Page:The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 Volume 2.djvu/40

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36 l?.ECOIk13S OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION Tuesday MADISON July keep out monarchial Govt. was to establish such a Repub. Govt. as wd. make the people happy and prevent a desire of change. Doer. McClurg was not so much afraid of the shadow of monarchy as to be unwilling to approach it; nor so wedded to Republican Govt. as not to be sensible of the tyrannies that had been & may be exercised under that form. It was an essential object with him to make the Executive inde- pendent of the Legislature; and the only mode left for effect- ing it? after the vote destroying his ineliglbility a second time, was to appoint him during good behavior. On the question for inserting "during good behavior" in place of 7 years ((with a) re-eligibility) (it passed in the nega- tive.) ?' Mas. no. Ct. no. N.J. ay. Pa. ay. Del. ay. Md. no. Va. ay. N. C. no. S.C. no. Geo. no.* [Ayes- 4; noes- 6.] On the motion "to strike out seven years" (it passed in the negative.) Mas. ay. Ct. no. N.J. no. Pa. ay. Del. ay. Md. no. Va. no. N. C. ay. 8. C. no. Geo. no.t (It was now unanimously agreed that the vote whleh had struck out the words "to be ineligibl? a second time" should be reconsidered tomorrow.? ? Adjd?

  • -This vote is not to be considered as any certain index of opinion, as a number

ia the affirmative probably had it chiefly in view to alarm those attached to a depend- �nce of the Executive on the Legislature, & thereby facilitate some final arrangement of a contrary tendency. {Th? avowed friends of an Excutive, "during good behaviour" were not more than thre? or four nor i, it certain they would finally have adhered to ?uch a'tenure. An independence of the three great departments of of each other, as far as possible, and the responsibility of all to the will of the community seemed to be generally admitted as the true basis of a well constructed government.} ? There was no debate on this motion the apparent object of many in the aflirma- tire Was to secure the reellglbillty by shortening the term, and of many in the negative to embarrass the plan of referring the appointment & dependence of the Eexcutive to the Legislature. See Appendix A, CCLXX, CCXCV. Taken from ]our? which is in error, see above note 4. See further Appendix A, LXIV.