
/ preceded il. rests in truth upon a wholly
novel theory which may be considered
| a great discovery in modern political
! science" That wholly novel theory
was the personal invention Of Pelatiah
( Webster, who propoUnded IL 10 the world
as a complete and symmetrical whole in
| the epOch-making paper Of thirty printed
/ pages published by him at Philadelphia
/ February is, lIS3, four years and three
/ months before the convention Of 1851 met
/ In that way the members Of the conveR-
/ ton were put IN possession OF this 'grea'
/ discovery in modern political science.
/ II was the basis OF every plan presented
( 10 the convention, except the New Jer-
sey plan. which simply proposed TO re-
1 wise the articles Of confederation. Il was
/ the basis Of the so-called Virginia plan,
drawn by Madison. II was the basis OF
l the plan drawn by Charles Pinckney; il
was the basis Of the plan drawn by
/ Alexander Hamilton Rives' Life OF
/ Madison" refers to the controversy that
/ arose out OF the "singulavly minute coin
/ ciden, es between the draft Of q Fedora
/ government communicated by Mr. Charlie.
/ PInckney." the Virginia plan. and tins
I Constitution as finally adopted. Every
/ explanation 0f tie minute coinc!dences.
{ was given except tie correct one. As al
I the plans were taken from a common
/ sCurce-the papers Of Pelatiah Webster
+ they were necessarily Identical IN al vita
( particulars. Mr.. Taylor contends tha'
+ careless historical scholarship has failed
I heretofore 20 bring this great pivotal fac
10 light He contends that Peiatiah Web
/ ster, as the author of the patn-bTeakill
. invention embodied in our Federal Con
/ stitutiOn. has made greater persona
contribution than any other man 20 th'
/ science Of government. that tn the his
tory Of this country his Importance d
second TO that Of Washington alone. An.
I yet Of all the nation builders ant
patriots Of the Revolutionary era, ia
/ alone has been neglected and forgotten
In the hope OF obtaining justice FOR thi
great man. NJ. Taylor has resolved TO Ia.
the facts Of his case before the American
people fin a series Of addresses. and &
present them 10 the Congress in a f0Tma
/ memorial