James Madison (Virginia): Madison, as mentioned in a previous post, opposed equality in the Senate. Wanting
proportional representation in both houses, he proposed instead of the
three-fifths compromise that house be proportional to free population and one
be proportional to total population, so that the north would dominate one house
and the south the other. His only fear was that if the houses had unequal power they equilibrium between sections
would be destroyed. The house based on free population would be to protector of people and
the one based on total population would be the protector of property (including
slaves. Despite
including slaves in the property he wanted to protect, Madison was clearly
uncomfortable about slavery. He opposed the protection of slave importation, even on a temporary (20 year) basis and
opposed taxing slaves imported on the grounds that it legitimized that idea
that there could be property in people. In discussing the tendency of majorities to
oppress minorities, he even said, “We have seen the mere distinction of colour
made in the most enlightened period of time, a ground of the most oppressive
dominion ever exercised by man over man.”
Madison took a decidedly northern
viewpoint on commercial issues. He favored allowing Congress to tax exports, even though it would be unfavorable
to the South because the Southern States, as the most vulnerable and in need of
naval protection, should be willing to shoulder a heavier share of the
burdens. Besides, if states were allowed
to tax exports, port states would unjustly exploit states without major ports.* Considering that export taxes were one of
Virginia’s main sources of revenue, this was certainly a statesmanlike
position. Since foreign trade would be
the main source of revenue it would not matter whether it was drawn solely from
imports or from both imports and exports.
As an alternative, he proposed requiring a two-thirds vote to tax exports. He also
took the northern viewpoint that Congress should be able to pass a navigation
act by a simple majority. Among his
reasons, he included that allowing one third of Congress to block a navigation
act would increase the danger of bribery by a foreign power, that an oppressive
act was unlikely to pass both houses of the legislature and the executive veto,
that the agriculture interest outnumbered the commercial even in the north, and
that American shipping needed to be encouraged for security reasons. Besides, he said, in a final gesture of
statesmanship:
The increase of the
coasting trade, and of seamen, would also be favorable to the S. States, by
increasing, the consumption of their produce.
If the Wealth of the Eastern should in a still greater proportion be
augmented, that wealth wd contribute more to the public wants, and otherwise be
a national benefit.
Although not one of the great north-south issues,
Madison also briefly came out in favor of direct popular election of the
President, an arrangement that would obviously put the South at a disadvantage,
since slaves did not vote. Yet, Madison
said, it was all-important to keep election of the executive out of the hands
of the legislature, which would lead to dangerous intrigue. “[L]ocal considerations must give way to the
general interest. As an individual from
the S. States he was willing to make the sacrifice.”
*It was
generally assumed at the time that either the central government or the states
would have the authority to tax exports, and that the two were mutually
exclusive. Ultimately a compromise was
reached; neither would be allowed to tax exports.
