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1787] Strain in the Convention. 267 of counties. They could never expect a partition of the larger States if the general government was feeble ; for in that case all their strength would be needed by themselves. Given energy and stability in the general government, and partitions might follow. Wilson said that, according to the other side, borough representation in England was right. Indeed Old Sarum had ground of complaint; London sent four representatives to Parliament, while entitled to but two on the theory of equality. Sherman argued that it was right for some of the States to give up more than others. The rich man who entered society along with the poor man gives up more than the poor man, yet with an equal vote he is equally safe ; if the rich man were to have more votes, in proportion to his stake, the poor man would not be safe. At this stage of the Convention (it was now June 28), a notable speech was made by Franklin. The Convention, he said, had been in session for four or five weeks, and there had been little else than contention. " We indeed seem to feel," said he, " our own want of political wisdom, since we have been running about in search of it. We have gone back to ancient history...; we have viewed modern States... but find none of their constitutions suitable to our circumstances.... Groping as it were in the dark,... how has it happened" that the Con- vention has not sought light from the " Father of lights " ? He moved that the House be opened every morning with prayers. No vote was taken ; and the incident is mentioned here only to show the strain under which the Convention was now labouring. The question thus far was whether one side would yield to the other ; whether there was any common ground between them had not been seriously con- sidered. On the next day Johnson pointed out that there was such ground ; there were aristocratic and other individual interests, and there were interests of the States as such, to be guarded. Let the States be treated in certain respects in their political capacity, in others as districts of individual citizens, and the two ideas be combined instead of being treated as opposed to each other ; let one branch be represented by the people at large, the other by the States corporately a suggestion like that made by his colleague Sherman on June 10. Nothing however, for the present, came of it, and the strain continued. The danger of disruption, with its grave consequences, was before the Convention. Gorham warned the delegates from the smaller States that these would have more to lose than the larger. The large States would be more able to take care of themselves ; the weaker therefore were more interested in creating a stable government. The weaker States would be at the mercy of the stronger in case of disruption; Delaware would be at the mercy of Pennsylvania. So it had been formerly when Massachusetts was composed of three colonies ; but all danger had ceased after they were united. So it had been in C. M. H. VII. CH. VIII. 17