ir constituents. An individual of any tolerable economy, pays
all his debts, and perhaps has money beforehand. A small school district,
or a small parish, will see what sum they want, and usually provide
sufficiently for their wants, and often have a little money at interest.

Town voters are partly representatives, i. e. many people pay town taxes
who have no right to vote, but the money they vote away is principally
their own. The towns in this state tax themselves less willingly than
smaller bodies. They generally however tax themselves sufficiently to
nearly pay the demands against them within the year, very seldom raise
money beforehand by taxes. The General Assembly of this state could never
be induced to _attempt_ to do more than pay the annual interest of what
they owe, and occasionally sink very small parts of the principal, and
they never in fact did thus much, and we are all witnesses that they are
full as careful of the public money as we can wish. It never was a
complaint that they were too ready to allow individuals large sums. A man
who has a claim against a town, and applies to a town-meeting, is very
likely to obtain justice: but he who has a claim against the state, and
applies to the General Assembly, stands but a poor chance to obtain
justice. Some rule will be found to exclude his claim,--or to lessen it,--or
he will be paid in a security--not worth half the money.

You have uniformly experienced that your representatives are as careful,
if not more so, of your money, than you yourselves are in your
town-meetings; but still your representatives are generally men of
property, and those of them who are most independent, and those whom you
have sent to Congress, have not been by any means the least careful.

A Countryman, V.

The New Haven Gazette, (Number 44)

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 1787.

TO THE PEOPLE OF CONNECTICUT.

You do not hate to read Newspaper Essays on the new constitution, more
than I hate to write them. Then _we will be short_--which I have often
found the _best_ expression in a dull sermon, except the _last_.

Whether the mode of election pointed out in the proposed constitution is
well calculated to support the principles which were designed to be
established in the different branches of the legislature, may perhaps be
justly doubted:--and may perhaps in some future day be discussed.

The design undoubtedly was, that the house of representatives should be a
_popular_ ass