Virginia Argus. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1796-1816, 1813-06-17
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
Saturday, June IL
Mr. Miller presentsd die petition of

MIR. Miller presented tile petition Of
praying n remission of certain PC
nalties INCURRED under the non importation laws.
Referred to this committee of Ways and
Means.
Mr.. Archer presented the petition nf John
Miller, stating the seizure and condemnation
OF a vessel belonging to him, the condemnation
IN relation to which had been reversed by the
supreme court, and restitution rewarded; but
previous to the decree of the supreme court.
The property had been sold and the proceeds
placed in the Treasury of the United States:
and praying that the said proceeds may be re-
funded to him, in pursuance OF said decree
Referred.
MIR. Speaker laid before the House a letter
from G. f. Saltonstall, of North Carolina stat.
ing that he is the author of several useful in
v%dntions, &c. and praying that Congress NAV
take the subject matter thereof into considers
ton. There being no dehaitive object stated
IN the. petition, it was ordered to lie on the
table.
Mr.. Nelson, from tho dommi,tce on Naval
Affairs, reported a bill to rewnrd the officers
and crew of the sioop of war Hornet; which
was twice read and committed.
Mr.. Archer moved to commit to the commit
tee OF GLAZING, 50 much of the report of the
committee of Unfinished Busines> as relates to
a bill concerningGpvalid Pensiopers. This an
nuai bill, it wouIdbc recolIec&d, PASSED this
House at the last Nsession, But i,aying been
amended by the Senate, had Hot eenf eturned
adjournment -siotion aGfeed TO.
ceNTEsTEDfELEc1IoN.
On motion of Mr.. Fisk, of Vermont. the
House resolved itselfinto a committee of the
whole, Mr.. Dawson n the chairaon the report
of the committee ofElections on the contested
election of John PgHungerford, which report
is in the following words:
The committee Of Elections, to vkom ssas re-
.Jeryed the petition Of .JOhn TaYaferro COM
planning Of the undue election Of .Tohn p Hun
gsrtord, returned az one Of the Apre sentdtives
from Virginia in the present CSrgress, have
had the same ander consideratioas and
REPORT: ~
That at the last congressional election in
that state for representatives, the said John p.
Hungerford was returned as slee,ed from the
district composed ofthe coundeS6 Westmore.
land, Richmond, Lancaster, Northumberland,
King George and Stafford. Ite petitioner was
also a candidate. The laws <eNvitginia pre-
scribing the manner OF conducting .srch electi-
ons direct that " the clerks of the polls shall
enter in distinct columns, under the name Of
the person voted for, the name of each elector
| voting for such persons"
They further direct that {" the clerks of the
| polls, having first signed the same, and made
Il OaNA ~ h"S NiuNil GbSACOI5 q CCTI1DCdIG OF WHICH
oath under tho hand of magistrate, of the
county, shall be subjoined to.each poll, shall
deliver the same TO the sheriff, &c. &cA
Upon inspecting the pQfs ofthe several coun-
ties, the following facts&ppear~
In Westmoreland, tie .nameS Of the yoters
are all entered in one general column, onathe
left hand margin of tue. book ;tand Figures in
numerical order, instead of the names of ne
voters, are inserted in the columns under lie
i namee oftIa rnn6idatr. y;J...Xnc ~
each vote is given.
| In Richmond, the voters. are registerfdE in
one column, and a straight mar,s, ipstesd Of the
name of the votes, is inserted under the name
| Of the candidate.
In Stafford, the Christian name of the voter
is mo- written on the poll, the initial letter only
is given. The same. occurs partially in Lancas.
ter. ..,
On the polls OF westmoreland Richmond.
Lancaster and Stafford no ecrtifca is found
of any oath having been administered to the
clerks keeping DC same. b.
The pe,itionsf contendS, thaAthe tregulari
ties and deyiatio ns from thdexgFess Provisions
of the law, are of such a nature as ia render
void the election, and require a new dhe to be
held. On the other hand it iserged by the sit
ting member, thatmostofs she pyoceedfhgs oh.
jec1ed to, arc justified by general brad &c and
that the manner Of keepiag the pollby %cntering
49, @ffAN. W NJ NhS NON(A3 II. OIC ~
lumn, is sanctioned by long usage: and that in
Stafford, the initial only of the Christian name
of the electors had been entered on the poll.
for several past elections.
The committee are sensible that trivial err,
rors, committed by the officers conducting e.
lectiohs, resulting perhaps from a misconstruc
ton ofNa doubtful paassge ofIhe law oughl
not to deprive any cla44 ofcitizenso of the RICH
Of representation N.
sill it mast d ,6anif@t, that t8prcserv,
the elective frasch te pure ard uhimpSred, tn,
positive commSaG5 and requirements of tn,
law, in respect ttthe timesplace and nsnne
Of holding electbpssought TO he observed.
To enter thsfnaesA of the voters prqniscu
ously in one TArginOFtbe poll beok, 7hen tn
taw positively directs them to be "L6ntered il
distise coluhns," and uspasrAl.avhSme Of IN,
candidate yeted for is as manifest a depsrtur,
from the Wv, as the selection of another Tim
or another place, than that mentioned in tn
law. Nor can the committees Conceive, tina
the prefxing the iSitiR only Of the Cbristiai
name to that OF tho family or surname Of tn
voter, is a fair coDpliance gith the spirit ant
intent of the la@ which Hectarcs "tthat th
names of the vottrs shall ID yentered in dis
tinct columns HGc. Il isHto be presumed
that the object Of the law il having tile nam
I" duly entered" Is to exhibit tdthe country, o
a scrutiny, who are the PefsomA oting. and t
test their title to a vote, by comparing the po
with the land roll.
And when for example the initial letter 10
it must be obvious, that it may be taken {
stand for John, or Joseph, or Jonathan, or Jc
sbus, or Jeduthum, or Israel, Isaac or Jacob, O
Isaiah. or Jersmiahs and il vsuld rsquirs n