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Monday, June 11

Mr. ABRAHAM BALDWIN , from Georgia, took his seat. In Committee of the Whole , — The clause concerning the rule of suffrage in the National Legislature, postponed on Saturday, was resumed. Mr. SHERMAN  proposed, that the proportion of suffrage in the first branch should be according to the respective numbers of free inhabitants; and that in the second branch, or Senate, each State should have one vote and no more. He said, as the States would remain possessed of certain individual rights, each State ought to be able to protect itself; otherwise, a few large States will rule the rest. The House of Lords in England, he observed, had certain particular rights under the Constitution, and hence they have an equal vote with the House of Commons, that they may be able to defend their rights. Mr. RUTLEDGE  proposed, that the proportion of suffrage in the first branch should be according to the quotas of contribution. The justice of this rule, he said, could not be contested....
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Volume 1, Issue 9: And Now, the Rest

After spending two and a half days discussing one of the Virginia Plan's 15 resolutions, the delegates plow through six in one day to finish up. For the most part they just agreed to postpone discussions on over half of the discussed resolutions. After six days of Virginia Plan debates, we get a small break tomorrow as the delegates debate whether people are more happy in small states or large states (an important step towards answering the complex question of representation). -Logan Madison's Notes for Today Governor LIVINGSTON , of New Jersey, took his seat. In Committee of the Whole .  — The words “one or more” were struck out before “inferior tribunals,” as an amendment to the last clause of the ninth Resolution. The clause, “that the National Judiciary be chosen by the National Legislature,” being under consideration. Mr. WILSON  opposed the appointment of Judges by the National Legislature. Experience showed the impropriety of such appointments by numerous bodi...
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Volume 1, Issue 8: Is This a President?

Editor's Intro Over the weekend the delegates continued to debate just what a president is , and nearly everything they agreed on sounds foreign to us today: The Executive, they agreed, would be elected by the National Legislature, serve a seven-year term, and be ineligible for a second term. A motion that the Executive be subject to impeachment was defeated 9-1, and Franklin's motion that the Executive should receive no salary was postponed. Today, after more than two full days of debate and discussion, the delegates move on to resolutions eight and nine of Randolph's Virginia Plan (remember, there are fifteen). We get some exciting votes on the Executive (Washington breaks a tie to create a single executive), veto powers, and the Supreme Court, and move ever so slightly towards the constitution as we recognize it today. -Logan Madison's Notes for Today In Committee of the Whole . — The question was resumed, on motion of   Mr. PINCKNEY , seconded by  Mr. WILSON , ...
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