History of Westchester County, New York, Vol. I

They amused themselves by dictating letters to the Committees of the faltering Counties, urging the attendance of their several Delegations, " in order that the business of the great cause " we are engaged in may be no longer delayed or " neglected." * Threats were made, in some instances, that " the Continental Congress'' might " find " it necessary, for the public service and for the want of "a Congress, to put the Colony under a Military " Government, directed by a Major-General and an " Army, and that at the sole expense of this Colony," adding that " many Gentlemen present are apprehen- " sive " that such " would be the consequence if a Con- "gress [were] not speedily formed, so as to proceed to "business," etc.* On the first of December, tlieCommittee of Orange-county was asked -- the second request of the kind -- "that you will not delay sending down your "members by next Monday morning, that the public " business may no longer suffer for the want of a repre- " sentation of your County; for such is the perilous ," state of America, and this Colony in particular, that

* It will be seen that eight of the nine Delegates thus elected carried titles with their names-- the terms "Esq." and "Mr." at that time, having recognized places in the order of rank-- and that only one of the nine, William Paulding, was low enough, in the social rank, to be a plain, untitled man.