Tempest at Dawn (40 page)

Morris took his seat to scattered applause. Hamilton
had also strongly endorsed the House of Lords model. Perhaps
keeping the rich penned up provided greater protection than
allowing them to mingle among commoners disguised in democratic
garb.

Madison overcame his shock at the torrent of
surprises and regained his voice. “Please, sirs, a committee rarely
produces anything but delay. Any scheme a committee might propose
can as easily be proposed in this chamber.” Madison walked over to
his table and leaned into the chamber on splayed fingertips.
“Gentlemen, this committee will be controlled by one vote per
state. This is the very principle I’ve been fighting against.”

After that brittle note, a motion to
establish a committee passed nine to two. Everyone in the chamber
understood that Washington was eager to find a compromise. The next
step was crucial to their plans. Sherman and Washington had
conspired to load the committee with delegates sympathetic to the
small state position, or at least not rigid in support of an
unaltered Virginia Plan.

The election of committee members went
smoothly. Ellsworth from Connecticut, Paterson from New Jersey,
Gunning Bedford from Delaware, and Yates from New York championed
the small state cause. Baldwin represented Georgia, and Daniel of
St. Thomas Jenifer bowed out gracefully to let Luther Martin
represent Maryland. Instead of the unbendable James Wilson, the
affable Franklin represented Pennsylvania. Instead of the purist
James Madison, the reasonable George Mason represented Virginia.
Within the Massachusetts delegation, Nathaniel Gorham and Rufus
King normally outvoted the hot-tempered Gerry, but Gerry would
represent his state this time. Rutledge, a strong advocate for
state rights, would sit for South Carolina and William Davie, an
ardent champion of the South, represented North Carolina.

The die had been cast.

Everyone in the chamber saw the tidal
change. Every committeeman had an interest in retaining some level
of state authority over the central government. This group could be
trusted to craft a compromise that used the states as a check
against the tyranny of concentrated power.

Sherman made a motion to adjourn until
Thursday, the fifth of July. “Gentlemen, this will give the
committee time to do its work, and it will provide us with a recess
to celebrate the anniversary of our independence.”

The motion was quickly seconded and passed,
but prior to people departing, Robert Morris asked for attention.
“Gentlemen, I know you’re anxious to leave, but if I could have a
moment. I’d like to invite everyone to dine at the Indian Queen at
three o’clock this afternoon. Please, everyone join us. We’ll start
the celebration of our independence and refresh our spirit.”

When Morris finished, every man in the room
seemed to simultaneously funnel out the door. The unnatural absence
of conversation told Sherman that everyone wanted to get away to
converse in private with close associates. This indeed had been an
eventful day.

Sherman and Ellsworth entered the
large private room on the second floor of the Indian Queen to find
it full. The mood was grimmer than Sherman had expected. Delegates
milled around, drinking and talking in hushed tones. He spotted
Madison in a corner, talking to Franklin. He couldn’t hear what
they were saying, but the movement of their bodies told him that
they weren’t exchanging idle banter. When Madison became animated,
Franklin placed a fatherly hand on his shoulder to calm
him.

The group dinner had been Washington’s idea,
another example of how the general thought through the imagery of
the moment. He wanted these men together where he could measure
their reaction, cajole, and, when necessary, offer enticements.
Sherman watched him move about the room, engaging one group after
another. Sherman decided he had a similar duty. He dispatched
Ellsworth to talk to the small state delegates, while he approached
Pinckney.

“
Good afternoon, Charles. Thank you
for recommending a committee.”

“
Mr. Sherman, the maestro
himself.”

“
I’m merely a simple delegate from
Connecticut.”

“
And I’m courteous and
reverential.”

“
Charles, you can be difficult at
times, but you’re always engaging. By the way, Rutledge was a good
choice for the committee.”

“
John’s my relative,” Pinckney said
with a dismissive air. “What else have you adults cooked
up?”

“
Sorry, Charles, but your sarcasm
escapes me.”

“
You know quite well what I mean. You,
Washington, and Franklin treat the rest of us like children. You
elders send us to bed early so you can play illicit
games.”

“
You sound angry.”

“
The Virginia Plan has been gutted
without the slightest consideration of my plan. There’s a plot to
keep me out of the foreground.”

“
Didn’t the general ask you to propose
the committee?”

“
His Royal Highness neglected to tell
me about the intrigue that made the committee possible. I don’t
like to be used.”

“
Then you must get out of
politics.”

Pinckney laughed. “Roger, you’re one of the
few who don’t lose your balance when someone violates accepted
norms.”

“
Does it work? These brash
assaults?”

“
Quite often. More frequently with
Southerners, I’m afraid.”

“
Why do you think that is?”

“
Why do I suspect you’re doing
research for future intrigues?”

Now Sherman laughed. “My interest is
genuine. I fail to understand Southern culture.”

“
We’re more insular, I suppose. And
less religious. We impose more social structure to make up for
fewer spiritual rules.”

“
How sad. Religion guides the
soul.”

“
As it has in your political
machinations?”

This barb caught Sherman unawares, so a
moment passed before he said, “Faithfulness is not how one lives,
but what one aspires to.”

“
Convenient.”

“
Not very.”

“
Ah, yes, the Calvinist guilt. I’m
sure you are a better man because you feel bad about your
misdeeds.”

“
It does hold extreme excesses in
check.”

“
It’s comforting to know that you
didn’t go to excess this time.”

“
Charles, your sarcasm could be
dismissed if you didn’t touch on the truth so often. Mercifully, it
appears we’re ready to eat. Shall we find a seat?”

