You have a right, and we have no doubt you will consider whether or not you are in a situation to support the expence of such a government as is now offered to you, as well as the expence of your state government? or whether a Legislature consisting of three branches, neither of them chosen annually, and that the Senate, the most powerful, the members of which are for six years, are likely to lessen your burthens or encrease your taxes?
1 or whether in case your state government should be annihilated, which will probably be the case, or dwindle into a mere corporation, the continental government will be competent to attend to your local concerns?
You can also best determine whether the power of levying and imposing internal taxes at pleasure, will be of real use to you or not? or whether a continental collector assisted by a few faithful soldiers will be more eligible than your present collectors of taxes?
2 You will also in your deliberations on this important business judge, whether the liberty of the press may be considered as a blessing or a curse in a free government, and whether a declaration for the preservation of it is necessary?
3 or whether in a plan of government any declaration of rights should be prefixed or inserted? You will be able likewise to determine, whether in a free government there ought or ought not to be any provision against a standing army in time of peace? or whether the trial by jury in civil causes is become dangerous and ought to be abolished? and whether the judiciary of the United States is not so constructed as to absorb and destroy the judiciaries of the several states?
you will also be able to judge whether such inconveniences have been experienced by the present mode of tryal between citizen and citizen, of different states as to render a continental court necessary for that purpose?
4 or whether there can be any real use in the appellate jurisdiction with respect to fact as well as law?
5 we shall not dwell longer on the subject; one thing however, it is proper you should be informed of; the convention were not unanimous with respect to men though they were as states, several of those who have signed did not fully approve of the plan of government, and three of the members viz. Governor Randolph and Col. George Mason of Virginia, and Eldredge Gerry, Esq. of Massachusets, whose characters are very respectable, had such strong objections as to refuse signing. The confederation no doubt is defective and requires amendment and revision, and had the convention extended their plan to the enabling the United States to regulate commerce, equalize the impost, collect it throughout the United States and have the entire jurisdiction over maritime affairs, leaving the exercise of internal taxation to the separate states, we apprehend there would have been no objection to the plan of government.