The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1937-09-16

and of style worked diligently and
were able, finally, to present the draft
of the Constitution for signature on
September II. Of the ffty-five dele
gates who had been present at the
convention only forty-one remained
on this memorable day, and of those
present three refused to sign. At his
request the signature of one absent
delegate, John Dickinson, was added,
and the draft was ready to be sent to
the States by the unanimous consent
of the States present"
Franklin's Plea
AS soon as the convention assem-
bled in Independence Hall on Steptem-
Der IT the final draft of the Constitu-
tion-"a bundle of compromised
was read, and almost Immediately the
great Benjamin Franklin, then in his
eighty-first year, stood up with writ
ten speech in his hands. This philoso-
phic message, read for Franklin by
James Wilson, was an appeal to all
Americans to drop their individual
wishes in favor of the common good.
He confessed that there were sections
of the Constitution which did not meet
with his approval, but he was certain
that his mind might change, on the
basis Of further information or fuller
consideration, and that some day he
might sanction these very clauses.
"The older I grow" Franklin said,
"the more apt 1 am to doubt my own
judgment and to pay more respect to
! the judgment of others. Thus,
1 consent, sir, to this Constitution, be-
cause l expect no better, and because
1 am not sure that it is not the best.
. On the whole, sir, cannot
help expressing a wish that every
member of the convention who may
still have objections to it would, with
me, on this occasion doubt little of
his own infallibility, and to make man.
ifest our unanimity, put his name to
this instrument"
The Last Motion
After the speech had been read
Franklin moved that the Constitution
be signed and he proposed the form:
Ozone in convention by the unanimous
consent of the States present" Thus
delegates who objected individually to
particular sections were willing to
sign because their signatures repre-
scented the action of State delegations
Before Franklin's motion was put
Gorham, of Massachusetts,, moved that
the clause prescribing the ratio fol
appointment of representatives might
be changed to one to 10000 instead
of 10000 inhabitants. This was, in
deed, the last motion made in the con-
vention. The democratic proposal OF
giving more representation to the peo-
pie appealed to George Washington
president of the convention. He rose
and made his only speech since the
opening session.
"The smallness of the proportion of
representatives had been considered
by many members of the convention
an insufficient security for the rights
and interests of the people" Wrote
Madison of Washington's part: "He
acknowledged that it had always ap-
peared to himself among the excep-
tional parts of the plan, and late as
the present moment was for admitting
amendments, he though this of SO
much consequence that it would give
him much satisfaction to see it adopt
ed" Washington had his way and the
proposal was adopted.
When Franklin's motion that the
delegates proceed to sign the docu-
ment was put, every State voted in
the affirmative, except South Carolina
whose delegation was divided. Before
the actual signing took place, how