Article X. The committee of the States, or any nine of them, shall be authorized to execute, in the recess of Congress, such of the powers of Congress as the United States, in Congress assembled, by the consent of nine States, shall from time to time, think expedient to vest them with; provided that no power be delegated to the said committee, for the exercise of which, by the articles of confederation, the voice of nine States, in the Congress of the United States assembled is requisite.. Article XI. Canada acceding to this confederation, and joining in the measures of the United States, shall be admitted into, and entitled to all the advantages of this Union; but no other colony shall be admitted to the same unless such admission be agreed to by nine States. Article XII. All bills of credit emitted, monies borrowed, and debts contracted by, or under the authority of Congress, before the assembling of the United States, in pursuance of the present confederation, shall be deemed and considered as a charge against the United States, for payment and satisfaction whereof the said United States, and the public faith are hereby solemnly pledged. Article XIII. Every State shall abide by the determinations of the United States, in Congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. And the articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every State, and the Union shall be perpetual; nor shall any alteration at any time hereafter be made in any of them, unless such alteration be agreed to in a Congress of the United States, and be afterwards confirmed by the Legislatures of every State. And whereas it has pleased the Great Governor of the world to incline the hearts of the legislatures we respectively represent in Congress, to approve of, and to authorize us to ratify the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, Know ye, that we the undersigned delegates, by virtue of the power and authority to us given for that purpose, do, by these presents, in the name and in behalf of our respective constituents, fully and entirely ratify and confirm each and every of the said Articles of Confederation and perpetual Union, and all and singular the matters and things therein contained: And we do further solemnly plight and engage the faith of our respective constituents, that they shall abide by the determinations of the United States, in Congress assembled, on all questions, which by the said Confederation are submitted to them; and that the Articles thereof shall be inviolably observed by the States we respectively represent, and that the Union shall be perpetual. In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands in Congress. Done at Philadelphia, in the State of Pennsylvania the ninth day of July in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and seventy-eight, and in the third year of the Independence of America. On the part and behalf of the State of New Hampshire. JOSIAH BARTLETT, JOHN WENTWORTH, Junr. On the part and behalf of the State of Massachusetts On the part and behalf of the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. WILLIAM ELLERY JOHN COLLINS HENRY MARCHANT On the part and behalf of the State of Connecticut. ROGER SHERMAN SAMUEL HUNTINGTON TITUS HOSMER ANDREW ADAMS OLIVER WOLCOTT On the part and behalf of the State of New York. JAS. DUANE WM. DUER GOUV. MORRIS On the part and behalf of the State of New Jersey. JNO. WITHERSPOON. NATHL. SCUDDER. On the part and behalf of the State of Pennsylvania. ROBT. MORRIS DANIEL ROBERDEAU JONA. BAYARD SMITH WILLIAM CLINGAN JOSEPH REED, 22d July, 1778. On the part and behalf of the State of Delaware. THO. M'KEAN, Feby. 12, 1779. NICHOLAS VAN DYKE. JOHN DICKINSON, May 5th, 1779. On the part and behalf of the State of Maryland. JOHN HANSON, March 1, 1781. DANIEL CARROLL, do. On the part and behalf of the State of Virginia. RICHARD HENRY LEE JOHN BANISTER JNO. HARVIE FRANCIS LIGHTFOOT LEE. THOMAS ADAMS On the part and behalf of the State of North Carolina. JOHN PENN, July 21st, 1778. JNO WILLIAMS, On the part and behalf of the State of South Carolina. HENRY LAURENS, RICHD. HUTSON, THOS. HEYWARD, Junr. WILLIAM HENRY DRAYTON, JNO. MATTHEWS, On the part and behalf of the State of Georgia. JNO. WALTON, 24th July 1778. EDWD. TELFAIR. EDWD. LANGWORTHY. Appendix No. 4. PLAN OF A CONSTITUTION By Mr. Randolph, Governor of Virginia. 1. "Resolved, that the Articles of Confederation ought to be so corrected and enlarged as to accomplish the objects proposed by their institution; namely, common defence, security of liberty, and general welfare. 2. "Resolved, therefore, that the rights of suffrage in the National Legislature ought to be proportioned to the quotas of contribution, or to the number of free inhabitants, as the one or the other rule may seem best in different cases. 3. "Resolved, that the National Legislature ought to consist of two branches. for the term of ; to 4. "Resolved, that the members of the first branch of the National Legislature ought to be elected by the people of the several States every be of the age of years at least; to receive liberal stipends by which they may be compensated for the devotion of their time to the public service; to be ineligible to any office established by a particular State, or under the authority of the United States, except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the first branch, during the term of service, and for the space of after its expiration; to be incapable of re-election for the space of after the expiration of their term of service, and to be subject to recall. 5. "Resolved, that the members of the second branch of the National Legislature ought to be elected by those of the first, out of a proper number of persons nominated by the individual Legislatures, to be of the age of years at least; to hold their offices for a term sufficient to ensure their independency; to receive liberal stipends, by which they may be compensated for the devotion of their time. to the public service; and to be ineligible to any office established by a particular State, or under the authority of the United States, except those peculiarly belonging to the functions of the second branch, during the term of service; and for the space of thereof. after the expiration 6. "Resolved, that each branch ought to possess the right of originating acts; that the National Legislature ought to be empowered to enjoy the legislative rights vested in Congress by the Confederation, and moreover to legislate in all cases to which the separate States are incompetent, or in which the harmony of the United States may be interrupted by the exercise of individual legislation; to negative all laws passed by the several States contravening, in the opinion of the National Legislature, the Articles of Union, or any treaty subsisting under the authority of the Union; and to call forth the force of the Union against any member of the Union failing to fulfill its duty under the Articles thereof. 7. "Resolved, that a National Executive be instituted; to be chosen by the National Legislature for the term of -; to receive punctually, at stated times, a fixed compensation for the services rendered, in which no increase nor diminution shall be made, so as to affect the magistracy existing at the time of increase or diminution; and to be ineligible a second time; and that, besides a general authority to execute the national laws, it ought to enjoy the executive rights vested in Congress by the Confederation. 8. "Resolved, that the Executive, and a convenient number of the national Judiciary, ought to compose a Council of Revision, with authority to examine every act of the National Legislature, before it shall operate, and every act of a particular Legislature before a negative thereon shall be final; and that the dissent of the said Council shall amount to a rejection, unless the act of the National Legislature be again passed, or that of a particular Legislature be again negatived by members of each branch. of the 9. "Resolved, that a National Judiciary be established; to consist of one or more supreme tribunals, and of inferior tribunals to be chosen by the National Legislature; to hold their offices during good behavior, and to receive punctually, at stated times, fixed compensation for their services, in which no increase or diminution shall be made, so as to affect the persons actually in office |