It is ordered, that the present Governor, Deputy Governor, John Winthrop, John Humfry, John Haynes, John Endicott, William Coddington, William Pinchon, Increase Nowell, Richard Bellingham, Esquire, and Simon Birdstreete, or the major parte of them, whoe are deputed by this Court to dispose of all millitary affaires whatsoever, shall have full power and aucthority to see all former lawes concerneing all military men and municion executed, and also shall have full power to ordeyne or remove all millitary officers, and to make and tender to them an oathe suteable to their places, to dispose of all companyes, to make orders for them, and to make and tender to them a suteable oath, and to see that strickt dissipline and traineings be observed, and to command them forth upon any occacion they thinke meete, to make either offensive or defensive warr, as also to doe whatsoever may be further behoofefull, for the good of this plantacion, in case of any warr that may befall us, and also that the aforesaid commissioners, or the major parte of them, shall have power to imprison or confine any that they shall judge to be enemyes to the commonwealth, and such as will not come under command or restrainte, as they shalbe required, it shalbe lawfull for the said commissioners to putt such persons to death. This order to continue till the end of the next Generall Court. [At the next Court (May, 1635; the same to which Winthrop refers in No. 70, above), this committee with its authority was continued for one year, though this power was wholly unauthorized by the charter. The reason was a desire to be prepared to resist a "General Governor" from England. Cf. _American History and Government_, # 61.] 73. Life Council; Proxies; "Approved" Churches Winthrop's _History of New England_. April 7, 1636. At a general court it was ordered that a certain number of the magistrates should be chosen for life (the reason was, for that it was showed from the word of God, etc., that the principal magistrates ought to be for life).[58] ... It was likewise ordered ... that, in regard of the scarcity of vituals, the remote towns should send their votes by proxy to the court of elections,[59] and that no church ... should be allowed ... that was gathered without consent of the churches and magistrates.[60] 74. The Wheelwright Controversy (Political Aspects) Winthrop's _History of New England_.