25 them in masquerade 1 I discern no evidence in the journal to excite such a suspicion. Colonel Hamilton, far. from discerning the supposed ingenuity of sinking a national form of Government'in alakebf obsciirity, to be fished upfiy a'long Tine0 of constructions, when’it might be safer to avow the intentions, seems'to have' quitted the convention in despair, soon after the failure of his project. Mr. Randolph, undoubtedly influenced by having lo'st his plan also, refused to sign the constitution. And though Mr. Madison and Colonel Hamilton both signed it, and. Mr. Randolph supported it in the Virginia convention, they must have been influenced- by the patriotic motive of effecting some good,'though'they-could not accomplish 'all <which they attempted.. These are strong reasons to proVe; that the gentlemen who ha’d contended for.- ; a supreme national Government, ahd 'of whose’ propositions for that purpose, not'one was adopted by the constitution, did not imagine they had succeeded.” It appears that the indirect and insidious means (which were intended to be exercised through the medium of incorporations and exclusive privileges,) of the consolidationists, to establish a supreme national government, shared the same fate in the convention, as did. their more open and direct efforts. But, sir, let us proceed to examine the evidence, on the point, in question, in the order in which it stands on the journal of the convention : On the 29th of May, the third day after the convention had formed a quorum, Mr. Pinckney, delegate from South Carolina, submitted the plan of a constitution, in which he proposed to bestow on Congress the power, “ to borrow money,” &c., &c; After various propositions, plans and resolutions, had been sufficiently debated: “ It was moved and seconded that the proceedings of the convention for the establishment of a national government, except what respects the supreme executive, be referred to a committee for the purpose of reporting a constitution, conformably to the proceedings aforesaid—which passed unanimously in the affirmative.” On the 24th of July, the committee, consisting of five, were chosen, and on the 6th of August, the committee reported the “ draft of a constitution,” and among other powers proposed to be given to Congress, were the following : “To lay and collect taxes, to borrow money, and emit bills on the credit of the United States.” On the 16th of August, when this “ draft of a constitution” was under discussion, and particularly the-power last-above mentioned : “ It was moved and seconded to strike out the words ‘ and emit bills’ out of the eighth clause of the first section of the seventh article.—which passed in the affirmative. “Yeas, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, 9. Nays, New Jersey, Maryland, 2. The convention, after having denied to Congress the power to emit bills of credit—which power had been possessed by the confederation—-deemed proper to extend a like prohibition to the State governments; this subject was decided on the 28th day of August, when the 12th article was under consideration: “ It was moved and seconded to insert the words “nor emit bills of credk,” after the word “money,” which passed in the affirmative.” On the 18th of August, as has already been shown, two different propositions Were niadb to authorize Congress to grant acts of incorporation, and were both rejected. , On the 14th of September, the power, to create corporations was again proposed, to:be vested in Congress, but was again, and for the1 third and last time, rejected, (see journal.) Thus for the journal of the convention. I would1 now ask the attention of the committee to the statements made by thejmembers of. the convention.
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