M^r Gov^r Morris was surprised that any defensive provision for securing the effectual separation of the departments should be considered as an improper mixture of them. Suppose that the three powers, were to be vested in three persons, by compact among themselves; that one was to have the power of making, another of executing, and a third of judging, the laws. Would it not be very natural for the two latter after having settled the partition on paper, to observe, and would not candor oblige the former to admit, that as a security ag^{st} legislative acts of the former which might easily be so framed as to undermine the powers of the two others, the two others ought to be armed with a veto for their own defence, or at least to have an opportunity of stating their objections ag^{st} acts of encroachment? And would any one pretend that such a right tended to blend & confound powers that ought to be separately exercised? As well might it be said that If three neighbours had three distinct farms, a right in each to defend his farm ag^{st} his neighbours, tended to blend the farms together. M^r Ghorum. All agree that a check on the Legislature is necessary. But there are two objections ag^{st} admitting the Judges to share in it which no observations on the other side seem to obviate, the 1^{st} is that the Judges ought to carry into the exposition of the laws no prepossessions with regard to them. 2^d that as the Judges will outnumber the Executive, the revisionary check would be thrown entirely out of the Executive hands, and instead of enabling him to defend himself, would enable the Judges to sacrifice him. M^r Wilson. The proposition is certainly not liable to all the objections which have been urged ag^{st} it. According (to M^r Gerry) it will unite the Executive & Judiciary in an offensive & defensive alliance ag^{st} the Legislature. According to M^r Ghorum it will lead to a subversion of the Executive by the Judiciary influence. To the first gentleman the answer was obvious: that the joint weight of the two departments was necessary to balance the single weight of the Legislature. To the 1^{st} objection stated by the other Gentleman it might be answered that supposing the prepossession to mix itself with the exposition, the evil would be overbalanced by the advantages promised by the expedient. To the 2^d objection, that such a rule of voting might be provided in the detail as would guard ag^{st} it. M^r Rutlidge thought the Judges of all men the most unfit to be concerned in the revisionary Council. The Judges ought never to give their opinion on a law till it comes before them. He thought it equally unnecessary. The Executive could advise with the officers of State, as of war, finance &c. and avail himself of their information & opinions. On Question on M^r Wilson's motion for joining the Judiciary in the Revision of laws it passed in the negative--