THE CONSTRUCTIVE STATESMAN 197 



same time it was proposed to connect the Potomac 

 and Delaware rivers with a canal, and a company was 

 organized for this purpose. This made it desirable 

 that the four states Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, 

 and Pennsylvania should agree upon the laws for 

 regulating interstate traffic through this system of 

 waterways. But from this it was but a short step 

 to the conclusion that, since the whole commercial 

 system of the United States confessedly needed over- 

 hauling, it might perhaps be as well for all the thir- 

 teen states to hold a convention for considering the 

 matter. When such a suggestion was communicated 

 from the legislature of Maryland to that of Virginia, 

 it afforded Madison the opportunity for which he had 

 been eagerly waiting. Some time before he had pre- 

 pared a resolution for the appointment of commission- 

 ers to confer with commissioners from the other 

 states concerning the trade of the country and the 

 advisableness of intrusting its regulation to the fed- 

 eral government. This resolution Madison left to be 

 offered to the assembly by some one less conspicu- 

 ously identified with Federalist opinions than himself ; 

 and it was accordingly presented by John Tyler, 

 father of the future President of that name. The 

 motion was unfavourably received and was laid upon 

 the table ; but when the message came from Maryland 

 the matter was reconsidered and the resolution passed. 

 Annapolis was selected as the place for the conven- 

 tion, which assembled September n, 1786. Only five 

 states Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jer- 

 sey, and New York were represented at the meeting. 

 Maryland, which had first suggested the convention, 

 had seen the appointed time arrive without even taking 



