The writings of George Washington; being his correspondence, addresses, messages, and other papers, official and private, selected and published from the original manuscripts; with a life of the author, notes and illustrations. By Jared Sparks.

438 LIFE OF WASHINGTON. [1788.
were extremely active. The weight of opinion, however, was found everywhere to preponderate on the
side of the constitution. In some of the States it was
adopted unanimously, and in nearly all of them the
majority was much larger than its most zealous advocates had ventured to hope. Amendments were recommended in some instances, but in none was the
ratification clogged by positive conditions of this sort.
The same spirit of compromise and mutual concession
seemed to prevail, that had been manifested in the general convention. In fine, though the opposition was
strong, and upheld by a few of the ablest and best
men in the country, yet the popular voice was so decidedly expressed on the other side, as to afford the
most encouraging presages of the successful operation
of the new form of government.
Each State convention transmitted to Congress a
testimonial of its ratification, signed by all its members.
When these testimonials had been received from the
requisite number of States, an act was passed by Congress appointing a day for the people throughout the
Union to choose electors of a President of the United
States, according to the constitution, and another day
for the electors to meet and vote for the person of
their choice. The former election was to take place
on the first Wednesday in February, 1789, and the
latter on the first Wednesday in March following.
It was no sooner ascertained, that the constitution
would probably be adopted, than the eyes of the nation
were turned upon Washington, as the individual to
be selected for that Doffice, the highest, most honorable,
and most responsible, that could be conferred by the
suffrages of a free people. His reluctance to being farther engaged in public life was well known; but every
one knew also, that he never refused to obey the call