The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1909-07-23
WHAT IF OTHER THINGS HAD
HAPPENED?

| One of the most distinguished
statesmen of England some years ago
contributed an article to one of the
magazines, in which he drew an imag-
mary picture of what would have
been the history of England and
America if the demands of the colo
mics had not been rejected and the re-
volt of 1776 had been avoided.
This distinguished statesman went
on to say that the seat of the British
empire, perhaps, would have been
transferred to the Western World,
and the parliament of England and
not the congress of the United States
would have been holding it's sessions
at Washington.
We have sometimes wondered what
would have been the historical story
if the federal convention, which con-
vened in the city of Philadelphia on
Friday, May rs, 1887, professedly for
the purpose of reforming the articles
of confederation, but as it turned out,
framing new constitution, had fail
ed and the same had been rejected?
The proceedings of that convention
were not at all harmonious, and it
sat from May rs until September II.
and after it's adjournment it was
long time before the constitution it
framed received the sanction of the
necessary two-thirds vote of the
states.
Telling of the animostties engender-
ed by the slavery discussion in said
convention, Mr.. Luther Martin, a.
member of the convention from Mary
land, in an address before the legis.
lature of his state, said:
Il believe near fortnight, perhaps
more, was spent in the discussion of
this business (the representation bas-
ed on slavery, during which we were
on the verge of dissolution, scarce
held together by hair, though the |
public papers were announcing our
extreme unanimity."
AT that time Virginia had larger |
population and a greater numebr of |
manufacturing industries than any
state of the then confederation, and |
if the constitution had been rejected
by her, and the other southern states
had clustered around her. what, today,
would have been the story recorded |
in the annals of history?
Patrick Henry, George Mason. and
many others of the most popular
statesmen of Virginia and other south
ern states, bitterly opposed the adop-
ton of the constitution because they
foresaw, in the then agitation of slav-
cry, what it would bring about.
The value of slave at that time
was fixed at hogshead of tobacco,
and this plant was then cultivated
solely in the south, and the cultiva-
ton of cotton followed quickly in its
wake.
If the southern states had formed
confederation to themselves its ex-
ports would have been made from its
own ports and it would have estab-
lished its own manufactures. How
different would have been the story
Of commercial empire.
Or suppose Grant, and not Lee. had
surrendered at Appomattox, or Sey-
nour, and not Grant, had been elect
I'd president in 1868?
The reconstruction acts would have
been avoided, and all this hostile feel
ng of setcion against section would
never have been engendered, and the
scars of war would have been quickly ,
healed and forgotten. There would
nave been no resumption of specie
payments, the greenback issue would !
lot have been called in, there would I
lave been no money stringency, and ,
lence no panics, and a foodtide of ]