"... The President has been requested to write to the states unrepresented, pressing upon them the objects which require the attendance of their delegations, & urging them to come forward, amongst the objects is that of the report of the convention, which, it is supposed, is now in the State of parturition--this bantling must receive the blessing of Congress this session, or, I fear, it will expire before the new one will assemble; every experiment has its critical stages which must be taken as they occur, or the whole will fail--the peoples expectations are rising with the progress of this work, but will desert it, should it remain long with Congress--permit me to suggest one idea as to the mode of obtaining the accession of the States to the new plan of government--let the convention appoint _one_ day, say the 1^{st} of May, upon which a convention appointed by the people shall be held in each state, for the purpose of accepting or rejecting in toto, the project--supposing an act of the ordinary legislatures to be equally authentic, which would not be true, yet many reasons present themselves in favor of--special conventions--many men would be admitted who are excluded from the legislatures--the business would be taken up unclogged with any other--and it would effectually call the attention of all the people to the object as seriously affecting them. All the States being in convention at the same time, opportunities of speculating upon the views of each other would be cut off--the project should be decided upon without an attempt to alter it--you have doubtless found it difficult to reconcile the different opinions in your body--will it not be impossible then, to reconcile those which will arise amongst numerous assemblies in the different states? It is possible there never may be a general consent to the project as it goes out; but it is absolutely certain there will never be an agreement in amendments. It is the lot of but few to be able to discern the remote principles upon which their happiness & prosperity essentially depend--."--(Mad. MSS.) MONDAY, AUG^{ST} 13. IN CONVENTION Art. IV. Sect. 2. reconsidered-- M^r Wilson & M^r Randolph moved to strike out "7 years" and insert "4 years," as the requisite term of Citizenship to qualify for the House of Rep^s. M^r Wilson said it was very proper the electors should govern themselves by this consideration; but unnecessary & improper that the Constitution should chain them down to it.