Count the Cost / An Address to the People of Connecticut, On Sundry Political Subjects, and Particularly on the Proposition for a New Constitution

The address urges Connecticut voters to carefully weigh a proposed new constitution against the stable and prosperous condition of the state, emphasizing abundant education, religious instruction, sound laws, and a healthy treasury surplus. It argues that existing institutions have preserved order and defended the state for generations, and warns that factional combinations and ambitious reformers can subvert popular power and produce greater evils. The speaker recommends prudence, counting the probable costs and benefits before altering long-standing arrangements and questions whether proposed innovations would deliver public happiness or only bring discord and loss.