Page:The Iowa journal of history and politics, v. II.pdf/20

6 this convention was to propose amendments to the Constitution, and nominate candidates for representatives and electors. In September thirty-three leading Anti-Federalists, representing Philadelphia and thirteen counties, met at Harrisburg. Eight Anti-Federalist congressmen were nominated, when an objection was raised that such a ticket would not properly represent the State, whereupon two of the nominees were displaced by Federalists. Ten electors were named. To prevent undue publicity these nominations were kept out of the public prints until November, meanwhile being communicated by letters to the Anti-Federalist leaders.

The Harrisburg convention thoroughly aroused the Federalists, who determined to call a new convention to nominate a ticket friendly to the Constitution. Acting under the advice of committees of correspondence, county meetings were held "to take the sense of the people upon who should receive their franchises for representatives in Congress and for electors." These meetings were advertised in the newspapers and by flaming posters on the trees and at the cross roads. Any one might attend them. They were held in all but one county in the State. By this means delegates were selected, thirty of whom met in convention at Lancaster early in November. Philadelphia instructed her delegates to choose her representatives from a list of six names which she presented to them, and her electors from a like list of six other names. The nominees of the convention were all Federalists, and were selected so as to give representation to the different geographical units of the State. Before the day of election the Federalists withdrew two of their nomi-