The Madisonian. (Richmond, Ky.) 1913-1914, 1913-12-02
(CONTINUED.)
Hamilton held with WaSuu1.
a national government


Congress Indifferent.
He had been born, and bred as a lad
in the West Indies, and had never
received the local pride Of any colony
state into his blood. He had served
with the army, too, in close intimacy
with Washington, and. though twenty
five years his captains junior, had
seen as clearly as he saw the deep
hazards Of nations birth.
The congress was Indifferent, II not
hostile, to- the measures which the ad-
dress proposed; and the states would
have acted on the call as slackly as be-
fore, had not the winter brought with
it something like q threat Of social
revolution, and fairly startled them
out Of their negligent humor.
The Rebellion OF Shays.
The central counties of Massachu-
sets broke into violent rebellion, I'M
der one Shays, veteran of the Revolu-
tion-not to reform the government,
but to rid themselves of it altogether;
to shut the courts and escape the pay
ment of debts and taxes
The insurgents worked their will for
weeks together; drove out the officers
of the law, burned and plundered at
pleasure through whole districts, liv-
ing upon the land like hostile army,
and were brought to a reckoning at
last only when a force thousands
strong had been levied against them.
States Sympathize With Shays.
The contagion spread to Vermont
and New Hampshire; and even when
the outbreak had been crushed, the
states concerned were irresolute in
the punishment of the leaders.
Rhode Island declared her sympathy
with the insurgents; Vermont offered
them asylum; Massachusetts brought
the leaders to trial and convic-
ton, only to pardon and set them free
again.
Congress dared do no more than
make covert preparation to check q
general rising.
Washineton's Indignant Protest.
You talk, my good sir" wrote
Washington to Henry Lee in congress,
''of employing influences to appease
1 know not where that influence is to
be found, or, if attained, that it would
be proper remedy for the disor-
ders. influence is no government. Let
US have one by which our lives, hber-
ties and properties will be secured, or
let US know the worst at once"
It was an object-lesson for the whole
tho dY1Ilacf ond hn most
lethargic knew now what slack gov.
eminent and financial disorder would
produce.
The states one and all-save Rhode
Island-bethought them Of the con
vention called to meet in Philadelphia
on the second Monday in May, 1887
and delegates were appointed
Even congress took the lesson tc
heart, and gave its sanction to the
conference.
The legislature of Virginia pur
Washington's name at the head of its
own list Of delegates, and after hi:
name the names of Patrick Henry
Edmund Randolph, John Blair, James
Madison, George Mason, and Georgt
Wythe-the leading names of the
state, no man could doubt
But Washington hesitated. He haC
already declined to meet the Society
of the Cincinnati in Philadelphia abou
the same time, he said, and thought i
would be disrespectful to that body, t.
whom he owed much, ito be there OF
any other occasion"
He avian hinfod Doubt ~,
convention was constitutional, it,
avowed purposes being what the,
were until congress tardily sanction
cd it.
Why Washington Hesitated.
His real reasons his intimate friends
must have OWNED from the first The.
knew him better in such matters thar
he knew himself. He not only love-
his retirement; he deemed himself
soldier and man Of action, and ID
statesman.
The floor of assemblies had neve
seemed to him his principal sphere o
duty.
He had thought of staying ava,
from the house of burgesses on priv
ate business 20 years ago, when h,
knew that the stamp act was to be de
bated. But it was not for the floor o
the approaching convention that hi
friends wanted him; they told hin
from the first he must preside
He was known to be in favor of Civ
ing the Confederation powers tina
would make it real government, an,
he thought that enough; but the,
wanted the whole country to see hin
pledged to the actual work, and, whel
they had persuaded him to attend
knew that they had at any rate wol
the confidence of the people in thei
patriotic purpose.
His mere presence would give Tier
power.
The VIrgInians First TO Arrive.
Washington and the other Virginian
were prompt to be in Philadelphia o.
the day appointed, but only the Penn
sylvania delegates were there to NEE
them.
They had to wait an anxious wee
before so many as seven states wer
represented. Meanwhile, those VII
gathered from day to day were ner,