quinting. It
squints toward monarchy;... your president may easily become a king....
If your American chief be a man of ambition and ability how easy it is
for him to render himself absolute. We shall have a king. The army will
salute him monarch."*

* "Connecticut's Ratification of the Federal Constitution," by B.
C. Steiner, in "Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society," April
1915 pp. 88-89.

But it is hard to take seriously a delegate who asked permission "to
make a short apostrophe to liberty," and then delivered himself of this
bathos:

"O liberty!--thou greatest good--thou fairest property--with thee I wish
to live--with thee I wish to die!--Pardon me if I drop a tear on the
peril to which she is exposed; I cannot, sir, see this brightest of
jewels tarnished! a jewel worth ten thousand worlds! and shall we part
with it so soon? O no!"*

* Elliot's "Debates on the Federal Constitution," vol. III. p.
144.

There might be some reason in objecting to the excessive power vested
in Congress; but what is one to think of the fear that imagined the
greatest point of danger to lie in the ten miles square which later
became the District of Columbia, because the Government might erect a
fortified stronghold which would be invincible? Again, in the light of
subsequent events it is laughable to find many protesting that, although
each house was required to keep a journal of proceedings, it was only
required "FROM TIME TO TIME to publish the same, excepting such parts
as may in their judgment require secrecy." All sorts of personal charges
were made against those who were responsible for the framing of the
Constitution. Hopkinson wrote to Jefferson in April, 1788:

"You will be surprised when I tell you that our public News Papers have
announced General Washington to be a Fool influenced & lead by that Knave
Dr. Franklin, who is a public Defaulter for Millions of Dollars, that
Mr. Morris has defrauded the Public out of as many Millions as you
please & that they are to cover their frauds by this new Government."*

* "Documentary History of the Constitution," vol. IV, p. 563.

All things considered, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that such
critics and detractors were trying to find excuses for their opposition.

The majorities in the various conventions can hardly be said really to
represent the people of their States, for only a small percentage of the
people had voted in