that the members, who have the greatest number of ballots, although not a majority of the votes present, be the committee. When two or more members have an equal number of votes, the member standing first on the list in the order of taking down the ballots shall be preferred.

A member may be called to order by any other member, as well as by the President; and may be allowed to explain his conduct, or expressions, supposed to be reprehensible. And all questions of order shall be decided by the President, without appeal or debate.

Upon a question to adjourn, for the day, which may be made at any time, if it be seconded, the question shall be put without a debate.

When the house shall adjourn, every member shall stand in his place until the President pass him.

Resolved, That the said rules be observed as stand+ ing orders of the house.

A letter from sundry persons of the state of Rhode Island, addressed to the honourable the Chairman of the General Convention, was presented to the chair by Mr. G. Morris; and, being read,

Ordered, That the said letter do lie upon the table for farther consideration.

A motion was made by Mr. Butler, one of the deputies of South Carolina, that the house provide against interruption of business by absence of members, and against licentious publication of their proceedings.

Also, a motion was made by Mr. Spaight, one of the deputies of North Carolina, to provide, that, on the one hand, the house may not be precluded, by a vote

upon any question, from revising the subject matter of it, when they see cause, nor, on the other hand, be led too hastily to rescind a decision, which was the result of mature discussion.

Ordered, That the said motions be referred to the consideration of the committee appointed on Friday last, to draw up rules to be observed as the standing orders of the convention; and that they do examine the matters thereof, and report thereupon to the house. Adjourned till to-morrow at 10 o'clock, A. M.

TUESDAY, MAY 29, 1787,

Mr. Wythe reported from the committee to whom the motions made by Mr. Butler and Mr. Spaight were referred, that the committee had examined the matters of the said motions, and had come to the following resolutions thereupon:

Resolved, That it is the opinion of this committee that provision be made for the purposes mentioned in the said motions; and to that end,

The committee beg leave to propose, that the rules written under their resolution be added to the standing orders of the house.

"

And the said rules were once read throughout, and then, a second time, one by one; and on the question severally put thereupon, were, with amendments to some of them, agreed to by the house; which rules so agreed to are as follow:

9

RULES.

THAT no member be absent from the house, so as to interrupt the representation of the state, without leave.

That committees do not sit whilst the house shall be, or ought to be, sitting..

That no copy be taken of any entry on the journal. during the sitting of the house, without the leave of

the house.

That members only be permitted to inspect the journal.

That nothing spoken in the house be printed, or otherwise published, or communicated without leave.

That a motion to reconsider a matter which had been determined by a majority, may be made, with leave unanimously given, on the same day in which the vote passed; but otherwise, not without one day's previous notice; in which last case, if the house agree to the reconsideration, some future day shall be assigned for that purpose.

Resolved, That the said rules be added to the standing orders of the house.

The honourable John Dickinson, Esq. a deputy of the state of Delaware, and the honourable Elbridge Gerry, Esq. a deputy from the state of Massachusetts, attended and took their seats.

Mr. Randolph, one of the deputies of Virginia, laid before the house, for their consideration, sundry propositions, in writing, concerning the American confederation, and the establishment of a national govern

ment.

L

RESOLUTIONS

OFFERED BY MR. Edmund ranDOLPH TO THE CONVENTION, MAY 29, 1787.

1. RESOLVED, That the articles of the confederation ought to be so corrected and enlarged, as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution, namely, common defence, security of liberty, and general wel. fare.

2. Resolved, therefore, that the right of suffrage, in the national legislature, ought to be proportioned to the quotas of contribution, or to the number of free inhabitants, as the one or the other may seem best, in different cases.

3. Resolved, That the national legislature ought to consist of two branches.

4. Resolved, That the members of the first branch of the national legislature ought to be elected by the people of the several states, every

for the term of

to be of the age of years at least; to receive liberal stipends, by which they may be compensated for the devotion of their time to publick service; to be ineligible to any office established by a particular state, or under the authority of the United States (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the first branch) during the term of service and for the space of

after its expiration; to be incapable of re-election for the space of after the expiration of their term of service; and to be subject to recal.

5. Resolved, That the members of the second branch

of the national legislature ought to be elected by those

of the first, out of a proper number of persons nominated by the individual legislatures; to be of the age of years, at least; to hold their offices for a term sufficient to ensure their independency; to receive liberal stipends, by which they may be compensated for the devotion of their time to the publick service; and to be ineligible to any office established by a particular state, or under the authority of the United States, (except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the second branch) during the term of service; and for the space of after the

expiration thereof.

6. Resolved, That each branch ought to possess the right of originating acts; that the national legislature ought to be empowered to enjoy the legislative right vested in Congress, by the confederation; and moreover to legislate in all cases to which the separate states are incompetent, or in which the harmony of the United States may be interrupted by the exercise of individual legislation; to negative all laws passed by the several states, contravening, in the opinion of the national legislature, the articles of union, or any treaty subsisting under the authority of the union; and to call forth the force of the union against any member of the union failing to fulfil its duty under the articles thereof.

7. Resolved, That a national executive be instituted, to be chosen by the national legislature for the term of years, to receive punctually, at stated times, a fixed compensation for the services rendered, in which no increase or diminution shall be made, so as to affect the magistracy existing at the time of the increase or diminution; to be ineligible a second time;