Motion Urging States To Send Delegates to Congress, [27 May] 1782
Motion Urging States To Send Delegates to Congress
MS (NA: PCC, No. 65, II, 166). JM presented the motion, which was drafted and seconded by John Rutledge (, XXII, 301).
[27 May 1782]
R.1 That Inasmuch as2 Bus: of the great. Conseqe3 is often delayed or4 retarded for want of sufft. rep. in Cong.5 it be & it is Earnestly recomdd. to the6 States which are at present unreprtd,7 immedy to send8 delegs. to Cong. & to all the States to keep up a constt. rep.9
1. Resolved.
2. Following “as,” “the publick” was deleted.
3. This abbreviation and “the great.” were interlineated. The “great.” is obviously an abbreviation of “greatest.”
4. The words “delayed or” were interlineated.
5. Following this abbreviation, “In That” was crossed out.
6. Following “the,” “sevl States to keep up a constant rep.” was inked out.
7. An abbreviation of “unrepresented.”
8. This word was substituted for a deleted “forward a.”
9. These two final abbreviations stand for “constant representation.” For JM’s comment upon the reason for this motion, see his letter of 28 May 1782 to Arthur Lee. See also Report on Salaries of Representatives Abroad, 28 May, n. 1; and Virginia Delegates to Harrison, 28 May 1782, n. 15. The motion may have been timed to strengthen the pleas of the delegates who had been selected to portray the various aspects of the national emergency to the executives of the states (Report on Mission To Inform States of Financial Crisis, 22 May 1782, and n. 2).