The Washington times., 1912-02-16
THIS DATE MARKED
AS IMPORTANT IN
AMERICAN HISTORY
Pelatiah Webster's Disserta-
ton on Political Science
l. Published In 1888.

On February l6 t7S3 129 years ago to-
day. occurred at Philadelphia the most
Important single event i'm the Constitu-
thSnal history of the United states,
rsrhaps the most important single
event I'm the constitutional history of
tes world. on that day PClatiah Web
steT, Il great political economist and re-
tired finanCiCr, the American Adam
Smith of that epoch, Il graduate of
Yale, Il patriot in the RCVolutionary
cause, then a mature thinker of fifty
seven, better equipped perhaps than
any ether man in the country to deal
with the vital question of taxation in
Nolvcd, published as his invention at
Philadelphia at the very doors of the
Continental Congress, in Il pamphlet of
forty-seVen pages the great discovery
in modern political science" now en-
bodied in the existing Constitution of
the United States. If anybody doubts
tho fact he has simply to so to the
Library of Congress, where he can see
an original copy of the document in
question, which is Just AS authentic as
the Declaration of Independence or the
Constitution itself. The title page of
Pclatiah WebSters "DissertatiOn" shows
that it was "printed and sold by T.
BrandGPrd, the wellknown printer, in
Front street, three doors below the Cof-
fee House." The exact distance between
the Coffee House and Independence
Hall, where Congress was then sitting,
was less than five blocks.
Was in Death Grapple.
At the moment the epoch making
"Dissertation" was thus published at
the very doors of the Continental
Congress, that impotent body was in
a death grapple with the states over
the question of Federal taxation.
The cessation of hostlities with
Great Britain had brought the finan-
Ciers of the Revolution face to face
with the mighty problem of providing,
without any visible or reliable means
for the debts that represented tie
cost Of victory. In attempting to
provide the necessary funds Congress,
after frankly admitting the made
QuaCv of the quota system, appealed
to the States so to amend the articles
of Confederation as to permit Con-
gress to levy tax on imports. for
the term of twenty-five years Con-
Rress's final appeal tC the States in
the resolution Of April is, 1888, was
defeated by Rhode Islands selfish
Yet fortunate refusal to listen to
reason, which refusal was really the
death knell of the Confederation.
Thus all hope of infusing real lite
into the man:kin with empty pOck-
cts and bOnelesS arms passed forever
away. In the darkest hour of that
hopeless struggle to win d revenue
concession from the States, Webster's s
epoch making invention came into
the armament like the evening star,
without n single rival near it. Prior
to February 16. 1888, no one else had
conceived OF new system OF Federal
Government; no such proposal had
Itn
great architect stands alone and iso-
lated from all rivals in the solitude
OF his own originality
Copied From the Swiss.
Our first Federal Constitution om-
bodied in the articles of confederation
was copied from the articles that held
together the Swiss confederation AMI
the Dutch republic The copyists were
Franklin, who made the first draft
Cf tn" articles in 1775, and Dickinson
the second in 177i. Neither showed any
fertility of inTcnr!Dn whatever. They
simply reproduced III" antiCuated form
of a federal league with no federal
executive. no federal judiciary. with all
federal power vested ard confused in d
Cne-Chumhrr assembly devoid of tn,
power to tax one ANA devoid of iurs.
dCtiun over indiEilIals-an assembly
III "hlCh eN|iN 5'a"' great or shlall
NAG ore T NIuIi ne ,'r.lsles 81 cohIea
crnmnnt ns ali mo mHchirerI of. s0V.
erhmcnt was vested in the States, which
possessed the "ntir" taxing power.
PclatEth WcpSl"r was INC hrst 10 con,
VIII .bc nmnint ana i,dorondnn al L',,
nnwer of taxation Omt pf thai con-
ccptinn .,rcw the new .nlan which il
INC words IF Toc,uI"ville. was haset
Il which
he considered a great discovery II
modern political science" The moment
IL .vaS srttIrL thar \ new federal fub.
re was to be created With the indcpenI
Cnt nOyrr to lax il folluWCd that sIcI
S% YH dMs nG Grsey @3"Y poS to f4GG%tG SG% it
through marhnolN adequate to thai