Page:The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 Volume 2.djvu/128

 IZ 4 P, ECORDS OF THE FEDERAL CONVENTION Tkursday MADISON July 26 was politic as well as just that the interests & rights of every class should be duty represented & understood in the public Councils. It was a provision every where established that the Country should be divided into districts & representatives taken from each, in order that the Legislative Assembly might equally understand & sympathise, with the rights of the people in every part of the Community. It was not less proper that every class of Citizens should have an opportunity of making their rights be felt & understood in the public Councils. The three principle classes into which our citizens were divisible, were the landed the commercial, & the manufacturing. The 2d. & 3rd. class, bear as yet a small proportion to the first. The proportion however will daily increase. We see in the popu- lous Countries in Europe now, what we shall be hereafter. These classes understand much less of each others interests & affairs, than men of the same class inhabiting different districts. It is particularly requisite therefore that the interests of one or two of them should not be left entirely to the care, or the im- partiality of the third. This must be the case if landed qualifi- cations should be required; few of the mercantile, and scarcely any of the manufacturing class, chusing whilst they continue in business to turn any part of their Stock into landed property. For these reasons he wished if it were possible that some other criterion than the mere possession of land should be devised. He concurred with Mr. Govt. Morris in thinking that qualifica- tions in the Electors would be much more effectual than in the elected. The former would discriminate between real & osten- sible property in the latter; But he was aware of (the difficulty of} forming any uniform standard that would suit the different circumstances & opinions prevailing in the different States. Mr. Govr Morris 2ded. the motion. On the Question for striking out "landed" N.H. ay. Mas. a�. Ct. ay N.J. ay. Pa. ay. Del. ay. Md. no Va. ay. N. C. ay.. S.C. ay. Geo. ay. [Ayes- m; noes -- On Question on Ist. part of Col. Masons proposition as to qualification of property & citizenship" (as so amended} 0 Taken from Journal.

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