Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1806-06-16

A
neceharily called upon by their fell
lows, to difchsrgr civil duties. We
were to expect bad writing, bad ink,
bad pens, bad paper, and fometimes
bad ipelllng. Shall we therefore, if
we can Satisfactorily afcertain the in.
tencion Of thcfe honef men, deny
them their conltitutional rights, be-
caulc they cannot fpcll every great
mans name, or write il without
blot What then-ihall carelehneis
in the difcharge of important duties
be encouraged Shall we encourage
town officers to fend to us blurs and
blctted paper' No /; there can ne
/ yer be any motive thus to perplex us
voluntarily. Bet when they have
| done their beR, and any uninportant
/ defect remains, it is for mems hearts,
conferences and convictions to de-
eide. The rciult Of great political
effort may depend on the return be-
fore the board. l. was for gentle
men TO recolle6 fslemnly that the
oath Of God was upon them. He
wiihed no man to act otherwifc on
| the prefent occaiion than he would
did he conhder himfelf as about to
appear before that dread tribunal,
where no deception can be praaifed,
where no fallacy can avail. 1t is
not, faid he, trihing fubjea Of YER
bal criticifm, which We are called to
determine ; we are called to fulfil
a duty which we are iworn to diff
! charge with fidelity.
| would NOT, continued he, be in
favor of adding votes given for CALEB
Stem to the column for Cah5 Strong.
Such ihould rejed. but fate all
the facts, to any man NOT interefed
IN our REFLECTIVE feelings. Let him
be informed that the fate is divided
into two great ccntending parties
that the candidate fnpported by the
one is Caleb Strong the candidate
fupported by the other is 9a~ref Sal
Avan lay before him this return,
Eating that IN certain town num-
Der Of votes were given for Caleb
Stron, the r Of which appears merely
to have been accidentally blurred or
blotted, and number of votes for
James Sullivan then let this man be
aiked for whom he believed the votes
were given, | am certain he would
fay, for the rival candidates.
If you reject this rule, if you do
not take the evidence of the inten-
/ ton, which the document itfeif and
| collateral circumstances afford, you
will te guilty of an act of dangerous
oppreiiion and tyranny. 1t will de-
| grade you in the eyes of your confi-
tuen and the world, to find quirks
| and duibbles admiflible here, which
would be defpifed in Court of Com
! mon Pleas.
I fhalI fill Aater mvfelf, faid Mr..
Otis, that the gentlemen who COM
pofe this honorable board, however
jealous they may feel for the fuccefs
of their refpedive candidates, wi
fill fuffcr no party conliderations to
fway them, one moment, from the
paths of rea(on, jutticc, and folemn
obligation and that when the quef-
ton is taken, they will 70 act as to
feel juitifed to their own confciences.
DR.. Hill again rofe, and made a
few remarks on the precedents by
which the committee had been gov
erned. He again admitted the cor
rettnefs Of the principle, that they
ought to regard the evident inten-
ton, but declared, and that in We.
ry iolemn manner, that he faw no
reaion to convince him that the re.
turn in queftion was made for Caleb
Strong.
When the yeas and nays were CAL
led for on Mr.. Cores motion, they
were-Yeas lo, Nays 20.
|
IN SENATE, JUNE 7.