Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1839-12-16

OF the case. lie must add that had his explana.
non been offered yesterday, when The reading Of
the certIhlcates aud law was called for, il would
nave been peculiarly well timed.
no I"
Nothing but the debate went ton.,1
Mr. Vanderpoel SAID they had heard much about
the law OF New Jersey, but he WINS happy to find
| that the House also had law The law of courte..
sy--the law of decency law of gentlenIon--
ly manners in debate; and that the manner in
which the present debate had thus far been con-
Quoted, furnished pledge that the prop hecies-
he had almost said the wishes of certain, people
out of tho House, would not he fulfilled. Neces-
sity was the only and The sufficient power to reg
uiate their present action. lie denied tina they
were in suc an imperfect, such an nchoate state,
Unit they could not nct this case so faTI' to
postpone II Tor line present ill quorum sbt 'uld
have been obtained. There WINS II neceasjy in
the fitness ofthings for some preliminary erQaL IL
cation; and in taking this ground, he was suppo, =
ted by very high authority. He would rend an
extract from speech delivered by gentleman
from Vermont, IN the case of Ghoson and CIai.
borne, which was 80 much more iorcible and CON-
vincng than any thing he could say that he took
pleasure in presenting to the House. IL was a
speech from Mr. Everett.
| Mr.. " here read an extract from the speecb.
| MIR V. continued it had been said there was
prima (acie evidence here and that the Clerk must
receive IT, and permit these gentlemen to vote up
OH one of the most important acts that could de-
volve upon the members of this body - that was to
say, the election of Speaker, whose province it
was TO appoint the committees, who were the or
gans or mouth pieces of this House. Could that
be so? Ii precedent to that effect were to be
established, had gentlemen ever looked into what
must be the consequences oft
| Suppose a gentleman presented himself here
for example, with forged certificate certificate
which he claimed to have received from Govern
or, who died before the election had taken place or
before the proper authentic returns had been re.
ceived, and that he were to come here and claim
TO be inscribed upon the roll, he to be permit
ted 10 do So Surely not And did not the doctrine
Tor which some gentlemen commended carry them
to this extreme? He put 1t to their candor TO saw
The gentleman from Vermont IAlr Evere,t had
commended in the extract he (yhr. W had read.
that the House might even 60 to the length of an.
pointing committee. The laws of New jersey
declared that the persons receiving the greatest
number of votes from the whole siate--not part.
D'it the whole state--(not excluding MilIvle and
} South Amboy) should he the persons chosen IN
represent the people OF New Jersey. Well: the
! Governor had said, here is a certificate basel up.
on record OF the returns made to me of all the
votes from the whole state. Now the opponent
} party stepped in and said, "There is no such re.
cord, we deny its existence, and we bring the &C.
tual record for YOU" What was the proper course2
} An inspection Ofthe record. Was there not then.
a manifest distinction between this and ordinary
Know
that he would at all events before the Sneaker
was elected, 90 to the extent of examining the ev.
idence. IL might be very announcement if not inn
practicable. tr
Mr. Vanderpoel proceeded to say that these
were briefly the arguments which had occurred to
him in answer to the technical and formal objec-
ton which had been raised here against the rights
of the gentlemen chosen by the majority of the
votes of the people ofNew Jersey.
But higher considerations than these had indu.
ced him TO take the course he had already indica-
ted---the course of resisting the claims of these
generous (he intended no personal offence)-these
generous pretenders to come here merely because
they exhibited their bond Were the members Of
this body TO be so blinded by form as 20 render
themselves incompetent to act the part of honora.
BILE and upright men? Let it not De promulgated
to the world that the American Congress is SO i'm
rotent--so uammelled by form-So deaf to the
dictates OF truth and justice that the voice of the
sovereign people one of the states of the union
should be drowned or FRUSTRATED by the small,
miserable, and squeaking notes of mere techn.
cality.
Mr. Pope said that the, House presented the
most extraordinary spectacle that he had ever
seen or read of any civilized country. Tho
doctrine advanced by the gentleman who had
just taken his seat Mr. VanderpoeI was more ex-
traordnary than he (Mr. P.) had ever heard in
any representative body. What was il? That
gentlemen coming here clothed with a written
Jersey in the Congress OF the United States should
be driven away, and that another set of gentlemen,
on their own assumptions on their own declara-
ton, should be entitled to be admitted What
sau the Constitution of the United Siates9 BY
that instrument we were Confederation of states,
having General Government for certain purpo.
SEES, and the several states being represented in
Congress. How this body organized? BY
The Constitution each State was left free to pro-
vide for the election of those who should repre-
sent its interests in Congress, unless Congress, for
special reasons thought proper to interfere. He
addressed himself as the gentleman from Massa-
chusets MIR. Cushing) had done, rather 10 the
members who came here clothed with the au-
thority of law than to the Clerk and he objected
to the Clerk Introducing any thing here either ia
the shape ofan argument, protest. an explana-
ton, or yindcation.
Mr. 2. was mortified to find so much difference
ofopInion among gentlemen who protested to be
on the wing side9 Mr.. L. here alluded, in jo-
cose manner, 10 the difficulty which had been ex-
perienced by himself and others in securing seats,
owing to the unconstitutional number of those
claimed. New Jersey had appropriated to her
self eleven seats she entitled to only six and
he insisted before going further, that five of the
members from that state at al events should march
out. They could not all be entitled to remain
here. lie had observed that one distinguished
gentleman had been pushed up into n corner, and
that three members of another delegation had
been pushed nearly into the fire. Without inten'
ding personal disrespect, he would say that five
of The gentlemen from New Jersey were certainly
lnlruiers, and that they had no business here
How were the members assembled here, and
by what authority did they Gomez BY the au-
thorty Of their respective States. The question
here raised was to be first decided by the mem
bers- mot by the Clerk, nor any other tribunal -
bui by the Representatives from the States. He
begged the gentlemen to pause and reflect. He
was here by the authority delegated 10 him through
the Executive organ ofthe State, whether thai be
II Governor, Secretary, or hsfa dozen Sheriff.
for each state prescribed the manner in which the
credentials. or certificate. or commission should