To: billbears; Publius
Anti-Hamiltonians keep mistaking description for prescription. Hamilton's speech at the convention was NOT a "plan" he described it as a "sketch of a plan" and its intent was to stake out ground to the right of either the Virginia plan and the NJ plan. This made it appear to be a compromise when the delegates voted for the Virginia plan.
He, like many there, were brainstorming and ideas expressed were not necessarily proposed. Hamilton and Washington were also meeting out of doors to devise strategy and their strategy was to have him take time away from those wishing to discuss the NJ plan, that was why he took the entire last day before the vote between VA/NJ plans. Why do you think Washington let him do that?
Much like any good negoitator would have done H made proposals more extreme than could be accepted knowing that by doing so he could move the convention towards the Va plan which was acceptable (if not enthusiastically so) to him.
In addition some of the ideas that he had seriously entertained were changed in the course of discussion with the other delegates. Madison made similiarly radical proposals which he modified through discussion.
The clearest proof that this was not a "plan" or even serious proposal was the FACT that no vote was taken on it. Even so many of his proposals were incorporated into the actual final document.
255 posted on
02/06/2004 8:40:41 AM PST by
justshutupandtakeit
(America's Enemies foreign and domestic agree: Bush must be destroyed.)
To: justshutupandtakeit
ditto on that.
263 posted on
02/06/2004 9:12:49 AM PST by
bvw
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