RECORDS OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION Saturday MADISON zl?g?st one. His proposition was that it should be composed of the President of the Senate- the Chief-Justice, and the Ministers as they might be estabd. for the departments of foreign & domestic affairs, war finance, and marine, Who should advise but not conclude the President. Mr Pinkhey wished the proposition to lie over, as notice had been given for a like purpose by Mr. Govr. Morris who was not then on the floor. His own idea was that the President shd. be authorized to call for advice or not as he might chuse. Give him an able Council and it will thwart him; a weak one and he will shelter himself under their sanction. Mr Gerry was agst. letting the heads of the departments, particularly of finance have any thing to do in business con- nected with legislation. He mentioned the Chief Justice also as particularly exceptionable. These men will also be so taken up with other matters as to neglect their own proper duties. Mr. Dickenson urged that the great appointments should be made by the Legislature, in which case they might properly be consulted by the Executive--but not if made by the Executive himself -- This subject by general Consent lay over; & the House proceeded to the clause "To raise armies". Mr. Ghorum moved to add "and support" after "raise". Agreed to hem. con. and then the clause agreed to nero- con- as amended Mr Gerry took notice that there was (no) check here agst. standing armies in time of peace. The existing Congs. is so constructed that it cannot of itself maintain an army. This wd. not be the case under the new system. The people were jealous on this head, and great opposition to the plan would spring from such an omission. He suspected that prepara- tions of force were now making agst. it. (he seemed to allude to the activity of the Govt. of N. York at this crisis in dis- ciplining the militia of that State.) He thought an army dangerous in time of peace & could never consent to a power to keep up an indefinite number. He proposed that there shall not be kept up in time of peace more than thous- and troops. His idea was that the blank should be filled with two or three thousand.
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