ⅭⅭⅭⅬⅤ. William Steele to Jonathan D. Steele.[1]
My dear Son:—
I some time ago repeated to you an historical anecdote, in which you felt so much interested that you extorted from me a promise, that I would at some moment of leisure commit it to paper for you. I am now seated for that purpose, and shall relate it as nearly as I can recollect, in the words of General Jonathan Dayton, one of the members of the General Convention, who framed the Constitution, and afterwards Speaker of the House of Representatives, in the Congress of the United States.
I was (said General Dayton) a delegate from New Jersey, in the General Convention which assembled in Philadelphia for the purpose of digesting a constitution for the United States, and I believe I was the youngest member of that body. The great and good Washington was chosen our president, and Dr. Franklin, among other great men, was a delegate from Pennsylvania. A disposition was soon discovered in some members to display themselves in oratorical flourishes; but the good sense and discretion of the majority put down all such attempts. We had convened to deliberate upon, and if possible effect, a great national object—to search for political wisdom and truth; these we meant to pursue with simplicity, and to avoid everything which would have a tendency to divert our attention, or perplex our scheme.
A great variety of projects were proposed, all republican in their general outlines, but differing in their details. It was, therefore, determined that certain elementary principles should at first be established, in each branch of the intended constitution, and afterwards the details should be debated and filled up.
There was little or no difficulty in determining upon the elementary principles—such as, for instance, that the government should be a republican-representative government—that it should be divided into three branches, that is, legislative, executive, and judicial, &c. But when the organization of the respective branches of the legis-
- ↑
Littell’s Living Age, 25 May, 1850. The National Intelligencer of August 26, 1826, had printed this with the following introduction from the New York Gazette:
“A friend has favored us with an interesting Manuscript, relating to a most important period of our history. The circumstances here detailed are new to us, and we believe they have never before been published. The narrative is in the words of General ——, one of the members of the General Convention which framed the Constitution. It was committed to paper by the gentleman to whom General —— detailed the facts, and we now have the satisfaction of laying it before our readers.”
For Madison’s comment on this anecdote see ⅭⅭⅭⅬⅩⅩⅨ and ⅭⅭⅭⅩⅭⅢ below.
