State governments in a subordinate position, he hoped that they would apply themselves strictly to the administration of local affairs, serve as a school for the training of public men, and take the place of those great European corporations, which have always been the best safeguards of order, liberty, and law. By vesting the executive power in a Chief Magistrate, chosen indeed by the people, but whose dignity and honour should not be the sport of every breath of popular change, and who should hold his office by a permanent tenure—he sought to make that high post an object worthy of the ambition of the best and noblest, and not to be lightly bestowed by any less solemn sanction than the deliberate exercise of a nation's will. By granting the same tenure of office to one branch of the legislature, he intended to strengthen the hands of the executive for good, while keeping it within the bounds of its legitimate authority, and to control the impatience, while maintaining the rights of the democracy. Both President and Senators would have been responsible-but responsible only to the law, interpreted by an impartial and independent tribunal. The whole life of politicians would not have been wasted in election

tactics, and wretched intrigues for power.

What other evils might have arisen under this constitution, it is now in vain to inquire. It would at least have given time to adopt a national policy, and to form a generation of statesmen; and if, after a full and fair trial, it had been found expedient to draw still nearer to the British model, and to substitute the hereditary for the elective principle, the transition need not have been violent, or have involved any sacrifice of the established liberties of the people.

But great as was Hamilton's influence, he could not have carried his plan of government, and indeed he seems rather to have brought it forward as an exposition of his views, than with any serious hope of its being accepted by the assembly. Short of those views, he was ready to labour assiduously in the preparation of the best attainable constitution. With the extreme diversity of opinions in the Convention-with the contending claims of State rights and Federal interests-with some members advocating a single chamber, and even Franklin in favour of a plural executive-Hamilton felt, that the only possible solution of their difficulties lay in compromise. In this, the majority agreed with him,

and each in turn surrendered some cherished notion, or proposed some modification of another's scheme. After four months of careful deliberation-after many tedious discussions, lasting through the long days from May to September-a Constitution was at length presented to the people of the United States, to be by them either ratified or rejected. The Congress was to consist of two separate chambersa House of Representatives chosen every second year by the people of the several States, according to the qualifications in each State for election of its own Legislature, and in proportion to the population of each State, reckoning only three-fifths of the slaves-and a Senate composed of two Senators from each State, chosen by the Legislature thereof for six years. No person holding office could be a member of this Congress, which was to meet every year, and to have the power to lay and collect taxes, and provide for the common defence and general welfare of the United States; to borrow money; to regulate commerce; to establish uniformles of naturalization and laws of bankrup

pun

in money; to provide for the

feiting the public securities; d post-offices; to grant patents

and copyrights; to define and punish piracies, and offences against the law of nations; to declare war; to raise and support armies; to provide and maintain a navy; to make rules for the government of the forces; to call out the militia to execute the laws of the Union, to suppress insurrections, and repel invasions; to provide for organizing the militia, and governing such part of them as may be employed in the service of the Union; to exercise exclusive legislation over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as may become the seat of the government of the United States, and over all forts, magazines, arsenals, and dockyards of the Union; and generally to make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers. But Congress was not to prohibit the importation of such persons as any State shall think proper to admit (in other words, the slave-trade) prior to the year 1808; nor to suspend the writ of Habeas Corpus, unless in case of rebellion or invasion; nor to pass any bill of attainder or ex post facto law; nor to lay any direct tax, unless in proportion to the census; nor to tax articles exported from any State; nor to give any preference to one State over another by regulations of commerce; nor

to draw money from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law; nor to grant any title of nobility. And, not content with these limitations of sovereignty, it was afterwards expressly provided by a separate article, that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

The executive power was to be vested in a President of the United States, to hold his office for a term of four years. He and the Vice-President were to be chosen by electors, appointed in such manner as the Legislature of each State should direct, and equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to which the State would be entitled in Congress. The lists of persons voted for were to be sent sealed to the Senate of the United States, and opened in presence of Congress. The person having the greatest number of votes, being a majority of the whole number of electors, was to be President; and if more than one had such majority, and an equal number of votes, then the House of Representatives was to choose one of them by ballot; and if no person had such majority, then the said House was to choose the President from the five highest on the list. And, after the