15. Resd that the amendments which shall be offered to the Confederation, by the Convention ought at a proper time, or times, after the approbation of Congress to be submitted to an assembly or assemblies of Representatives, recommended by the several Legislatures to be expressly chosen by the people to consider & decide thereon.
He concluded with an exhortation, not to suffer the present opportunity of establishing general peace, harmony, happiness and liberty in the U. S. to pass away unimproved.[31]
[ [31] This abstract of the speech was furnished to J. M. by Mr Randolph and is in his handwriting. As a report of it from him had been relied on, it was omitted by J. M.—Madison's Note. The fifteen resolutions, constituting the "Virginia Plan," are in Madison's handwriting.
It was then Resolved—That the House will tomorrow resolve itself into a Committee of the Whole House to consider of the state of the American Union—and that the propositions moved by Mr Randolph be referred to the said Committee.
Mr Charles Pinkney laid before the House the draft of a federal Government which he had prepared, to be agreed upon between the free and independent States of America.[32]—Mr P. plan ordered that the same be referred to the Committee of the Whole appointed to consider the state of the American Union.[33]
[ [32] Robert Yates, delegate from New York, kept notes of the proceedings of the Convention, until he left July 5th, with his colleague, John Lansing. They wrote a joint letter to Governor Clinton afterwards, giving their reasons: "We were not present at the completion of the new constitution; but before we left the convention, its principles were so well established as to convince us, that no alteration was to be expected to conform it to our ideas of expediency and safety."—Secret Proceedings of the Federal Convention, 10. Yates's notes are quoted here, whenever they are at variance with Madison's. He gives Pinckney's motion as follows: "Mr. C. Pinckney, a member from South Carolina, then added, that he had reduced his ideas of a new government to a system, which he read, and confessed that it was grounded on the same principle as of the above [the Randolph] resolutions."—Id., 97.
[ [33] Charles Pinckney wrote to John Quincy Adams:
"Wingaw near Georgetown December 12 1818
"Sir
"I have just had the honour to receive your favour—Being at present absent from Charleston on a visit to my planting interest in this neighbourhood I shall in consequence of your letter shorten my stay here considerably & return to Town for the purpose of complying with your request as soon as possible—From an inspection of my old papers not long ago I know it was then easily in my power to have complied with your request—I still hope it is & as soon as I return to my residence in Charleston will again, or as quickly as I can write you on it to prevent delay.
"The Draught of the Constitution proposed by me was divided into a number of articles & was in complete detail—the resolutions offered by Mr Randolph were merely general ones & as far as I recollect they were both referred to the same Committee.
"With great respect & esteem" &c.
—Dept. of State MSS., Miscellaneous Letters.
Three weeks later he wrote again: