...minds of the members were changing, and much was to be gained by a yielding and accommodating spirit. Had the members committed themselves publicly at first,...and truth, and was open to the force of argument. Mr. Madison thinks no Constitution would ever have been adopted by the convention if the debates had...

...consistency required them to maintain their ground, whereas by secret discussion no man felt himself ohliged to retain his opinions any longer than he was satisfied...propriety and truth, and was open to the force of argument.54 Far from thinking that secrecy bred corruption, Madison thought that secrecy aided deliberation...

...people are penetrated by the benefits the Federal Convention swore to secrecy. As Madison later said, had the members committed themselves publicly at first,...propriety and truth, and was open to the force of argument.95 In the Assemblee Constituante, it was initially envisaged that the Assembly would meet...

...RESOLUTION At the Federal Convention, the sessions were closed and secret. As Madison said later (III, 479), "had the members committed themselves publicly...had expressed it. However, Madison did not consider the other effect of secrecy — that of pushing the debates away from argument and toward bargaining....

...gained by a yielding and accommodating spirit. . . . [N]o man felt himself obliged to retain his opinion any longer than he was satisfied of their propriety...and truth, and was open to the force of argument. (James Madison) The spirit of liberty [is that spirit which] is not too sure that it is right. (Learned...

...with whom he discussed this issue. In his notes, Sparks justified the secrecy of the debates because Had the members committed themselves publicly at first,...and truth, and was open to the force of argument. Mr. Madison thinks no Constitution would be ever adopted by the convention if the debates had been...

...yielding and accommodating spirit" (Farrand, ed., Records, nI, Appendix A, 478 9).'" Sparks continues: Had the members committed themselves publicly at first,...and truth, and was open to the force of argument. Mr. Madison thinks no Constitution would ever have been adopted by the convention if the debates had...

...likely to prevail in the presence of an audience. As Madison wrote many years after the Convention, "had the members committed themselves publicly at...and truth, and was open to the force of argument. "38 To be sure, secrecy also facilitates bargaining, by removing the opprobrium on displays of self-...

...James Madison himself described the Constitutional Convention as a highly deliberative arena, in which "no man felt himself obliged to retain his opinions...and truth, and was open to the force of argument." 9 In a deliberative democracy, the exercise of public power must be justified by legitimate reasons,...

...interest-based bargaining could and did occur. At the same time, as Madison wrote many years later, "Had the members committed themselves publicly at...and truth, and was open to the force of argument." Nor did the fear of future revelations chill the debates, as the secrecy was supposed to extend indefinitely...