Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1824-01-13
cordinS'y, and the docuucuts were referred,
as moved hy Mr.. Cooke, 10 a select com

- ~ A's'' OO~hCy W ScicCL COtU
mittee.
On motion Of Mr.. p. p. Barbour, il was
fesotred, That the COMMITTEES of Pensions
and Revolutionary Claims he instructed Ia in
quire into the expedirncy Of providing, by law,
for the pa! ment To the legal representatives of
Abncr Porter, deceased. for quantity of corn
furnished by said Porter, to The continental
station az the Aibemarle Barracks, Virginia,
during the Revolutionary war.
o" moii~n "f Mr.. Gagnelt, the report OF the
C"nmittreo Claims, on thepetition of Joseph
Janney, was referred To committee of the
whole House.
Tie rngrossed bin 10 aufhorise he surveying
ana md6ing road from The point opposite 10
iIrRphiS, M Tennessee, 10 Lille Rock. in the
TERRITORY 81 .4rk0nSuS, was read third time,
passed, without division, and sent 10 the
Seoaie for concurrence.
The House took up the unfinished business
of yesterday, which was the motion of Mr..
Little To insert the word " not" in The second
resolution reported Ly the Committee of Elrc-
'"ns, so MS To make IL read, "that Parmenio
Adams is NOT entitled Ia seat in that House,"
The debate on this subject was continued
till nearly three o'clock, when, the question
being taken on the amendment, il was decided
IN the nrsaiive-ayes 80, norsIl2.
Inc question then recurring on agreeing
with In. report of the committee, (which aS-
nuts Ar. Adams TO n seat) was decided as fol-
lows: Yeas ll6, Nays 85.
Mr. Adams then appeared, was qualified,
and took his seat in the House.
Dir. Moore of Alabama, offered the follow
Ing resolution. which lies one day of course.
=" ReSotred, That the following amendment
he made tn the 18th standing rule of this
House Cd line after the word Department"
insert {" the Attorney General - and in the
18th line, after the same word, insert, or
| may have held the office of District Attorney
| Of the United States"
And then the House adjourned.
The late Debate in the House of Represen-
tat'ves on the contested election from in. 29th
District OF the state Of New York, turned, in
elect, upon single point, viz: whether "A
printed ballot, having the stroke Of pen
drawn through il, should or should not be adj :
united ms valid vote. From the returns of
he inspectors of the election, 1t was ad-
united, on all sands, that the two can
'iuates came within single vote of hav-
ing an equal number: the same returns,
or rather the certificates ACCOMMODATING
them, stated that one of the votes for
Isaac Wilson was of the description we have
mentioned the printed letters were di slinct-
~ l"gble, but dash with pen was drawn
ioss the whole me: en- this account the
Inspectors rejected the vote, and it was not
counted. The omission of this ballot, after
the deduction on each side for erroneous re-
turns, gave Mr. Adams majority of one
Inc advocates of MIR. Wilson commended that,
as the baiiot contained no other name and il
was not 10 he presumed that the cIecfor would
give in blank ballot, the mark with the pen
| ought to be disregarded, and the vote counted
as good for il was possible the voter might
have been an old man, and did not see the line
across the name, or simple man, whO intend
ing to vote for MIR. Wilson, had been cheated
out ofhis vote, by having this obliterated bal
lotput into his hand by an advocate of the op-
posiie candidates, SIC. On the other hand. il
was INSISTED that the inspectors were, by the
laws of New York, the constitutional Judges of
me genulneness or fraudulent character of the
ballots that they had decided on this ballot
from ocular -ptrbcIy-under oath
and with entire unanimity; and that il was
no uncommon thing, in that state, to erase
names printed on election tickets, and even to
put ballots, entirely blank, into the ballot box
es; instances of which were quoted as having
taken place in ballotings in the Legislature Of
New York, land also in Congress.) That the
voter might have been induced by fear of
Offending Mr.. Wilson, or some friend of his TO
appear tn vote for him, while the voter secret.
~ nulilfed the vote by first ohliterating the
name The ballots are foldedup so as that the
name is cODcea!ed.) To an objection that the
voter must be out his senses to lose day
IN attending the polls .merely for the sake of
putting in blank ballot, which effected moth
ing on either side, il was replied that many
other officers besides Members of Congress.
were voted for at the same time, and that he
might have gone 10 the polls to vote effectu-
ally for these, or some of them, without wish.
ing 10 affect by his vote the choice of Con-
gresham at all. The advocates Of Mr. Will
m kNgNa n,aI Al. r.
blank votes given in the state Legislature or
IN Congress, formed case in point because
there, the election turning on a majority OIL
the whole number of votes given, blank votes
were counted, and therefore did, ultimately
ana indirectly, affect the election hut in pub
nc elections at the polls, the greater number
OF votes alone was considered, and blank bal.
lot, moi being counted, effected absolutely moth
inE. They rejected, as derogatory To the
character of an American freeman, the idea
that he could be intimidated into acting the
farce OF drposting a blank ballot {; but were
answered by the fact that, in that part of the
State of New York, great influence is exerted
over voters by the agents of great land COM
panIrs, to whom voters are indebted on ac
count ofihrir farms one Of these companies,
lthr Holland Land Company owns tract
which covers six entire counties, apd its agent
exercises well known and powerful inHu-
rnce in political matters, &c.
The propriety of rejecting the erased or
crossed ballot, was advocated by Mr. Storrs
MIR. NlariindaIe, Mr.. Baylies, Mr.. Farrelly,
Mr.. Mallary, and Mr.. Sloane and opposed
by Mr.. Ten Eyck, Mr. Thompson, of KY. MIR.
Ellis, Mr.. Wright, and Mr.. Little.
Those who supported the amendment Of
Mr. Little, which went also TO exclude Mr..
Adams from seat in the House. were Mr.
Gazly, Mr.. Little, Mr.. Clark, Mr. Cambreleng,
Mr.. Mangum, and Mr.. Hogeboom. Those