The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-12-19

returns shall may BE- presented. into ques
ton, and be referred 10 them by the House"
Now, (Mr. s. consinued) II any other inquiry
could be gone into anecsdent 10 the organization OF
the House, what was the committee OF Elections forl
II was established alter the house was organized
throughout and The house then competent to act.
II was Ia condition to do the duty which, under the
Constitution, belonged 10 IL. II was not only organ
ized but fully organized. because every State was
then represented provided she had taken due means
10 hold her election Ia time to come here properly
gu lifted. But, according to this new rule-incon-
sistent II was with all that had been heretofore
s.ttled-inconsstent with usage inconsistent with
arguments running Ia one uninterrupted spring,
without break pause upon both sides Of the house
They were about TO organize a house without the
representatives OF State; and that, toa, when she
had her representatives here under the proper COM
mission The house elected Speaker, elected OFF,
GERS Of the house. organized It's committee Of Flee
tions and all this time, where New Jersey, one
OF the original States-a State which was party 10
this compact, THE Constitution of the United States
which declared that every State should have aileast
one Representative 49,. Where was she Shut out;
refused permission to come In denied the privilege
which she contracted for. Where was She "A
sutton for majority Of the House TO declare that
she should be admitted. He asked gentlemen seri-
oiisy TO consider whether this could be in accord
ance with the spirit Of constitutional compact
between Tree, independent, sovereign States, whose
first agreement was that all should be represented,
and that all should have equal right to be repre-
senled IN every sae oil the existence oil lnal pouy.
Was that fullmeni Of the contrac1 II the State Of
New jersey had neglec.ed 10 elect
would have had no cause to complain II the mem
bers whom she had elected had not appeared, there
would have been no cause OF complain. But finley
came there, and under the Constitution brought re-
guar evidence according 10 the laws Of New Jersey
which laws had been enforced ever since the adop-
ton Of the Constituton--and had bsen acted upon
through her whole history-if every two years, the
very same credentials which those gentlemen brot
had been sent by her Representatives without any
one individual being able to raise question whether
these credentials were in conformity with the laws
OF New Jersey, made under the Constituencies Il
fufment Of the contract to keep her out for any
purpose whatsoever What was 10 be gained by in
He appealed to gentlemen seriously, and he put the
question to them, 10 come up 10 The Constitution.
He would show them in that Constitution the aim
and object for which Congress was made, and then
he would ask them TO tell him how its legitimate
purposes were to be answered by excluding those
who came here TO represent the State OF New Jersey.
Mr.. 8. then adverled 10 the practice oil the British
House OF Commons and cited the celebrated case Of
Mr. Fox In The Westminster election. He then pro-
ceeded to reply to the sneers which had been cast
upon the broad seal of sovereign State, and in con-
cluson, depicted the evil consequences which must
inevitably result from unauthorized and arbitrary in
references in the internal affairs Of the States.
Mr. DROMGOOLE replied at length 10 Mr.. Ser
geant, and after some remarks from Messrs. Rheu
and Briggs, on motion of Mr.. BERNARD, the House
adjourned.