ON THE FEDERAL CONSTITUTION 147 
was “The Fundamental Orders of Connecticut.” ’ 
These Orders, as already observed, placed no ecclesi- 
astical restrictions upon the suffrage, but gave it to all 
admitted freemen who had taken the oath of fidelity to 
the commonwealth; and lest there should be any doubt 
who were to be regarded as admitted freemen, the Gen- 
eral Court afterward declared that the phrase meant 
all who had been admitted by a town. From this it 
appears that in Connecticut the towns were the original 
sources of power, just as in our great federal republic 
the original sources of power are the states. It was 
perfectly well understood that each town was absolutely 
self-governing in all that related to its own local affairs, 
and that all powers not expressly conferred upon the 
General Court by these Fundamental Orders remained 
with the town. One express direction to the towns 
reminds one of the provision in our Federal Constitu- 
tion that it shall guarantee to each state a republican 
form of government. In like manner the Funda- 
mental Orders provide that each town shall choose a 
number of its inhabitants not exceeding seven to admin- 
ister its affairs from year to year. With regard to the 
General Court, it was ordered that each town should 
send four deputies to represent it until the number of 
towns should so increase that this rule would make an 
assembly inconveniently large, in which case the num- 
1“ This was the first instance known to history in which a common- 
wealth was created in such a way. Much eloquence has been expended 
over the compact drawn up and signed by the Pilgrims in the cabin of the 
Mayflower, and that is certainly an admirable document; but it is not a 
constitution ; it does not lay down the lines upon which a government is to 
be constructed. It is simply a promise to be good and to obey the laws. 
On the other hand, the ‘Fundamental Orders of Connecticut’ summon 
into existence a state government which is, with strict limitations, para- 
mount over the local governments of the three towns, its creators.” 
