Legislatures of the States represented, to pass laws, limiting certain maximum rates, which the Convention particularly specified, for wages, the necessaries of life, and indeed most ordinary articles of consumption. Farm hands were not to have over three shillings fourpence a day, in summer; for the best butter over ten pence a pound must not be asked; for potatoes (then beginning to come into common use), commonly called Spanish potatoes," of the best sort, not over two shillings a bushel; and so on through a long list of prices, which then, doubtless seemed as high to our great-grandfathers, as they now seem low to us. 66 The minutes of their proceedings were transmitted to Congress, and, being received on Jan. 28th, 1777, together with an explanatory letter from Gov. Trumbull of Connecticut, formed one of the principal subjects of discussion for several weeks.* On Feb. 15th, 1777, Congress passed a resolution giving a general approval of their action, and recommending the other States to follow the lead of New England in such legislation in this direction, as would best "remedy the evils occasioned by the present fluctuating and exorbitant prices" of labor, manufactures, internal produce, and imports from foreign parts. To give this a more definite form it was further "recommended to the Legislatures, or in their recess to the Executive powers of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, "to appoint commissioners to meet at York town in Pennsylvania on the third Monday of March next, to consider of and form a system of regulation, adapted to those States, to be laid before the respective Legislatures of each State, for their approbation," and that "for the like purpose, it be recommended to the Legislatures, or Executive powers in the recess of the Legislatures, of the States of North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia, to appoint commissioners to meet at Charleston in South Carolina, on the first Monday in May."+ * Journals of Congress, iii, pages 37, 38, 45, 48, 52, 61, 63, 64. These were the first of a series of conventions of commissioners or delegates from groups of neighboring States, which were called sometimes by Congress, and sometimes by one of the States interested, during the years from 1776 to 1781, for the purpose of strengthening the public credit. The following is believed to be a full list of those which were both called, and held: States represented. New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, invited, but not represented),..... Philadelphia, Jan. 1780.S * 3 Hildreth's Hist., 182. Journals of Congress, vol. iii, 334, 458, 529; 1 N. H. Col. Hist. Soc. Papers, Dr. Bronson's Essay, p. 91; Hinman's Hist. Coll., 468, 569. A copy of the journal of this convention is in the State Archives of Connecticut. State Archives of Conn., MSS. vol., 15 Rev. War; 19 id. 282, 285; 3 Hildreth's Hist., 298; Journals of Congress, v, 406, 421. § 6 Bancroft's Hist., 343. This was called together by the Hartford Convention. State Archives, 8 Rev. War, 271. |