COMMENTARIES, 27 NOVEMBER 1787

Louis Guillaume Otto to Comte de Montmorin
New York, 26 November 1787 (excerpt)'
... The debates, My Lord, for and against the new Constitution con-
tinue to absorb public attention and while the individual States are pre-
paring to call conventions in order to adopt or reject this new plan, the
two parties abuse each other in the public papers with a rancor which
sometimes does not even spare insults and personal invectives. As in
these sorts of political commotions, the men and the issues usually dis-
guise themselves so as to become unrecognizable, the partisans of the
innovation are called Federalists and the others more commonly higs,
although neither of these names has a direct relation to the object in
question. This spirit of argument is even pushed to intolerance in regard
to foreigners and they absolutely want us to take a side for or against
the new Constitution. Some politicians trying to be shrewder than others
have even suggested that this Constitution was bad since it was approved
by foreign Ministers. According to one side Despotism will be the nec-
essary consequence of the proposed Constitution; according to the oth-
ers the united States will reach the summit of glory and power with this
same Constitution. Indifferent Spectators agree that the new form of
Government, well executed will be able to produce good results; but
they also think that if the states really had the desire to be united the
present Confederation would be adequate for all their needs. Meanwhile
they are unable to conceal that after having excited this general ferment
there is no longer a means to stop it, that the old edifice is almost
destroyed, and that any fabric whatsoever must be substituted for it. In
effect it was impossible to carry out a more violent coup to the authority
of Congress, than in saying to all America, to the entire Universe, that
this body is inadequate to the needs of the Confederation and that the
united States have become the laughingstock of all the powers. This
principle repeated over and over by all the Innovators seems as false as
their spirits are excited; the united States held the place among nations
which their youth and means assigned them; they are neither rich
enough, populated enough, nor well established enough to appear with
more luster and perhaps one ought to reproach them only for the im-
patience of anticipating their future grandeur...
1. RC (Tr), Correspondance Politique, Etats-Unis, Vol. 32, ff. 401-4, Archives du Min-
istere des Affaires Etrangeres, Paris, France. Printed: CC:294. Otto (1754-1817) had
served as France's charge d'affaires since 1785 and continued to be its principal diplo-
matic representative in America until the arrival of the Comte de Moustier early in 1788.
The Comte de Montmorin (1745-1792) was France's Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Publius: The Federalist 12 (Alexander Hamilton)
New York Packet, 27 November 1787
Union will ensure creation of a national revenue. For text, see CC:297. For
reprintings, see Appendix IV, below.

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