Sherman and Pinckney chose seats together at
one of the four long tables. As was his habit, Sherman kept a watch
on the room as he talked to Pinckney. The mood continued to be one
of restraint. The delegates had buried their ill will for the
moment, but the tottering convention had sanded nerves crimson.

Franklin and Madison seemed to hold the most
interesting exchange. Sherman felt a pang of sympathy for Madison.
He had worked hard, and his plan remained more intact than Pinckney
had alluded to in his fit of jealousy. The basic structure held,
and there would have been no convention without his obsessive
dedication to a stronger central government. The intense little man
deserved the gratitude of all the delegates. Madison’s only failing
was his strict adherence to principle. While he strove for
perfection, the real world muddled through with good enough.

Madison had too much to contribute to become
disenchanted, and the nation needed the balance of his
philosophical perspective. Sherman decided the time had come to
work with Madison.

“
You know why you weren’t taken into
our confidence.”

“
I deserved an opportunity to express
my opinion.”

“
You would’ve fought every
element.”

Madison cringed. Washington’s statement did
not invite argument. The two men walked the State House yard in the
waning light of evening. They were very much alone. The block-size
square seemed unnaturally still and separate from the city life
just beyond the walls.

When the Indian Queen dinner had ended, the
delegates had scattered to talk in private. Washington, no doubt
prompted by Franklin, had asked Madison to take a walk with him. It
surprised Madison to discover that Washington liked the yard when
he could have it to himself. Madison didn’t see the general as
someone who appreciated solitude. He wondered if his perception was
wrong. As a young man, Washington had spent long periods alone on
the frontier with only his thoughts. Later, as a Revolutionary
commander, he lived isolated from interpersonal relationships.
Nowadays, Washington surrounded himself with people, but perhaps
this habit was meant to compensate for years of loneliness.

Coming back to the subject at hand, Madison
said, “General, I understand the hard realities of politics.”

Washington, in a rare display of physical
closeness, put a hand on Madison’s forearm. “Jemmy, you’re an
exceptional student of government forms, but you must learn the
delicate art of political timing before you can weave your ideas
into history.”

“
General, sir, with all due respect,
you may have been precipitous.”

“
The convention shattered on Saturday.
Were you not there?”

“
Tempers flared, but our coalition
could have held.”

Washington lifted his hand from Madison’s
arm. “Damn it, Jemmy, equal state suffrage in one house doesn’t
negate the republican form. If we break into pieces, we’ll be like
Europe. We need one nation unified under a single government.”

“
During the war, you suffered under
the impotency of the Confederacy. Surely, you learned that a weak
Congress can’t protect the nation.”

“
I don’t appreciate being told what
lessons I learned commanding the Continental Army.”

“
My apologies. I didn’t mean to
instruct Your Excellency.”

“
Now you’re being
insolent.”

“
I’m sorry, sir. An inappropriate
lapse.” Madison had regretted the “Excellency” as soon as it left
his lips. Washington warranted the title, but using it in that
context had been a dangerous taunt. He was not handling the
conversation well. Or perhaps Washington was handling it
exceptionally well.

They had completed two circuits around the
yard and were next to the privy. Madison excused himself, more to
gain time than to relieve himself. Washington had summarized the
arrangement with Congress with little prompting. Madison admired
the symmetry of the deal but despised the sacrifice of principle.
He also felt sad. The ease with which Congress could be corrupted
reinforced his reservations about democracy. Protections, checks,
and offsetting power centers must be built into the system to
secure the country from human vice. Madison finished his business
and, as he stepped back into the twilight, vowed to continue
fighting for a proportional Senate.

When he emerged, Washington immediately
started walking again. After a few paces, he said, “Congress is the
pivot on which the government turns, but we must create a real
government first. We need to rely on our national character to
amend our errors.”

“
I don’t believe we should abandon
this opportunity to build a sound system.”

“
Strive for perfection, or achieve
what’s possible? The choice requires wisdom.”

This stopped Madison. To argue further,
then, was to question the general’s wisdom. He contemplated.
Washington would make a fine first executive. He had mastered the
art of political persuasion and knew how to pin an opponent with a
subtlety that didn’t offend. No wonder he won his way so often, yet
maintained so many friendships.

Madison looked up Washington’s tall frame
and caught his eyes. “General, sir, although in time I may need to
yield, at the moment, I feel I must continue to fight for a
proportional Senate.”

“
Jemmy, don’t let proportionality
become your sine qua non. Timely withdrawals often lead to later
victory.”

“
Sir, there may not be a later
engagement.”

Instead of a stern reproach, Washington
smiled and then said, “Very well, contained passion has a habit of
exploding unexpectedly.”

Washington had cut deep. Madison took pride
in expunging passion for logic. But Washington’s reluctant
permission to continue fighting was the most he could win, so he
answered with a simple, “Thank you, sir.”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The cannon fire hurt Madison’s ears and
teared his eyes as concussions pounded his body. Sulfuric mephitis
scratched his throat, and the rotten egg odor made him queasy. The
thirteen reports ended, but before Madison could draw a grateful
and tranquil breath, the artillery brigade started another round.
After three consecutive resounding salutes of thirteen cannon
shots, Madison felt exhausted.

He had been jostling for a position from
which to see the Independence Day celebration when the cannon fire
assaulted his senses. The State House Commons throbbed with people
keyed up with rum and excitement. The crowd churned on the
periphery of the Commons, while the Society of the Cincinnati, the
City Calvary, the Light Infantry, and a battalion of militia vied
for attention in the center of the swirling people. Each military
formation, spruced up in their finest regalia, stood eager to
demonstrate their parade skills. The units waited, as did Madison,
for the artillery to finish their noisy salute.