The sun., 1908-05-17

Y tfst -, -
wlthSdk bvlne sugpaotod of i greedy am
bitiop, than dc island al New Orlsans and
the two Eloridas, Il being little doubted
that the latter were OF wouid be compre-
hendsd In the cession from Spain to France.
With respect TO the. terms on, which the
acquisition YVES 70 DO mode. Madison had
no doubt that tho bargain would be regarded
In the United states aA on the whole ad-
vantagecus. Az the same time the pe-
cinisry stipulations would In his opinion
have bsen moro satisfactory II they had
departed less widely from the plans pro-.
scribed, and particularly II the s2,coo,oos
In cash originally Intended TO reduce III
price or hasten the delivery OF possession
had been applied 10 one or the other o.
those purposes and II the assumption by
the United States Of payment to Arpsr.sen
claimants had been placed upon the footing
speoifled IN the instructions. Tho lnex-
pected weight Of the draft now to be made
on the Federal Treasury would. he said, be
seneibly felt byit.
IL will be recalled that the Spanish
Government jnterposed two objections
to the title conveyed 10 the United State
by France. II was In the FIRST pIaoe ayerrei
that the title In the United States wes no.
good because Franco had bound herself
not to ALLEVIATE tho Louisiana territory.
To this averpnent Madison In q letter 10
r. r.. Livingston dated October .. 1908.
rejoins that the Spanish Government had
itself referred the United States 10 France
as tho only Power capable Of conveying
the territory ia question. IT Was next
alleged by Spain that the title In France
herself had not been perfectsd, certain
stipulation in the agreement not having
been fulfilled. With regard to this asser-
tion Madison points out thAt the arders
Of the King Of Spain for putting France
into possession constitute q conclusive
answer. In the same letter Madison notes
that the rightful limits Of Louisiana wore
under inv yestigation. To him, however. II
seemed undeniabie from the then existing
state Of the evidence that the territory
extended eastward 40 far ~ the River
Perdido.
The interesting letter to Noah Webstsr
30 which We have referred was penned ut
Washington October II. 1904. Wcbstsr's
letter, to which this was Madison's reply.
was dated New Haven. August 20, leo4.
The writer expressed regret that Haunii-
ton q eulogists should have given him some
credit not his due. DR.. Mason. for In
stance. had declared that the original
germ Of the Constitution was In che bosom
OF Hamilton" and that he suggested the
idea Of radical change at the Annapolis.
oony ention. Webster called attention to
his own pamphlet, Sketches OF American
Policy" published eighteen months before
the Annapolis convention, and said: Il
have always understood and declared that
you made the first proposal and brought
forward a. resolve for the purpose in the
House of Delegates Of Virginia in the Sos
sion Of December, t7s5. In this am con-
fident Of being correct. for / was in Rich-
mond at that time. II wrong. pleaseto
set me right" Noah Webster proceeds to
note that "Mr. Paine claims to be the first
moy or Of the proposal for national gov
ernment. alleging that he suggested it to
some friends in the year l7sfor 1885, He
adds that MIR. Pelatiah Webster wrote p
pamphlet on the subject Of different
frame Of government In 1854.
Madison in his reply to Noah Webster,
after observing that great number Of
loose assertions had at different times
been made with respect to the origin OF the
reforms In our system Of federal govern
ment expressed the opinion that the change
portant improvements, ought to be ascribed
rather TO series OF causes than TO any
particular and sudden cause. and to the
participation OF many rather than to the
efforts Of single agent. 10 was certain.
he wrote. that the general idea OF revising
and enlRrging the scope OF the Federal
authority. so as to answer the necessary
purposes of the Union grew up In many
minds and by natural degrees, during the
experienced ineffioaoy Of the old Confed-
Grafton He has no doubt, therefore. he
says. that "the discernment of Gen, Hanhil-
ton must havo rendered him an early patron
OF the idea Madison willingly comedies
that the public attention was called to II
by Noah Webster at an early date. He
recalls that in t7s5 he himself proposed
successfully in the Virgi,il Legislature the
appointment OF commissioners to meet Ut
Annapolis such commissioners as might
be appointed by other States Ia order to
form some plan for investing Congress
with the regulation and taxation OF COM
merce. 1t Is well known that this convenl
ton was abortive, but 1t builded better
than it knew In an address which recon-
mended meeting at Philadelphia 10 the
ensuing year Of commissioners authorized
to propose a new and eifectual system of
federal government. Madison could not
recollect. he said, which member frst pro-
posed the address, but there 10 no doubt.
he avers. that Hamilton was tho man who
drnf IN