When this discussion took place, the three great States were Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. Virginia then comprised the territory which is now West Virginia and Kentucky, and, including her slaves, had the largest population. Massachusetts, instead of being insignificant in territory, had the large area of Maine, which was made into a separate State in 1820. Massachusetts had the largest white population and had furnished more soldiers than any other State in the Revolution; and it was probably for this reason that Madison alluded to it as the most powerful State. New York had then about the same population that Connecticut and Maryland had, and from apparent want of foresight as to its future great and immediate increase in population and power took a prominent part with the smaller States that wished representation should be by an equal vote in both branches of the new Legislature. The representatives of Connecticut, Sherman and Ellsworth, were also strenuously in favor of equality of States. Ellsworth, in reply to Madison’s attack on Connecticut for refusing compliance to federal requisitions, excused his State by reason of her distress and impoverishment by her exertions during the revolutionary war, and asserted that the muster rolls will show she had more troops in the field in the revolutionary war than even Virginia, and he appealed to the presiding officer, Washington, as to the truth of his statement.[32] Georgia, then estimated to be the smallest in population, trusting to the future settlement of its claimed large territory extending from the sea-coast to the Mississippi, usually voted with the larger States.[33] Mr. Bedford, of Delaware, asserted that South Carolina, puffed up with the possession of her wealth and negroes, and North Carolina were both united with the great States, and for the smaller States threatened, “sooner than be ruined, there are _foreign powers_ who will take us by the hand.”[34] For this he was very justly rebuked by Rufus King, of Massachusetts. It was hard for the smaller States having an equal vote in the Confederacy to change it for one proportioned to inhabitants. It was estimated that Delaware would have but one representative in each branch to Virginia’s sixteen. The argument of the smaller States was that Virginia, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania would combine to crush the other States. Madison replied that their interests were so different there was no fear of this. Massachusetts’ product was fish; Pennsylvania’s, flour; Virginia’s, tobacco. He predicted that the struggle, when it came, would be between the Southern States with their interests as exporters and the Northern commercial States. The opinion was pretty generally entertained that any division that might arise would be between North and South. [32] 1 Elliot, 469. [33] See estimates, Note 160, 5 Elliot, 598. [34] 1 Elliot, 472.