The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-12-12
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
Mosplr, Dec 0.


| The Journal OF Saturday, having heen READ, me
Chair announced thai the question Of the appeal
OF the gentleman from New York Mr.. panderPoeD
from decision OF the Chair, the gentleman from
/ Ohio (Mr Duncanl was entitled 10 the door; but
that there was question Immediately pending as TO
permitting thai gentleman 10 read CERTAIN documents
by him referred TO yesterday. On this gu esiion,
i Mir GRANGER addressed the house, and observ-
ed thai his great objection lay against laying oa the
table the proposition of The gentleman from Virgil
MIA (Mr. Wise) which would have brought the
house up al once TO the question, aud shown The ma
tiua whether they would deny seat 70 man bear-
ing the regular legal commission OF his State. The
hrm position taken by the gentleman from Ohio, TO-
gether with The language held by the Official organ
81 The Administration, Indicated thai bad been de-
! ten mined BY that party that this question touching
| the election OF the gentlemen from New Jersey was
FIRST 10 be settled before going into the organization
ok the honss. IL so, these pers ought 10 be read;
but il was equally far that lime should BE- given to
those gentlemen holding regular commissions 70 OBJ
tain and produce here The requisite papers 10 sustain
their ghfs 10 seals and II in their power 10 destroy
the validity OF the afidayts and other evidence
| which the gentleman from Ohio was DESTROYS TO
| read. Such an opportunity had always been allow
ed; il The regular practice and justice, as well
as precedent required IT, The gentleman wan ed
10 have produced and read 10 The house quantity
OF aifidavils taken without notice, and sent up here
without nuice-attaviis which IN no suit before
country Justice would avail 10 pass a single cents
worth Of properly. II such papers were 10 be consi
deicd and were 10 have any weight here, the house
pers could b. brous hi up on The other side For one
Mr.. G. said he rejoced that The house had made
thus much Of an approach toward an issue. And
now he trusted that no gentleman woud object To
holding the question open until an equal oppoEunl-
ly should b. afforded 10 both sets Of claimants
Mr.. q. said he had from The first believed, and SO
he sill continued 10 believe. that 10 20 into This EVIL
denee was not the true course But as majority of
the house, and those especially who were held 10
represent the Administrations seemed 10 prefer il,
and as The tone OF the official organ seemed 10 de-
tnand the investigation, he supposed The party were
ready - assume the responsibility; and, II SO, he
was ready to for The reading Of all the papers.
The only difficulty with him had been that they had
not hitherto baen permitted 10 present the question
fairly. When that should have been done, such re-
Sponsiby would be thrown upon the house as
never before had rested upon its members.
i Mr.. G. would state consideration which had
produced great embarrassment in his mind, suppos-
ing the house should decide that the members from
New Jersey were for the present To be passed by.
There were three ates Of this Union, viz. Della
ware, Arkansas, and Michigan, which were repre-
Ssned on that floor by single member each Now,
In case OF contested election for tn. Presidency il
the choice should devove on the House of Repre-
senativeS each State gave vote, aud each othoSe
three would have voice equal to the State from
which he came New York } and ii this doctrine
should obtain, that the organization Of the house is
10 be suspended until the right OF each contested seat
Shall have BEEN fully investigated and established
according 10 law, and vacancy should have hap
pened IN each OF these States Immediately proceed
ing that session Of Congress in which the choice Of
President was TO be made, there would in all likei-
hood, be contested seal for each Of them; and il
gross frauds aud perjury should be perpetrated and
atdays be received By the houS. until after the r,t
ten days Of February should be past The election Of
President might b. secured who never could have
been chosen had the established mode Of proceeding
been observed. which always until now, had pre-
vailed In this Government.
Was Mr. G, to be told that the same difficulty might
arise II the authorities Of the State corrupt and
thath n III.
other. That he denied. Men more careful in
their political action when they to be Judged by
their ters from the vcnage, where frauds could easily
be detected and punished by the People at the next
election But let the contest be brought here, and
When that contest over and members without
direct responsibility to their constituents TO
turn TO them flushed with the of political VIC
tory no matter how obtained, man could answer for
The consequences of suspeudng the voice Of State in
this Hall However if the majority disposed to
let tins testimony, vague, hali-iornied, and without
ice as it was, be read for the consideration Of this
house, 10 influence its action atty manner, he trusted
there was sufficient of justice induce them
to permit time aud opportunity to be given to admit re-
1 buttlng evidence when both should have been heard
then let honorable gentlemen boldly up and make
known 10 the country their decision. Ii gentlemen o.!
the majority will pledge themselves the power
which they possess, and will take the responsibility Of
setting precedent dangerous in the examination
and decision of these before the organization Of
these papers otherwise, he could not consent pro-
ceedlng irregular and unjust.
Mr.. VANDERPOEL said the question was, whe,he.
the papers the Clerks table should be read by the
gentleman from Ohio, (Mr Duncan) They were pa
pers that went to show that, according the ballot
boxes, majority of the popular given for Mr.
l'ckerson aud his associates If this point well
established here, either by evidence such would
llsy the conscience OF any reasonable man, by the
admission oil the parties Interested their friend the
only unconteslcd member from New jersey (Mr RAN
doph) he thought the house would lmned aely be pre-
pared to act, not only upon this question of order but
upon the point which set Of gentlemen should be re.
garded the legal aud genuine members of this hou Sc
The position which he mir w took when he submit
ted his FIRST remarks on Thursday last was that if the
house could be convinced that Mr.. Dckerson and his
associates had actually received the majority Of the pop
nar votes cdHrasScd by the board OF who
presided over the boxes and whose duty was to re-
ceve and canvass the votes and pass upon the quali
cations OF the voters, it would be duty to do
what the Governor had done-gve them, as the law
yers would say, their certificates, pro ync and let
them take their seats In order to these ques
tons Of facs clearly and distinctly he would PROFOUND
to the gentleman from New Jersey before him (Mr
Randoph) few questions. the first question he
would ask that honorable gentleman was, whether
cordlng to the halo,boxes aud the canvass made by
the canvassing officers who received the votes, Mr.
DtcEerson and his associates did receive majority
Of the popular votes -,
Mr. RANDOLPH here rose and replied in the affir-
native
Mr. VANDERPOEL said the next question he
would ask the gentleman was, whether, if the of
NliivIe and South Amboy included, Messrs Dick.
erson and his associates would have majority Of the
popular vote
Mr. RANDOLPH again to reply; and said
that although he did recognize any right on the
part OF the gentleman from New York (Mr Wander
pocD to put nteuogaories 10 him for the purpose Of
eiciting matter on which To found argumant his
side OF the question, yet he entirely willing to
swer with the utmost frankness the inquiry put him.