Portland gazette and Maine advertiser. (Portland, Me.) 1805-1818, 1810-12-24

The Report ct The Z -nnlltec ccr1slcred
a warm and interesting debate. The con-
clusiOn Of the Report was N tie following
words, to wit "tiist The several alsgatiDus
contained IN the Kemonstrance sg4iRst the
election Of said Eben Hobbs, were not sup
ported, that The Selectmen o. said town II
Judging of the quaIiIi "a ions of voters were
really TO admit al those having the c0nSti-
tutionsl pHrquishes, and very properly re.
iccting those that had uot, and that the SAID
chen. Hobbs was legally chosen and is en-
titled 10 seat in this House. of the pc
culiar elegance, and grammatical 4ccui 4cy
of tie Report this sort specimen win ens-
bIe tie reader to Judge.
The principal ground on which the orPo-
mems ofthe Report insisted was, that by
the facts dscl sed by tie Report, Mr..
Hobbs was not legally elected Represen-
t-tive ftom Weston because If B,gclow was
not entitled TO vote at the repre- sentative
election, Hill certainly was & on the other
hsnd, Il hill was not entitled "a vote, Big
eiow was, AMI II one roie for Mr.. Fisk the
teder candidate had been lie g4lly rejected,
there WIS 40 chnce.
1t was urged by the advocates Of the Re.
port, among other things, that Hill had no
Ugh, 10 vote in Weson, because his legal
residence was in The town where his father
lived. But if this construction were wrong,
yet Hill had lost his residence III Weston,
BY an absence CT three weeks, without any
settled intention Of returning In relation
10 BigelOw it was conceded that he mad
no right 10 vote al Cambridge while At the
university, but II was commended that lie
had left ms residence in Weston, by RESI-
ding IN other places, and fhe had NOT gain
ed residence elsewhere, SO as To entitle
htm 10 vo;es the result was that he had no
rIght to vote in any place,
10 this IL Was answered, that If Hills re-
sidenc@ ought 10 be construed to ne in the
town where MS father reSl4ed, soals0 ought
BIgelows, in which case he had legal
right 10 vote in Weston, and if his vote had
no. been rejec,ed there would have been no
chOIce.-Ahd further, if Hill had lost his
residence in Weston by an absence of
three weeks without settled intention of
returning, SO also had Warner, who was alb.
sent four Spceks, without a settled intention
of returning, bnt whose vote was received
by the SeleCtmen, and given for the sitting
laember.
The debate continued till late in the E
yenlns, whea the question was taken,
whether the Report should be accepted,
and Mr. Hobbs be entitled to a seat in the
House, and carried By moJority Of seven.
II WAS pleasing, says my Int0rmants to OBJ
serve when the question was taken that
some the conscientious democrats deserted
thsir ranks. Among olbe s, the venerable
Deacon Goodwin of Charleston, and the
ted with the federalists This was truly an
example OF the triumph of conscience ever
the PASSIONS ofparty. Il motion for the re-
cons Iteration OF this vote was Immediately
made and debated the gteater part OF the
next day, when the question OF reconsidera-
ton was finally decided IN the negatives by
q majority Of twenty:
The conduct of the Chairman ofths Com
mit,ee, zvhose age and experience Certainly en-
t;tIe INN 10 respect, on this occasion, was
some what singular. He declared that, in
lbs opinion, Tie COMMITTEE had no right To
70 behind tie return, Ia which case there
could be 40 douDI cur thai AIR. Hobbs was
legally elected, as there was nc IntoT mality
% the face OF The return. This opinion Was
Uyerruied, aud The committee went into The
investigation OF the tactS.-He then declsr.
cd that II the facts which appeared ln evil
dence were true, and he saw no reason to
doubt the truth, Mr. Hobbs was not legally
eiecled.-When the question was taken in
the House, however, lac voted in favour Of
the Report Oh The ground that the Commit
Tee had no right to go behind the return.
Tia writer has thus performed what he
considers duty 60 the public, unconscious
Of any other motive than regard for correct
principles, and Tie welfare of his native
State.-On the purity OF elections depend
the liberties Of our country Whenever
corruption III elections shall be practlsed,
with impuniry, BY the people, and SANCTION
ed by Legislative bodies, our republic wtl
soon follow Ner predecessors 10 the tomb.
CUMBERLAND.