Tempest at Dawn (39 page)

“
I used the issue to lure your colleagues
away. What I need is for you to hold a potent vote.”

“
Houstoun will counterbalance my
vote.”

“
I only need Georgia to split.”

“
Negate Georgia’s vote? You’ve convinced
another state to swing your way?”

“
A deadlock serves my purpose.”

“
There’s more, isn’t there?”

“
There’s always more.”

Baldwin leaned forward. “You rascal, what else have
you cooked up?”

“
Nothing has been sealed, but have you heard
of Manasseh Cutler?”

“
My God, you have made a pact with the
devil.”

Sherman smiled. “The devil may not covet as much
land.”

“
The devil has clear title to his
domain.”

Cutler represented the Society of the Cincinnati in
front of Congress. The Northern chapters of the society, through
Cutler, had petitioned Congress for land grants in lieu of back
pay. So far, Congress had stalled. Rumors circulated that Congress
and certain powerful New York politicians wanted a share of any
land grant before they would approve the deal.

Sherman leaned conspiratorially close. “Abe, the
nation needs revenue to pay off the war debt. In the next few
weeks, Congress will get off its hindquarters. They’ll establish a
governing authority for the Northwest Territory and award two
massive land grants.”

“
And how does that serve the
South?”

“
In a minute. The Ohio Company is controlled
by the Society of the Cincinnati. They’ll get one and a half
million acres. They’ll pay an immediate five hundred thousand
dollars and another five hundred in the future. That’s about
sixty-seven cents an acre. In a side deal, the Scioto Company gets
five million acres. Same price.”

“
Whoa! Who controls Scioto?”

“
I can only say that it includes many powerful
men. The Ohio deal couldn’t have been done without tying the two
speculations together.”

“
Clinton holds the reins in New York,” Baldwin
mused. “He must be up to his neck in this. Every influential member
of Congress must hold a piece of Scioto.”

“
Draw your own conclusion,” Sherman said. “I’d
never suggest that Clinton or our sniffy Congress could be seduced
by a rigged investment.”

“
What do we get from Congress?”

“
Congress won’t challenge the convention’s
authority. They’ll pass our work on to the states for ratification
without raising too much ruckus.”

“
And the South?”

“
The Northwest Ordinance will restrict the
number of new states from fifteen to five.”

“
That’s only valuable if you get an equal vote
in the Senate—ten senators instead of thirty.” A servant approached
their table, but Baldwin waved him away. “Surely that’s not
enough?”

“
Fugitive slaves can be pursued across state
lines.”

Baldwin thought about that piece of news. “The right
to chase runaway slaves is vital, especially on the frontier. Damn
clever.”

“
The legislation also reduces the population
requirement for new states. Since the South populates its frontier
faster, they’ll heavily influence the Senate for
decades.”

“
What does the North get?”

“
We get equal suffrage in the Senate,
protection against squatters in our western lands, and slavery is
prohibited in the Northwest Territory.”

“
You clever rogue. When you stoop to
debauchery, you don’t dither.”

“
I do my best.”

“
And all this somehow fits with equality in
the Senate?”

“
More directly than you might imagine. Each
man’s price got piled on top of all the previous barters. It’s like
a river: the course shifts as new floodwaters join and try to
dominate the main current.”

“
You got full measure for your pieces of
silver.” Baldwin sat for a moment and then released one of his
wicked smiles. “What do I get for my vote?”

“
My undying friendship?”

“
Already in my possession. What
else?”

“
Abe, I need your vote. The country needs your
vote, and it will put you in good stead with the gentry in
Savannah. Besides, you said equal suffrage is good for
Georgia.”

“
Others disagree.” Baldwin leaned forward,
serious again. “Roger, we’re talking about the corruption of our
vestal Congress. This must be the largest land deal in history. No
king would be so generous.”

“
It’s scandalous, but we believe it’s the only
way to salvage this mess.”

“
Who’s ‘we’?”

“
I’m sworn to secrecy.”

Baldwin thought a moment before saying, “A plot of
this magnitude must include Washington, and only Robert Morris
could broker a land deal this size.”

Sherman sat silent.

When it became obvious that Sherman was not going to
answer, Baldwin regained the twinkle in his eye. “Save the
convention, parcel out the Northwest Territory, mollify the
Cincinnati, and pay off our revolutionary war debt. Roger, you’ve
been busy.”

“
You forgot to mention killing the Jay treaty,
reducing the number of Northern states, lowering the population
requirement for new states, and allowing the pursuit of fugitive
slaves.”

Baldwin let his weight fall against the wing-backed
bench. “My, my, such squalid deeds to launch such a romantic
vision.”

“
I merely find things that tempt men to do
what I want.”

“
Any more pieces?”

“
I’ve made personal assurances to
support the South in later deliberations.”

“
Slavery? Is your great compromise worth such
a price?”

Sherman ignored the question. “Abe, I need your
support.”

“
Indeed you do. I’m the lynchpin of the entire
deal.”

“
What do you want?”

Without hesitation, Baldwin said, “How about your
undying friendship?” Baldwin reached across the table, and Sherman
immediately grasped his friend’s hand in a poignant shake. “Roger,
you’re gifted. It’s a treat to watch you work.”

Sherman laughed. “Thanks, Abe. I owe
you.”

“
The whole country owes me. Thank God,
I’m a man of small wants.”

“
You alone preserved your integrity.
Not a small want.”

With a blush, Baldwin raised his coffee in mock
salute. “Then, to the greater glory of the American Empire.”

Sherman returned the gesture but altered the toast,
“To God, family, and our countrymen.”

