NY Ratification Convention Debates (June 19, 1788) - Albany Journal (June 23, 1788)

Extract of a letter from a gentleman at Poughkeepsie, to his friend in this city, dated on Friday last [20 June].

("Our friends here are in high spirits. What passed in Convention on Tuesday [17 June], I take for granted you are informed of.)— Wednesday the new Constitution was read, and a motion made by Mr. Lansing, that the Convention form themselves into a Committee of the whole, and take up the Constitution to-morrow—1a committee was appointed to desire the clergy in the vicinity of this place, to pray every morning with the Convention, and rules were agreed on to be observed by the House—Thursday, after prayers, the President took the chair, and a motion made to go into Committee; Mr. Harper then moved that Mr. Henry Oothoudt be Chairman, (who without opposition took the chair)—The Constitution was then read; after which the Chancellor [Robert R. Livingston] rose and spoke better than an hour, and concluded with making the following motion, which was agreed to without a division—'Resolved, that no question, general or particular, shall be put in this Committee upon the proposed Constitution of Government for the United States, or upon any clause or article thereof, nor upon any amendment which may be proposed thereto, until after the said Constitution and amendments shall have been considered clause by clause.' (I should have said that the motion is not as it stood when first moved—it was amended by the Anti's (as I have marked in Italics) by consent— The Chairman then reported some progress, and requested leave to sit again.) Adjourned until to morrow.

"It is probable the Convention will sit for 3 or 4 weeks."