Representatives of only seven states were present in Annapolis. Urgent letters were
sent to the various states requesting their attendance. Debates occurred on
December 26th and 27th, despite the absence of the required number of
representatives of the Confederation.
Ministers in Paris gave Congress 67 days
to ratify; if ratification failed by the time stipulated, the treaty would be
void. The question arose that perhaps seven states could ratify the treaty,
that the limited time stipulation required a departure from the rules. During the debate over the rules, Monroe, Gerry, Howel, Ellery
and Jefferson urged caution on ratification without the required minimum of
nine states.
England knew the articles of confederation and would demand no less
than nine states to ratify, and would object if only seven states ratified the
treaty. If ratification occurred late but was otherwise legally correct, the several
states would be placed on better ground for their intention and conduct. The
lateness could be explained by harsh winter weather and difficulties of transportation.
A
motion that seven states were sufficient to
ratify was defeated. Massachusetts supported it. Pennsylvania and Virginia opposed it. Jefferson, in his memoirs, wrote:
Our body was little numerous but very
contentious. Day after day was wasted on unimportant questions. A member, one
of those afflicted with the morbid rage of debate, of an ardent mind, prompt
imagination and copious flow of words, who heard with impatience any logic
which was not his own, sitting near me on some occasion of a trifling but wordy
debate, asked me how I could sit in silence, hearing so much false reasoning,
which a word would refute? I observed to him, that to refute indeed was easy,
but to silence impossible; that in measures brought forward by myself, I took
the laboring oar, as was incumbent on me; but that in general, I was willing to
listen; that if every sound argument or objection was used by someone or other
of the numerous debaters, it was enough; if not, I thought it sufficient to
suggest the omission, without going into a repetition of what had been said by
others: that this was a waste and abuse of time and patience of the House,
which could not be justified. And I believe, that if the members of
deliberative bodies were to observe this course generally, they would do in a
day, what takes them a week; and it is really more questionable, than may at
first be thought, whether Bonaparte’s dumb legislature, which said nothing and
did much, may not be preferable to one which talks much, and does nothing.
I served with General Washington in the legislature
of Virginia, before the revolution, and, during it, with Dr. Franklin in
Congress. I never heard either of them speak ten minutes at a time, nor to any
but the main point, which was to decide the question. They laid their shoulders
to the great points, knowing that the little ones would follow of themselves.
If the present Congress errs in too much
talking, how can it be otherwise, in a body to which the people send one
hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is, to question everything, yield
nothing, and talk by the hour? That one hundred and fifty lawyers should do
business together, ought not to be expected. But to return again to our subject.
The
treaty was ratified by nine states without dissent on January 14, 1884, and
sent by courier to Paris.
No comments:
Post a Comment