There were hours of the day when the roads, it is said, were fairly blocked by the heavy traffic upon them, and eyewitnesses declare that at night even the floors of the bar and sitting-rooms of the taverns were spread over with the sleepers tarrying to rest themselves and their teams for a few hours on the way." To the national convention at Philadelphia which framed the constitution of the United States Westchester Comity contributed one distinguished and influential members, Gouverneur Mormost its of ris. It is true he sat in that body as a delegate from Pennsylvania, but, as has been aptly observed by one of our local historians, " it is a pleasure to remember that in the person of Gouverneur Morris, who was bom on Westchester soil and who returned again to represent her in the United States senate, and whose remains are sacredly enshrined in her bosom, she was present to form that wise and beneficent instrument." The federal constitution was ratified in this State on the 26th of July, 1788, by a convention which held its sessions at Poughkeepsie. The delegates from our county were Thaddeus Crane, of North Salem; Richard Hatfield, of White Plains; Philip Livingston and Lewis Morris, of Westchester; Lott W. Sarles, of New Castle; All of them voted affirmaand Philip Van Cortlandt, of Cortlandt.

GENERAL

COUNTY

HISTORY

tively on the question of ratification. In the last continental congress held under the old confederation of the State, that of 1788-89, Philip Pell, of our county, had the honor of being one of the representatives from the State of New York. Daring the eight years of Washington's administration as president the Federalist party usually enjoyed the preponderance in AYestchester County. With the incoming of Jefferson, however, the anti-Federalists, or Republicans, gained the ascendency, which they transmitted to their political heirs, the Democrats; and indeed since the beginning of its organization the Democratic party has lost but two presidential elections in Westchester County (1818 and 1896).