Motion in the Assembly to Call a State Convention
The following is a copy of a motion made at the last session of our Assembly by Henry Marchant, Esq. with the certificate of the Clerk of the decision of the House thereon:
Moved,
鈥淭hat copies of the doings of the late Honourable Convention at Philadelphia, recommending a Constitution for the United States of America, be printed and sent to the respective Town Clerks within this State; that town meetings be directed to be called upon the _____聽day of _____聽next, then and there to appoint Delegates in the same manner as they appoint members for the Lower House of the General Assembly for May and October sessions; That said Delegates meet in Convention at ______聽on the ______聽day of ______聽that they then and there appoint a Chairman and Secretary, and proceed to take into consideration the said Constitution so as above recommended, and to determine thereon as proposed, and forward the result of their deliberations sealed up and directed to the Honourable the Congress of the United States.鈥�
In the Lower House, November 3d, 1787.
This motion is rejected,
Printed: Newport Herald, 8 November. Reprinted seven times by 13 December: Mass. (1), Conn. (1), Pa. (2), Md. (1), Va. (1), S.C. (1). The motion was rejected by 鈥渁 great majority.鈥� See 鈥淣ewspaper Report of House of Deputies Proceedings,鈥� 31 October鈥�3 November, at note 6 (immediately above).
Source: The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution Digital Edition, ed. John P. Kaminski, Gaspare J. Saladino, Richard Leffler, Charles H. Schoenleber and Margaret A. Hogan. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2009.
