Cord Byrd: “216 years ago yesterday, in a sweltering room in Philadelphia, 55 men of extraordinary talents reached a most critical…”

“216 years ago yesterday, in a sweltering room in Philadelphia, 55 men of extraordinary talents reached a most critical decision on the design of a new government for the United States. Days and weeks of acrimonious debate had failed to resolve disputes on the representation of each of the original 13 colonies. Men like Washington, Madison, Franklin, and Hamilton struggled over the issue of how the people of our Nation would be represented in their Government. But then, on July 16, 1787, the Framers of what came to be our Constitution reached a breakthrough. On that date, yesterday, 216 years ago, they struck a bargain that has come to be known as the Great Compromise. States with large populations would have the benefit of more numerous representation in the House of Representatives and States with small populations would be protected by equal representation in the Senate. Without that landmark agreement, work on a new constitution to replace the failed Articles of Confederation might have foundered. Without the Great Compromise, we in this Chamber might never have met to debate the issues of the day. But as we debate the bill before us, one cannot help but recognize the perilous situation in which the United States finds itself with respect to our foreign commitments. We take up the fiscal year 2004 Defense appropriations bill at a time when nearly 150,000 of our troops are facing guerrilla attacks as they patrol Iraq.”