The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-12-02
Washlnaton,s Brave Words.

! year afterwards how nobly Washing
ton, standing self-collected in the
midst of them had uttered brave
counsels of wisdom in their rebuke
1T is too probable" he said, that no
plan we propose will be adopted. Per-
haps another dreadful conflict is to be
sustained If. to please the people, we
offer what we ourselves disapprove,
how can we afterwards defend our
work? Let us raise a standard to
which the wise and honest can repair.
| The event is in the hand of God"
| 1t was an utterance, they knew, not
of craftsmanship merely, but of char
acter; and it was that character, if
anything could. that would win the
people to their support
President Of the Convention.
When at last seven states were rep
resented-a quorum of the thirteen
an organization was effected, and
| Washington was unanimously chosen
president of the convention.
He spoke, when led to the chair, of
the novelty of the scene of business
in which he was to act, lamented his
want of better qualifications, and
! claimed the indulgence of the house
towards the involuntary errors which
his inexperience might OCCASION" but
no mere parliameLtarian could have
given that anxious body such steadi
ness in business of such grave earn
estness in counsel as it got from his
nd ~ in he oh
Five more states were in attendance
before elaboration was very far ad
vanced; but he had the satisfaction to
see his own friends lead upon the
floor. A
Washington's Friends Lead.
1t was the plan. which Edmund Ran
dolph proposed, for his fellow Virgin
a model to work from; it was James
Madison, that young master of coun-
sci, who guided the deliberations from
day to day, little as he showed his
hand in the work or seemed to put
himself forward in debate.
No speeches came from the presi-
dent; only once or twice did he break
IAC QSNOIu VI Ills OllC0 W ICupSt
some difference of opinion or facilitate
some measure of accommodation.
| 1t was the 18th of September when
the convention at last broke up; the
| 10Th when the Constitution it had
wrought out was published to the
country.
All the slow summer through
| "ochinotnn hod III
the rest as to the anxious work that
was going forward behind the closed
doors of the long conference; it was a
grateful relief to be rid of the pain
full strain, and he returned to Mount
Vernon like one whose part In the
work was done.
Keen for New Government.
Il never saw him so keen for any
thing in my life as he is for the adop-
ton of the new scheme of govern
ment," wrote visitor at Mount Yer
non to Jefferson; but he took no other
part than his correspondence afforded
him in the agitation for it's acceptance
Throughout all those long four
months in Philadelphia he had given
his whole mind and energy to every
process of difficult counsel by which it
had been wrought to completion; but
he was no politician. Earnestly as he
commended the plan to his friends, he
took no public part either in defense
or in advocacy of it.
He read not only the Federalist pa
pers, in which Hamilton and Madi
son and Jay made their mastery plea
for the adoption of the Constitution
but also every performance which has
been printed on the one side and the
other On the great question" he said
SO far as he was able to obtain them
and he felt as poignantly as any man
the deep excitement of the moment
GUS contest.
1t disturbed him keenly to find
George Mason opposing the constitu-
tion-the dear friend from whom, he
had always accepted counsel hitherto
In public affairsand Richard Henry
Lee and Patrick Henry, too, in their
passionate attachment to what they
deemed the just sovereignty of Vir-
ginia-
He could turn away with all his old
self-possession, nevertheless, to dis
cuss questions Of culture and tillage,
In the midst of the struggle, with Ar
thur Young over sea, and to write
very gallant compliments to the Mar
Quis de Chasteliux on his marriage.
Compliments the Marquis.
SO your day has at length come"
he laughed. : Il am glad OF it with ali
my heart and soul 1t is quite good
enough for you. Now you are well
served for coming to fight in favor OF
the American rebels all the way across
the Atlantic ocean, by catching that
terrible contagion- domestic felicity
which, like the smallpox. or the
plague, man can have only once in
his life, because it commonly lasts him
u Cat least with US in America don't
know how you manage such matters
in France) for his whole lifetime"
Ten months Of deep but quiet agi-
tation-the forces of opinion IN close
grappleand the future seemed to
clear.
The constitution was adopted. only