The Detroit times., 1910-10-26

ficulty to accept 1t In the nature Of an
experiment.
During the long quarrel between the
people OF the American colonies anu
the English king, the colonists were
divided into two parties. bearing the
| English names OF Whig and Tory.
The Wings were the aggressive pa
triots and the Tories were the con-
sentative and cautious loyalists. When
the revolution came the Wings were
patriots and the Tories We're pro-
scribed and despised traitors. After
| the colonies had won the war and had
become Is Independent Republican
states united only by that rope OF
sand" the Articles Of Confederation.
the Tories were driven into exile or
compelled to abstain from political
activity. Then the Wing party d.
vided upon questions OF confederation
policy. But for the most part the
people were selfish adherents 10 local
state interests and the shadow OF q
confederate government almost en-
tirely disappeared
A foreign shipmaster whose vessel
was at anchor In the Potomac river,
under the Jurisdiction of Maryland.
had quarrel with the wharfmaster
at Alexandria in Virginia. His ship
was discharging and taking on cargo
at Alexandria, and yet he was acting
under the authority OF Maryland law
in defying the Virginia authorities 80
feet away. This condition Of affairs
was intolerable. Efforts TO induce the
state legislatures to grant to the con-
tinental congress power to control the
tariff and to regulate commerce, had
proved unsuccessful.
But in the Virginia legislature Mr..
Madison brought up the case OF the
Alexandria wharfmaster and the for
eign shipmaster and succeeded in
procuring authorization for confer
ence Of Maryland and Virginia repre-
sentatives for the establishment OF
mutual commercial regulations. This
conference, which met ut Alexandria
and later moved to Mount Vernon, de-
cided to invite the other central states
-Pennsylvania. New Jersey and Del
aware-to subscribe to the same sys-
tenn of commercial treaties. Out OF
this grew the Annapolis convention
which in turn called constitutional
convention which submitted TO the
people Of the states that document
which created the American republic.
When the constitution was submit
ted, the people at once divided into
two parties those urging its adoption
taking the name of Federalists and
those In opposition that OF AntiFeder-
alists. BY the middle OF the summer
of 1888, IL of the states had ratified
the constitution and elections were
held in the various states for repre-
sentatives, the legislatures chose the
senator's, and presidential electors
were selected-in Ave states by the
people. and in the others by the leg
islatures. In some states each dis
trict chose its representative in con-
gress when II pleased. while In others
there was statewide election day.
Most of the elections continued Tor
three days, and the voting was viva
voce.
The continental congress after the
close OF the war had been treated
with slight consideration and geher-
ally was held in open contempt. There
"a no good reason to believe that the
mass of the people expected the new
experiment In government to succeed.
The senators and representatives
elected to congress were SO careless
as to delay their attendance. so that
more than a month was wasted In
vain efforts to obtain a quorum. North
Carolina and Rhode Island had not yet
come into the union. SO that there
were % senators and So representa-
tiyes I'm the first congress which sat
in New York in the spring OF 1883.
All of the senators. having been
elected by legislatures which had
ratified the Constitution, were FEEDER
alists. Fifty-three OF the sixty-hve
representatives also were Federalists,
hut I'm the house there was tiny
minority OF twelve Anti-Federalists
who had been elected chiefly because
they had been opposed to the adop-
ton OF the constitution. II soon be-
came apparent, however. that the
new experiment was worthy OF fair
trial and opposition to the constitu-
ton soon completely disappeared.