What if the Civil War had never happened and, instead, the two countries had ''amicably split?'' The Great Compromise is about supposition on a grand scale. Suppose the South had seceded from the Union with Lincoln's blessing back in 1861. How would the two countries have turned out after 150 years of separate living? Forever joined at the hip, but with decidedly different views of the world and their respective roles to play on that grand stage, they would present an interesting contrast in government styles. In The Great Compromise , a reporter from a fictitious New York paper interviews the president of the modern day C.S.A. Watt chronicles this interview with the president of a country that is a throw-back to our Constitution -- perhaps as our country was meant to be. If you think the Constitution is not just some old piece of parchment that is a quaint, out-of-date, document; if you want to restore this country to a place where it can achieve its potential -- then perhaps you should read The Great Compromise to get a sense of what government should do, rather than what it can do.