1728. CONSTITUTIONS (American), Characteristics of.—
Our Revolution * * *
presented us an album on which we were free
to write what we pleased. * * * Yet we
did not avail ourselves of all the advantages
of our position. We had never been permitted
to exercise self-government. When
forced to assume it, we were novices in its
science. Its principles and forms had entered
little into our former education. We established,
however, some although not all
its important principles. The constitutions of
most of our States assert that all power is
inherent in the people; that they may exercise
it by themselves, in all cases to which they
think themselves competent (as in electing
their functionaries executive and legislative,
and deciding by a jury of themselves, in all
judiciary cases in which any fact is involved),
or they may act by representatives, freely and
equally chosen; that it is their right and
duty to be at all times armed; that they are
entitled to freedom of person, freedom of religion,
freedom of property, and freedom of
the press. In the structure of our legislatures,
we think experience has proved the
benefit of subjecting questions to two separate
bodies of deliberants; but in constituting
these natural right has been mistaken,
some making one of these bodies, and some
both, the representatives of property instead
of persons; whereas the double deliberation
might be as well obtained without any violation
of true principle, either by requiring a
greater age in one of the bodies, or by electing
a proper number of representatives of persons,
dividing them by lots into two chambers, and
renewing the division at frequent intervals,
in order to break up all cabals.—
To John Cartwright. Washington ed. vii, 356.
(M.
1824)
