Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-26

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The first congress Of the United States
under the constitution was chosen IN a
haphszard fashion that did not arise 20
the dignity OF a general compaign. Ameri-
cans seem 70 have the habit Of believing
tina. their political world was called into
being by a constitution al fiat in the year
1881. Important az that constitution has
become in later years. sacred as it now
Is, the people Of the country in t7SS save
Il no reverence and were persuaded with
difficulty 70 accept It in the nature OF an
experiment
During the long quarrel between the pco-
pie OF the American colonies and the Eng
ssh king the colouists were divided into
two parties, bearing the English name Of
wing and tory. The wings were the ag-
gressive patriots and the tories were the
conservative and cautious loyausts. When
TIE revolution came the wings were pa
triots and the tories were prescribed and
despised traitors. After the colonies had
won the war and had become thirteen in
dependent 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 divided upon
questions OF confederation policy. But
for the most part the people were selfish
adherents to local state interests and the
shadow OF confederate government al
most entirely disappeared.
A foreign shipmsster whose vessel was
at anchor in the Potomac river, under the
jurisdiction Of Maryland. had a quarrel
with the wharfmaster at Alexandria in
Virg mia. His ship was discharging and
taking on cargo at Alexandria, and yet he
was acting under the authority OF Mary
land law in defying the Virginia authori-
ties thirty feet away. This condition Of
affairs was intoerable. Efforts to induce
the state legislatures to grant TO the CONT
mental congress power TO control the tariff
and to regulate commerce had proved un-
successful.
But in the Virginia legislature Mr.. Madi-
son brought up the case Of the Alexand-
ria wharfmaster and the foreign shipmas-
ter, and succeeded in procuring authorize
ton for a conference Of Maryland and Vir-
! ginia representatives for the establishment
of mutual commercial regulations. This
conference, which met at Alexandria and
later moved to Mount Vernon, decided to
invite the other central states-Pennsyl-
vania, New Jersey and Delaware-to sub
scribe to the same system Of commercial
treaties. Out OF this grew the Annapolis
convention. which in turn called a consti-
! tuhonal convention, which submitted to
the people OF the states that document
which created the American republic.
When the constitution was submitted. the
! people at once divided into two parties,
those urging its adoption taking the name
Of federalists and those in opposition that
! of anti-federalsts BY the middle OF the
summer OF 1888 eleven OF the states had
| ratified the constitution and elections were
held in the various states for representa-
/ tives the LEGISLATURES chose the senator's
and presidential electors We're selected
in five states by the people. and in the
others by the legislatures. In some states
each district chose its representative in
congress when IL pleased, while in others
there was a statewide election day. Most
Of the elections continued for three days,
and the voting was viva voce.
! The continental congress after the close
Of the war had been treated with slight
consideration and generally was held in
open contempt TheEe is no good reason
to believe that the mass Of the people eN-
pected the new experiment in governmen,
to succeed. The senators and representa-
/ tiyes elected TO congress were so careless
as to delay their attendance, SO that more
/ than 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 twenty-five sena-
I tors and siXty-flve representatives. i'm the
| first congress, which sat in New Yorl.
/ in the spring of 17S0..
All OF the senators having been elected by
! legislatures which had ratified the eonsti-
tuition, were federalists. Fifty-three of the
siXty-five Representatives also were federal
| lists, but in the house there was a tiny
minority Of twelve anti-federalsts who had
been elected chiefly because they had been
opposed to the adoption of the consu-
tuition. It soon became apparent, however
that the new experiment was worthy OF a