1. DEBATE OVER CONSTITUTION

3. Montesquieu made this statement in the second paragraph of the preface to his
Spirit of Laws.
Publius: The Federalist 22 (Alexander Hamilton)
New York Packet, 14 December 1787
Confederation Congress lacks powers to regulate commerce and enforce
treaties. Equal representation of states in Congress criticized. For text, see
CC:347. For reprintings, see Appendix IV, below.
Antoine de La Forest to Comte de Montmorin
New York, 15 December 1787 (excerpts)'
. .. It is not yet known what the Special assemblies of Rhode island,
Newyork, North Carolina, Maryland and virginia will decide....
As for the State of Newyork, My Lord, it has no interest which is able
to thwart the adoption of the new Government. But the preponderance
of its civil officers until now have prevailed over the federalist party and
the former have personal motives for preserving the complete and full
direction of the affairs of the state for as long as possible. The appli-
cation of money arising from [state] import duties to the funding of
public securities on which they Speculate is of major importance for
their fortunes....
1. RC (Tr), Affaires Etrangeres, Correspondance Consulaires, BI 909, New York, ff.
294-97, Archives Nationales, Paris, France. Printed: CC:349. Antoine Rene Charles Ma-
thurin de la Forest (b. 1756) was French vice consul for the United States stationed in
New York City.
A Countryman IV (Hugh Hughes)
New York Journal, 15 December 17871
(LETTERS from a Gentleman in DUTCHESS-COUNTY,
to his Friend in NEW-YORK.
(Continued from this Register of the 3d. inst.)2
December 8th 1787.
DEAR SIR, When I closed my third letter, I wished to be more explicit
on some things which I had mentioned in that, as well as to make
several observations on the new constitution, as it is called; but the
conveyance waited, and time would not admit of saying any further.
I will now resume the affair of calling a convention.) When I said,
that I could not see the propriety, or necessity, of the legislatures calling
a convention, it was merely on the principle of calling one in conse-
quence of the resolve or recommendation of the late convention, at
Philadelphia;3 lest the people should infer, that the legislature, by rec-
ommending a state convention, considered the proceedings and re-

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