Page:The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787 Volume 3.djvu/619

 that the first resolution had been rejected, and had then turned to his own copy for the exact wording of it.

The editor’s final conclusion is that the Madison copy fairly reproduces the original, and is probably the most accurate copy in existence of the New Jersey Plan presented to the Convention. This conclusion is confirmed by Madison’s line of argument when insisting upon the correctness of his text as compared with that in the Journal, and by King’s summary which seems to have been taken down hastily as the plan was read in the Convention.

Among the Sherman papers was found a document containing a series of propositions, which has been variously interpreted: The members of the Connecticut delegation to the Federal Convention had served upon several different committees of Congress that had proposed amendments to the Articles of Confederation, and this document embodies some of the amendments thus proposed. L. H. Boutell, in his Life of Roger Sherman, treats it as having been prepared in the latter part of Sherman’s service in Congress and “as embodying the amendments which he deemed necessary to be made to the existing government.” Bancroft, on the other hand, regards it as a plan of government presented to the Federal Convention “which in importance stands next to that of Virginia.”

Neither of these interpretations is acceptable to the editor, who is inclined to consider this document as more probably presenting the ideas of the Connecticut delegation in forming the New Jersey Plan. It is accordingly reprinted here, and is as follows: —

“That, in addition to the legislative powers vested in congress by the articles of confederation, the legislature of the United States be authorised to make laws to regulate the commerce of the United States with foreign nations, and among the several states in the union; to impose duties on foreign goods and commodities imported into the United States, and on papers passing through the post office, for raising a revenue, and to regulate the collection thereof, and apply the same to the payment of the debts due from the United States, and for supporting the government, and other necessary charges of the Union.