Baldwin took a sip and then said, “For the
first time in weeks, I’m beginning to believe we’ll make something
of this splintered land. Congratulations, you ol’ rascal”

Sherman grinned. “Keep your eyes open. Tomorrow is
going to be an interesting day.”

As Sherman entered the State House
chamber the next morning, he felt less troubled than at any time
since his thorny compromise had tugged at his conscience. Baldwin’s
open-minded support and good-natured ribbing lightened his unease
and made him feel better about his draggletail conduct. Still, he
had worries. He had presented this hydra-headed deal as if a
compact had been struck. In truth, time would either tie things
together or blow his plan to every point on the compass.

Moving briskly, Sherman settled
into his customary seat in the back of the chamber. The first order
of business was the vote on Ellsworth’s motion for equal suffrage
in the Senate.

Sherman watched the delegates as
the secretary announced the vote. Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey, and Delaware voted aye. Maryland was a swing state that
usually split on votes that were important to Sherman. Daniel of
St. Thomas Jenifer

a close friend of Washington

normally voted to cancel out Luther
Martin’s vote for the small state side. Today, the aristocratic
Jenifer was inexplicably absent. With the rare opportunity to
control the Maryland vote, Martin threw his state behind equal
suffrage in the Senate.

Sherman had five of the eleven votes.

The two large Northern states Pennsylvania and
Massachusetts voted no. Then Virginia, North Carolina, and South
Carolina held fast and voted no.

Madison had five of the eleven votes.

The secretary read the votes geographically, from
north to south. Georgia was last. The delegates sat relaxed because
no one anticipated any change in the Georgia vote and assumed a six
to five defeat of equal suffrage in the Senate.

The secretary hesitated and then read in a startled
voice, “Georgia divided.”

Sherman felt the entire chamber go taut. Georgia had
never previously broken with the Deep South. William Houstoun had
voted no, and Abe had cast his vote, along with a conspiratorial
glance, to Sherman. The convention was deadlocked.

Sherman took pleasure in seeing Madison’s head swing
left and right as he tried to spot an explanation on someone’s
face. Sherman followed Madison’s sudden shift of attention to the
back of the chamber, where the door made a soft but purposeful thud
as it swung wide enough to bounce against the wall. Backlit by the
great Palladian window in the Central Hall, the patrician Daniel of
St. Thomas Jenifer stood on the threshold. After a theatrical
pause, he sauntered into the chamber with a bearing, pace, and
smile that said his tardiness was no accident.

Sherman marveled at Washington’s political
instincts. Both had a hand in dispatching Pierce, Few, and Blount
to New York. As agreed on Sunday, Sherman had delivered Baldwin,
and Washington had convinced Jenifer to let Martin control the
Maryland vote. He realized how blind he was to the imagery of
power. The staging of Jenifer’s entrance, only moments after the
shattering vote, sent the unmistakable signal that the general
himself had orchestrated events, and that fighting the altered
course meant fighting the most powerful political figure in the
country.

Sherman looked at Washington, who sat as impassively
as ever on the low dais. Not a clue could be read from his
emotionless face. Jenifer took his seat and adjusted his coat with
a gallant flip of the tails. As he turned his gaze to the front,
Sherman realized that the chamber had been still during Jenifer’s
entrance

stage center, as it were.

Rufus King leaped to his feet. “Mr. President, it’s
obvious that Mr. Jenifer has been unavoidably detained. I
respectfully request a new vote on the motion.”

Washington gave a sharp rap with his gavel and said
in an unusually loud voice, “Denied. The rules do not provide for a
second vote on the same day. We shall proceed with other
business.”

No one stirred until Washington averted his gaze and
moved his left forearm from the top of the table to his lap.
Charles Pinckney then cleared his throat and asked for the
floor.

Pinckney gave the barest of bows to
Washington. “Gentlemen, I consent to the motion. Beyond the issue
of large and small states, there’s a distinction between Northern
and Southern interests. For example, North Carolina, South
Carolina, and Georgia have an interest in rice and indigo, which
the North might sacrifice to achieve their own commercial aims.

“
How can powerful states be prevented
from controlling the government?” With a whirl that put him
directly in front of Madison, Pinckney answered his own question.
“By allowing the weak states a stronger vote in the second
branch.”

Pinckney turned away from Madison and
directed his attention to the delegates. “This is our last chance.
Nothing prevents a general collapse except this convention. I can’t
exaggerate the consequences if we dissolve this meeting. I propose
a committee consisting of one member from each state be appointed
to devise a resolution to this stalemate.”

Sherman’s admiration for Washington
continued to grow. The idea of using a committee to work around the
deadlock had been agreed to in advance. After they had decided on
the committee membership, Washington said he would talk to a few
delegates and convey to them a script for their parts. Charles
Pinckney had never been mentioned as a coconspirator, but his
recruitment was a masterstroke. Having played a small part,
Pinckney could be gracefully blended into the new alliance.

Sherman stood to reinforce the committee
idea. “We’re now at a full stop, and nobody wants to break up
without doing something. I believe a committee will hit on some
expedient.”

Gouverneur Morris agreed. “I think a committee is
advisable, but the committee should also review the mode of
appointing senators and their term. The executive must appoint
senators, and senators must serve for life. If we change our laws,
nobody will trust us, so we must avoid a change in laws by avoiding
a change of men. The rich always strive to enslave the rest, so
safety depends on keeping the rich together in the Senate and
watching them from every side.”

Sherman gave a sideways glance at Ellsworth.
This had not been scripted. Morris had veered badly off course. At
least, Sherman hoped Washington didn’t endorse an aristocratic
senate appointed by the executive for life.

Morris, as was his habit, banged his wooden
leg on the floor to draw attention to his words. “Demagogues must
be bribed, and a Senate seat for life is a grand enticement.”