The Ordway new era., 1913-10-24

nlS retirement, ne deemed h1msel1 q
soldier and man of action. and no
statesman.
The floor OF assemblies had never
seemed to him his principal sphere Of
duty. =
He had thought Of staying away
from the house of burgesses on priv
ate business 20 years ago, when he
bateu. But 1t was not for the floor OF
the approaching convention that his
friends wanted him: they told him
from the first he must preside.
He was known to be in favor Of CIV
ing the Confederation powers that
would make 1t real government. and
he thought that enough: but they
wanted the whole country to see him
pledged to the actual work. and. when
they had persuaded him to attend.
knew that they had at any rate won
the confidence of the people in their
patriotic purpose.
His mere presence would give them
power.
Tho virsInIans First to Arrive.
Washington and the other Virginians
were prompt to be in Philadelphia on
the day appointed, but only the Penn
sylvania delegates were there to meet
them.
They had to wait an anxious week
before SO many as seven states were
represented. Meanwhile. those who
gathered from day to day were nerv-
GUS and apprehensive, and there was
talk Of compromise and halfway meas
ures. should the convention prove
weak or threaten to miscarry.
Washlnoton's Brave Words.
They remembered for many long
year afterwards how nobly Washing
ton. standing self-collected In the
midst of them" had uttered brave
counsels OF wisdom in their rebuke.
''It is too probable" he said. that no
plan we propose will be adopted. Per
haps another dreadful conflict is to be
sustained. II. to please the people. We
offer what We ourselves disapprove.
how can we afterwards defend our
work? Let US raise q 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 statesmanship merely. but Of char
acter; and it was that character, II
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 errorr which
his inexperience might OCCASION" but
no mere parliamentarian could have
given that anxious body such steadi-
ness in business of such grave earn
estness in counsel as 1t got from his
presence and influence in the chair.
Five more states were in attendance
before deliberation was very far ad-
vanced: but he had the satisfaction to
see his own friends lead upon the
floor.
Washinston's Friends Lead.
II was the plan which Edmund Ran.
dolph proposed, for his fellow Virgin
ians, which the convention accepted as
a model to work from; 1t 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 .naachoa na~a Prano g.
dent; only once or twice did he break
the decorum Of his once to temper
some difference of opinion or facilitate
some measure Of accommodation.
It was the 18th OF September when
the convention at last broke up: the
10th when the Constitution 1t had
wrought out was published to the
country.
All the slow summer through
Washington had kept counsel with
the rest as to the anxious work that
was going forward behind the closed
doors of the long conference; 1t 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.
II never saw him SO keen for any
thing in my life as he is for the adop-
tion OF the new scheme OF govern
ment," wrote a visitor at Mount Yer.
non to jefferson; but he took no other
part. than his correspondence afforded
him in the agitation for its 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
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