The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1928-01-04
O1gu11ize Youth Into Unions IS Conference Call At
From Historian to Hysterlan

or three most characteristic express
sions of the delegates at the national
convention, by sheer oversight took,
among others, the quotation from
Kent, as we'll as another just pre-
vious to that, although they should
have followed the second paragraph
on page S. This is how that error
crept into the book. Of course, | do
not try to excuse myself of the re-
sponsibility by this explanation. An
error is an error and nobody else but
myself is responsible for it. And if
Mr.. Oneal wants to make big issue
out of it against my book, | say: Go
to it, James, exploit it to your hearts
content, if you have nothing more
serious to do.
But what is important to the read
ers of the book is the question wheth-
er this technical error in any way
changes my Characterization of the
Constitutional Convention. l main
tain that it does not change it-not
a single iota. One after another,
delegates of the convention delivered
almost word for word speeches SIM
liar to that of Kent, in defense of a
strong national government based on
property and for the defense of prop
erty One after another they eX-
pressed the greatest fear of allowing
the masses to exert any influence
upon the government. For instance,
besides Madison and Dickinson, whom
I quote in my book, 1 find in my cut
out material on the federal conven-
ton the following speeches: Roger
Sherman of Connecticut, declared (as
quoted by Madison in his journal of
the Constitutional Convention): "The
people, he said, Immediately, should
have as little to do as may be about
the government" Up. 78). Elbridge
Gerry of Massachusetts, said: "The
evils we experience flow from the
excess of democracy" He chad been
taught by experience the danger of
the leveling spirit" Up. 78). George
Mason of Virginia, could stand the
speeches of the other delegates no
longer and warned them: 1--WE are,
Mr.. Chairman, going very far in this
business. .Do the gentlemen mean
to pave the way to hereditary mon
archy? Do they flatter themselves
that the people will ever consent to
such an innovation? If they do, I
venture to tell them, they are mis-
taken. The people will never consent"
In e
Carolina, declared that "an election
by either branch by the people was to-
tally impracticable" Up. 1907. Cow
erneur Morris, of Pennsylvania, said:
"Give the votes to the people who
have no property and they will sell
them to the rich. The ignorant and
the dependent can be as little trusted
with the public interest" as a child
Up. 469). Alexander Hamilton, of
New York, was an outspoken advo-
cate of a monarchy. He praised the
government of England as "the only
government in the world which united
public strength with individual secur-
ity.' In every community where in
dustry is encouraged, there will be
division of it into the few and the
many. Hence, separate interests will
arise. There will be debtors and cred
itors, etc. Give all power to the many,
they will Cypress the few. Give all
power to the few, they will Cypress
the many" Up. 1922. Hence, Hamilton
proposed to give all power to a single
individual. can executive for life has
not this motive for forgetting his fl
deity, and will therefore be safer
depository of power" Up. 184). And
SO on.
(To Be Continued.)