[Various proposals:] The Council of State... - American History 1493-1945 - Adam Matthew Digital

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Field name	Value
Collection Reference Number	GLC00819.19
From Archive Folder	Constitution and Constitutional Convention archive: Pierce Butler's notes
Title	[Various proposals:] The Council of State...
Date	31 August 1787
Author	Mason, George (1725-1792)
Document Type	Miscellany; Government document
Content Description	Large folio sheet. Unidentified handwriting. Also re: import duties, revenues, limiting terms and appointments of elected officials including the President, limits on the executive pardon authority and a rejected clause concerning revenues.
Subjects	Election US Constitution US Constitutional Convention Government and Civics Law Taxes or Taxation Finance Economics Pardon President Congress Commerce Treaty President Pardon Impeachment Treason
People	Butler, Pierce (1744-1822)
Place written	Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Theme	Creating a New Government; Government & Politics; The American Revolution; Law; The Presidency
Sub-collection	The Gilder Lehrman Collection, 1493-1859
Additional Information	This collection of Pierce Butler's papers from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 provides unique views of the various conflicts that permeated the Constitutional Convention, while bringing to life the process of creating the United States Constitution.
Copyright	The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Module	Settlement, Commerce, Revolution and Reform: 1493-1859
Transcript	Show/hide The Council of State, instead of being formed out of the Officers of the great Departments--to consist of not less than five, nor more than seven Members, to be constituted and appointed by Law; or by 2/3ds of the Senate, with a duration & Rotation of Office, similar to that of the Senate.---- The Objects of the National Government to be expressly defined, instead of indefinite powers, under an arbitrary Construction of general Clauses.---- Laws disapproved by the Executive, not to be reinacted [sic], but [inserted: by] a Majority of 2/3ds. instead of 3/4ths. of the Legislature.---- No Law, in the Nature of a Navigation Act, to be passed, but by a Majority of 2/3ds. of the Legislature.---- since adopted} The Duties imposed upon Imports, by the National Government, to be the same in all the States.---- The Legislature to be restrained from establishing perpetual Revenue.---- Laws for raising or appropriating Revenue, or fixing the Salleries [sic] of Officers, to originate in the House of Representatives.---- The Members of both Houses to be ineligible to Offices under the National Government; except to Command in the Army or Nave; their Seats to be vacated by accepting such Commands, and to be ineligible during their Continuance. The President of the United States to be ineligible a second Time.---- The power of making Treaties, appointing Ambassadors &tc. to be in the Senate, with the Concurrence of the Council of State--or vice versa-- The appointment to all Offices, established by the Legislature, to be in the Executive, with the Concurrence of the Senate--or vice versa-- The power of granting pardons in the Executive, not to extend to Impeachments, or to Treason--nor to preventing or staying process before Conviction; & to [inserted: be] so expressly defined, as not, by any Construction, to apply to persons convicted under the Laws & Authority of the Respective States.---- The following is the substance of a Clause, which was offered & miscarried in the Convention; it will come in very properly in the 5th Section of the IV Article [inserted: referred for reconsideration] after the word except--"Bills for raising Money for the purposes of Revenue, or for appropriating the same, or for fixing the Salleries [sic] of the Officers of Government, shall originate in the House of Representatives, & shall not be so altered or amended by the Senate as to increase or diminish the sum to be raised, or change the mode of raising, or the Object of its appropriation."

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