Page:The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 Volume 2.djvu/126

 IZZ KECORDS OF TIlE FEDERAL CONVENTION T;,,,da3 MADISON Mr. Ghorum was for leaving to the Legislature the provid- ing agst such abuses as had been mentioned. Col. Mason mentioned the parliamentary qualifications adopted in the Reign of Queen Anne, which he said had met with universal approbation Mr. (Madison> had wknessed � zeal of men having accts. with the public, to get into the Legislatures for sinister purposes. He thought however that if any precaution were to be taken for excluding them, the one proposed by Col. M<ason} ought to be new modelled. It might be well to limit 7 the exclusion to persons who had reed money from the public, and had not accounted for it. Mr GoYr. Morris--It was a precept of great antiquity as well as of high authority' that we should not be righteous over- much. lie thought we ought to be equally on our guard agst. being wise over much. The proposed regulation would enable the Gorehr. to exclude particular persons from office as long as they' pleased He mentioned the case of the Commander in chief's presenting his account for secret services, which he said was so moderate that every one was astonished at it; and so simple that no doubt could arise on it. Yet had the Auditor been disposed to delay the settlement, how easily might he have affected it, and how cruel wd. it be in such a case to keep a distinguished & meritorious Citizen under a temporary disability & disfranchisement. He mentioned this case merely to illustrate the objectionable nature of the proposition. He was opposed to such minutious regulations in a Constitution. The parliamentary' qualifications quoted by Col. Mason, had been disregarded in practice; and was but a scheme of the landed agst the monied interest. Mr Pinckney & Genl. Pinckney moved to insert by way of amendrot. the words Judiciary & Executive so as to extend the qualifications to those departments which was agreed to nem con Mr. Gerry' thought the inconveniency of excluding a few worthy individuals who might be public debtors or have unsettled accts ought not to be put in the Scale agst the public Crossed out "the evil mentioned by Col. Mason ". Crossed out "to avoid objections by limiting.".

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