The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-07-08

4
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tendency Of a provincial country gen.
tleman. the narrow round of provin-
cial trade, might afford capable men,
opportunity to become enlightened
citizens. but hardly fitted them to be
statesmen.
Delegates Become Acquainted.
The real first business of the dele
gates was to become acquainted. and
10 learn how to. live in the foreign
parts to which most of them had
come, There was a continual round
Of entertainment in the hospitable
town, therefore. universal exchange
Of courtesies, rush Of visiting and
dining. flow of excellent wine, rich
abundance of good cheer, such as for
a while made the occasion seem one
of festivity rather than of anxious
counsel.
Many of the delegates had come to
town a week or more before the date
set for the congress. and had settled
to an acquaintance before it was time
to effect an organization; but the gen.
tlemen from Maryland and Virginia,
more familiar with the journey, ar
rived almost upon the day.
Make a Good Impression.
They made an instant impression
upon their new colleagues. John
Adams promptly declared them "the
most spirited and consistent Of any"
and deemed Mr.. Lee particularly "a
mastery man" Joseph Hawley's pre-
diction was fulfilled "The Virginia
and indeed all the Southern delegates
ppear like men of Importance" said
Silas Deane; 81 never met. nor scarce
| ~ had an idea Of meeting. with men
of such firmness, sensibility, spirit,
and thorough knowledge of the inter
ests of America" Mr.. Lynch of South
Carolina. though he wore "the manu-
| facture Of this country" and was In
| all things plain. sensible. above cere-
mony," seemed to Mr.. Deane to carry
with him more force in his very ap-
! pearance than most powdered folks
In their conversation"
The high bearing and capacity OF
the southern delegates came upon the
New England men like a great sur.
prise: where they had expected to see
rustic squires they found men of ele.
gance and learning.
But there was, in fact, no good rea,
son to wonder at the natural leader
ship of these men. Their life haG
bred them more literally than others
1t required a much more various ca
pacity and knowledge of the world tc
administer a great property and live
the life Of local magnate in the
south than suff1ced to put man al
the front of trade or of legal practice
in Boston or New York or Philadel
|
phia.
The southern colonies, besides, hat
lived more in sympathy with the life
Of the empire than had their northern
neighbors. Their life had depended
directly upon that Of England hitherto
and had partaken of 1t with a con
slant zcst. They had no rival trade;
they had wanted no rival government
The general air of the wide empire
had blown in all ordinary seasons
through their affairs, and they had cul
tivated none Of that shrewd antago
nism toward the home government
which had SO sharpened the wits ant
narrowed the political interests Of tn,
best men in New England.
Reasons for vireinia's Primary.
They had read law because the,
were men of business, without caring
too much about its niceties or mean
ing to practice 1t in litigation. The!
had read their English history with
out feeling that they were separat'
from 1t. Their passion for freedom
was born not of local feeling so muci
as of personal pride and the spirit o
those who love old practices and thu
just exemptions of an ancient consti
tuition.
1t was the life they had lived, an,
the conceptions of personal dignit,
and immemorial privilege that ha,
gone always with it. that gave then
so striking an air OF mastery. 1t wa
not simply because the Massachusetts
delegates kept themselves PRUDENT.
in the background and the rest yield
ed to her pretensions that Virgins
was accorded primacy In the cor
gress: it was also because her repre-
sentatives were men to whom powe
naturally fell, and because she ha'
won so honorable a place Of leader