Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 36.djvu/50

84 Robertson; Lincoln County by John Logan and Henry Pawling; Madison County by John Miller and Green Clay. Virginia at this time was an empire not only in territory, but her population had reached over 800,000 souls. Her population was over three-fourths of all that of New England. It was nearly double that of Pennsylvania. It was not far from three times that of New York. It was three-fourths of all the population of the Southern States. It exceeded by 60,000 that of North Carolina (including what was afterwards Tennessee), of South Carolina and of Georgia, and it was more than a fifth of the population of the whole Union. The great problem to be solved by the Convention of 1788 was, should we continue as thirteen Colonies or States, under a loose and undefined confederation, united together with a rope of sand or become a nation, riveted together with bands of steel and the indissoluble bonds of a permanent Union, under a consolidated government so far as national affairs went, with local self-government as to personal or domestic matters. The issue was thus joined–the lines drawn, the forensic battle begun, the war of words waged, the victory won. The Convention was an imposing body. "There were giants in those days," physically as well as intellectually. Many of its members were over six feet in height. Virginia was noted for large men–Washington, Randolph, Henry, Pendleton, Richard Henry Lee, Bland and Harrison were six feet, their average being over six feet, and their average weight over two hundred. The longevity of some of the members of this Convention was also remarkable; numbers lived to be over three score and ten, and the following lived to be over four score: William Dark, of Berkeley; Henry Lee, of Bourbon; Edward Winston, of Buckingham; Humphrey Marshall, of Fayette, whilst Paul Carrington, of Charlotte, lived to be ninety-three and James Johnson, of Isle of Wight, survived the adjournment of the Convention fifty-seven years, dying at the ripe old age of ninety-nine. The Convention of 1788 presented as proud a galaxy of genius, worth, patriotism and public spirit as had ever shone in the councils of a single State. Its representatives were chosen from different pursuits in life–the judge, the merchant, the planter, the lawyer, the physician, the divine, the soldier made