Page:Memoir, correspondence, and miscellanies, from the papers of Thomas Jefferson - Volume 1.djvu/80

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such a Constitution as 'would ensure peace, justice, liberty, the common defence and general welfare.'

This Convention met at Philadelphia on the 25th of May, 87. It sat with closed doors, and kept all its proceedings secret, until its dissolution on the 17th of September, when the results of its labors were published all together. I received a copy, early in November, and read and contemplated its provisions with great satisfaction. As not a member of the Convention, however, nor probably a single citizen of the Union, had approved it in all its parts, so I, too, fouad articles which I thought objectionable. The absence of express declarations ensuring freedom of religion, free dom of the press, freedom of the person under the uninterrupted protection of the Habeas corpus, and trial by jury in Civil, as well as in Criminal cases, excited my jealousy ; and the re-eligibility of the President for life, I quite disapproved. I expressed freely, in letters to my friends, and most particularly to Mr. Madison and General Washington, my approbations and objections. How the good should be secured, and the ill brought to rights, was the dif ficulty. To refer it back to a new Convention, might endanger the loss of the whole. My first idea was, that the nine states first acting, should accept it unconditionally, and thus secure what in it was good, and that the four last should accept on the previous condition, that certain amendments should be agreed to ; but a bet ter course was devised, of accepting the whole, and trusting that the good sense and honest intentions of our citizens, would make the alterations which should be deemed necessary. Accordingly, all accepted, six without objection, and seven with recommenda tions of specified amendments. Those respecting the press, reli gion, and juries, with several others, of great value, were accord ingly made ; but the Habeas corpus was left to the discretion of Congress, and the amendment against the re-eligibility of the Pre sident was not proposed. My fears of that feature were founded on the importance of the office, on the fierce contentions it might excite among ourselves, if continuable for life, and the dangers of interference, either with money or arms, by foreign nations, to whom the choice of an American President might become inte resting. Examples of this abounded in history ; in the case of the Roman Emperors, for instance ; of the Popes while of any signifi cance ; of the German Emperors ; the Kings of Poland, and the Deys of Barbary. I had observed, too, in the feudal history, and in the recent instance, particularly, of the Stadtholder of Holland, how easily offices, or tenures for life, slide into inheritances. My wish, therefore, was that the President should be elected for seven years, and be ineligible afterwards. This term I thought suffi-