Southern telegraph. (Rodney, Miss.) 1834-1838, 1838-02-27
MIR. cLAIBoRNE,s ARGUMENT.

first Judicial District.
MR. CLAIBORNE'S ARGUMENT.
We present our readers with some few
extracts from what Mr. Claiborne styles
his "-irgnment,--a document printed al
the public expense, and franked by it's au-
thor over the State. Our friends will bear
with us upon this s,Ljcc.--worn out as it
E'ny seem, it is of vital Importance. Mr..
Claiborne viii, ii is supposed, again solicit
the sufirages of the people for the office he
lately filed unworthlv, and our humble
eiForis shall moi be wanting to expose his er-
r,rs to those whose will he has violated
Wbesc rights be has condemned.
"At the srerial session in September
last, the House, after full investigation, de-
ciJcd that my colleague and myself were
entitled to our seats for the entire term OF
the 25'h Congress. The question then set
tied was one Of law, arising out of the Con
situttn Of the United States and the laws
Of Tie State of Mississippi. The only facts
,nyplyed were he Proclamation Of the Gov
rrn;r Of that State, and the consequent
election, by majority of votes. of my col
league and myself: facts which no one then
or since has pretended TO DENY. and the evil
dence of which was before the Committee
of Elections, and afterwards before the
House"
Does Mr.. Claiborne mean TO say here
ss.at tie proclamation of tho Executive did
not explicitly state the election as one to be
cial session? Surely he knows that such
were the terms Of the Governors missive
He says again:
t'1'he question that now presents itself is.
Shall the decision, thus made, he reviewed,
10 the end that il may be reversed; be-
cause, differing IN opinion from majority
Of the House of Representatives, the Gov
ernor of Mississippi, pursuing the literal
tenor cf IL law of that State, has ordered n
new election TO fill supposed vacancy III
lis representation, after the House of Rep
resen.utiyes, the only constitutional judge
in the matter, had determined that no such
~uouncy oeis,os,7', -
Does Mr.. Cl,iborne desire that any off
Ger of the State shall consrue the laws Gas
no understands Them" or according TO the
''iltcrai tenor" The Governor had no now
er TO stop the election for members IN No
vcm!er. 1t is absurd, then, to say that it
was held "to fiji Il supposed vacancy
'.I'he evidence Of our right TO our seats,
presented in September last, was state
mont from the Secretary Of State of hiissis-
sippi, under the great seal Of Office, of the
votes cast in the then recent July cleo
tim"
And this statement averred that they
were elected for the called session. Did
rot Messrs. Prentiss and Word present a
statement of the same character, and dis
play ing as cast for them, a greater number
of yc.es than Mr.. Claiborne ever has receiv-
ed, or, we believe, ever will receive
''During the discussions in September
last, my colleague and myself remained 81
lent from motives Of deIcacy, except on
one occasion. when, in reply to member
from Ohio, Mr. Mason, who, as we suppos-
ef, had mis-stated cur course and position,
we declared, what we still believe, that
those who voted fer us did SO under the i'm
preston that we would hold our seats du-
rirg the entire twenty-ffth Congress-
Here is reieraton of a statement which
is not believed, we candid!y think, by auy
other two men in this State than Claiborne
and Gho!son. No Van Buren, man, that we
have yet seen, will say that he thinks tina,
majority of those who voted for these men,
did SO under the impression that they would
hold their seats for two years, much less
that "nine-tentbs' of the voters of the State
entertained the same opinion One '.distin-
guis!'ed editor" he says, Mann Butler,
Esq advertised his readers that those then
elected must be entitled to their seats for
the whole Congress. Did that editors own
county agree with him? The vote in No
vember answers that question.
'Tbe doctrine that an election, legal IN
itself, may be set aside, and member duly
qualified deprived of his seat, because. after
his election a majority of his constituents
become dissatisfied with him, and elect. at
their own time and place, another, is in
deed novel one.''
nElect at their own fine and MACE - /
Ought they to elect representatives at the
fine and place best suited to the Hon. Mr..
Claiborne? Better constitute him Dictator.