Mr. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS. The amendment is unnecessary. The law knows no fractions of days.
A number of members being very impatient, and calling for the question,—
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, ay, 3; New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut. New Jersey, Delaware, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, no, 8.
Dr. JOHNSON made a further report from the committee of style, &c., of the following resolutions, to be substituted for articles 22 and 23:265
"Resolved, That the preceding Constitution be laid before the United States in Congress assembled; and that it is the opinion of this Convention, that it should afterwards be submitted to a convention of delegates chosen in each state by the people thereof, under the recommendation of its legislature, for their assent and ratification; and that each convention assenting to and ratifying the same should give notice thereof to the United States in Congress assembled.
"Resolved, That it is the opinion of this Convention, that as soon as the conventions of nine states shall have ratified this Constitution, the United States in Congress assembled should fix a day on which electors should be appointed by the states which shall have ratified the same; and a day on which the electors should assemble to vote for the President; and the time and place for commencing proceedings under this Constitution: that, after such publication, the electors should be appointed, and the senators and representatives elected; that the electors should meet on the day fixed for the election of the President, and should transmit their votes, certified, signed, sealed, and directed, as the Constitution requires, to the secretary of the United States in Congress assembled; that the senators and representatives should convene at the time and place assigned; that the senators should appoint a president for the sole purpose of receiving, opening, and counting the votes for President, and that after he shall be chosen, the Congress, together with the President, should, without delay, proceed to execute this Constitution."266
Adjourned.
In Convention.—The report of the committee of style and arrangement being resumed,—
Mr. WILLIAMSON moved to reconsider, in order to increase the number of representatives fixed for the first legislature. His purpose was to make an addition of one half generally to the number allotted to the respective states ; and to allow two to the smallest states.
On this motion, —
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, ay, 5; New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, South Carolina, Georgia, no, 6.
Article 1, sect. 3, the words "by lot"[1] were struck out, nem. con., on motion of Mr. MADISON, that some rule might prevail in the rotation that would prevent both the members from the same state from going out at the same time.
"Ex officio" struck out of the same section, as superfluous, nem. con.; and "or affirmation," after "oath," inserted,—also unanimously.
Mr. RUTLEDGE and Mr. GOUVERNEUR MORRIS moved,—
"that persons impeached be suspended from their offices until they be tried and acquitted."
- ↑ "By lot" had been reinstated from the report of the committee of five, made on the 6th of August, as a correction of the printed report by the committee of style, &c. See page, 377.
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