The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . ebruary to August of 1778, inwhich debate ITorris took a leading part as a harmonizer (2). 7/henthe opinion of Congress had been definitely determined by this longdebate, Morris was given the task of embodying the prevailing viewsin a draft of instructions to commissioners of peace later to b» ap-pointed. His draft was adopted by Congress without change (3). Although Morris greatest devotion v;as to the inter-ests of the army and to foreign affairs, he was activr? in many ofthe minor affairs which Cfime before Congress. He was one of theleader
The public services of Gouverneur Morris to 1787 . ebruary to August of 1778, inwhich debate ITorris took a leading part as a harmonizer (2). 7/henthe opinion of Congress had been definitely determined by this longdebate, Morris was given the task of embodying the prevailing viewsin a draft of instructions to commissioners of peace later to b» ap-pointed. His draft was adopted by Congress without change (3). Although Morris greatest devotion v;as to the inter-ests of the army and to foreign affairs, he was activr? in many ofthe minor affairs which Cfime before Congress. He was one of theleaders in the very rn^arm debate which grew out of the controversybetween Silas Deane and Thomas Paine as to the formers negotiationsin Surope (4). As regards treaties, Morris was an advocate of con-servatism, and urged that it v^as below our dignity to seek foreignalliances before we had attained independence (5). He also mixed fl) Secret Journals of Congress, II, 132-137. (2) Sparks, I, 196. (3) Ibid, I, 197. (4) Ibid, I, 196-205. (5) Ibid, I, ^ 23 Tip in th« disp-ata between Now York and Vermont. He refused to urgethe right of New York to control Vermont, and, as a result, he lostmany friends in his home state (1). Morris had now served tv/o one year terns in Congress,but, becanso of the machinations of some small minded New York pol-iticians, he was not re-elected in 1779. His enemies mit forwardthe frivolous charge that he neglected the interests of the statefor those of the nation, which argument found favor with the statesrights men. His luke-warmness in the Vermont matter was also usedagainst him. The states-right politicians could not forgive himfor his broad attitude, simply because they couldnot understand it. •^heir state was their world, and when a manwent out from it_ completely, they at once severed all connectionwith him. The work that Congress did during tnis period was pro-digious, and the energetic Morris escaped none of the labors. Al-thoug
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