In the last few months of 1814, Congress debated a proposal from Secretary of War James Monroe to use state militia rolls as the basis for regular army conscription, cutting out the states and requiring local militia officers to report the names on their rolls directly to federal officials. Many details follow, but the part I enjoy is this: Anticipating debate on constitutional terms, Monroe's proposal includes language that tries to guess at the intent of the framers ("The fair inference seems to be..."), talking about the framing of the Constitution as an event in the obscure historical distance.
Monroe was James Madison's war secretary.
Funny for other reasons, but that's the really good one.
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2 comments:
A nation of laws, not men.
Reminds me of an old Talmud story, actually.
Ah, very nice. Talmud +1.
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