1788 Campaign Broadside Urging Support for Candidate Opposing Philip Pell of Pelham Manor

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The American Memory collection of the Library of Congress contains a fascinating political broadside distributed anonymously in 1788. The broadside was part of the zealous debate between Federalists and Antifederalists that raged during the late 1780s.

Antifederalists opposed ratification of the proposed U.S. Constitution in 1787-1788. While recognizing that the federal government required more central authority than it had under the Articles of Confederation, they nevertheless argued that proponents of the Constitution went too far and proposed to grant too much power to the federal government. The debate raged as states considered whether to ratify the proposed constitution, and resulted in publication of the so-called "Federalist Papers" and "Antifederalist Papers".

Philip Pell of Pelham Manor was a strident Antifederalist who opposed ratification of the new constitution. The broadside was issued anonymously on March 4, 1788, signed by "A Federal Elector" and attacked the Antifederalists claiming that Westchester Antifederalists were duplicitously claiming to support one candidate while secretly planning to vote for Philip Pell. An image of the broadside appears immediately below and its text follows below that to facilitate searching.

"New-York preserved, or the Plot discovered.

WHILST the leaders of the antifederal junto in this city are raising a hue-and-cry against electing a Lawyer, as a Representative for this district, their adherents in Westchester county are supporting with all their zeal, Mr. PELL, another Lawyer, and a rank Antifederalist, in opposition to Mr. LAWRENCE. Nor is this all; many of the same party in this city are secretly ballotting for Mr. Pell, whilst they are duping Mr. Broome, and those who adhere to him, with professions of support. For shame! for shame! Such Federalists as have been deluded with the idea that the present contest was only betwixt a lawyer and a merchant, ought to open their eyes; and those who have not been deluded, ought to redouble their exertions to bring out every vote to defeat the artifices of a party whose real object is to destroy the present Constitution, and to remove the residence of Congress from this city.

March 4...........ONE and ALL.

THE Friends of Mr. John Broome have discovered, during the progress of the Poll, that Mr. Pell, and not Mr. Broome, is the candidate held up by the Antifederals in the county of Westchester; and that while the same party in this city, under an affected zeal for the mercantile interest, hold up Mr. Broome, they are secretly balloting for Mr. Pell.

They have therefore determined, in order to prevent a division of the Federal interest to join heart and hand with their fellow citizens, in supporting Mr. John Lawrence.

A Federal Elector.

March 4."

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