Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1839-12-05

=. e Ohio. elected Speaker. A Committee on
risc,ions il appointed by him. Wei, attend. !
~ obl;sed TO wait some months tiIl the New JET
: sIee,ions are disposed Of, and am, at last, al
sysd ! hearing. "Gentlemen," Il begin,) !"
.nnear before you, claiming my seat in your homo
rshls body, and az the advocate OF the intelligent
freemen Of the 18th Congressional District o. slr-
~;n;s whose rights | am far more interested IN
maintaining than my own. ! can satisfy you thht
INV claim to a seat il sustained by irreifagioie PROOF,
IL Il true the testimony covers some dozenfesHso =
foolscap paper, that II only occupied Us SIX ,nV",n'
In Spreading II out, but what OF lhai' - ..sss
charge Of your duties, and in support OF justice
vour PATIENCE should never tire, and, | assure YOU
bv devotinr ten hours each day for three months
YOU will. at length, BIO able TO comprehend tne case,
All YOU will find truth at the bottom OF this mass
&c cnn;ed deeds, certificates, dispositions, and vouch-
ers--that | have been wrongfully deprived ., my
seat" Bat in all possible seriousness, "ouia Ju'-
tice DO done me, and would u be done sPeso"y
MOI They would catch at a few lending points,
Thsv wonld ace that the election had been exceed
;rgIv close-tbat, but for aertain frauds and itfesn
ia1;i;es I would have obtained the return, and about
next July, when I ought TO be 10 my harvest hsio'
/. report would probably be made, accompanied "
resolution, in effect, that they could not come 70
auv certain conclusion-tha IL was dilncuit 'osay
who was really entitled TO his scat, and, 'hefe'oie,
.,bcv recommend that the election should DO sem
hack IN n DfOUtB Z HHt tt1 49,
home, prolonged to the period Of eighteen months
md the expenditure Of some two thousand dollars
I would have the comfort Of engaging in q summeI
canvnss. with the hope OF serving the remnant u
n. term. oplv three months. Why, the game
would no, be worth the candle. In pubic me, %
veil az in the pursuits Of a farm, or otheT business
men SHOULD aim at practical results. oausI nv
-, . ,h;.o q attaiuoble, and | can undergo the
ssuJn..y necss.,r, for he accomplishment ldon not
presume too much when ! appeal 10 any ifienn VINO
ever served with me in the Legislature TO soy whe-
ther the true secret of any success 10 carrying mea'
cures interesting to my constituents was ho' e"ei
Setic perseverance; but | am not visionary enough
to chase shadows, or to loose e'ghteen hoh'"s' ~
a. many hundred dollars, for the prospect \ v
wing you three months. MY eifcums'ane's,eun a..
citizens. are not sufficiently easy TO JUSTIFY t"s hes
-, ~ nnon my purse and time; and excuse me
vben [ saw considerations looking TO the comfort OF
those who claim my Protectioni in The cnsfac.er u
husband and father, arrest me IN the ruihohs onsso'
/ have sacrificed. in obedience TO your call, con'oit'
case and money, and grateful, from my near, s'a'e'
full, for your good opinion, should ieei "fihg 70
sacrifice more it | could iorsee any otnei -
that already indicated.
Lnow there are hundreds in the country who
think il moral treason to impute corrupt motives
20 public mon, or injustice to party, but depend on
Il high station like distance lends enchanttheh' 70
the view. These great men are but niue ohe'' +"
closely inspected, No man IL a hero TO ms own
yales de cham5re, was the remark OF the ffinee o.
Condo. And whatever Of goodness or elevation OF
character is to be found among men, and there IS
GOOD deal, depend on it the larger share oil Il Is moi
f,und among public mer, or distinguished pnrti-
.ans. I would select $50 farmers in the Ccnnty OF
Frederick. where [ am most intimately aeq1Rln'eo,
who possess more worth, downright lntegt"y %
purpose, than so many members OF Congress- wiz
the President and Heads OF Departments thrown
In as a make. weight. In The Virginia legislature
where | served several years, where a mani app
to find as much chivalry Of character. real hohes'y'
sad intelligence, as In any other deliberative pody
on earth. n session ever closed without leaving lie
oonviction on every mind, that there had been at
least one dozen members with whom II would De
dangerous to sleep in the same room, having soo
in YOUR pocket. | am in earnest when | say It.
And need we wonder at itf DO we not see tha'
all which is necessary for the worthless and igno-
rant to acquire a short hired popularity IN some
par,s Of the country, is to abuse Henry Clay, praise
nm Gen. Jackson, preach up Democracy" and
hug the dear people. A political existence IS thus
ACQUIRED, e~pheme,al it is true. and so far dong
honor to the returning good sense OF the people
blu, these moths possess vitality long enough to cut
into the texture Of our beautifully fashioned institu-
tons.
have already animated, that from the proba-
bio complexion of the next House OF hePresenta-
k1veo. JUSTICE WOulu Nittuhiil W aNhh'N 49,
invention Of various pretexts for delay, until the
close Of the session. Now il any Administration
man rakes offence Mt this, and AJAX me what chance
Mr.. Lucas would have If there was a large wing
majority, l will give this candid answer. "ithoul
making any invidious or llhberal distinction oe'
tween the two parties, | would say that whiies
multitude of cases exist showing that q van Duren
majority would contrive TO keep quit contes'hs
member, but one example is known of either party
ousting a sitting member who may be fairly enti-
tied TO his seat. Possession is eleven points in the
law. There he is with his certificate oi election,
creating a prima (dcie evidence OF his right, and
nothing but the clearest demonstration Ia tie con-
trary would deprive him of his right. so THAT be
the character OF the House what 1t might, Mr.. Luz
cas- would find in his parchment and position WITH
in the walls Of the Capitol, a panOply as lmpregna
Die as the armour of Achilles. and III failed to al
ford him protection, it would be merely on the ac-
count of the vulnerability of a bad cause.
Fellow-citizens, | nave given the reasons some
what at length which have prompted me to this de-
clinature-there are others which, from their deli
cate character, | cannot make public, and are only
known to a few Of my intimate friends, hut you VIII
in due season hear from me again. l have been
rarely beaten, and [ could never yet stay beaten.
That | was most u~njustly and cruelty treated
during the late canvass, every candid and ingenu-
Gus man, whether Wing. Conservative, or Demo
crat, must admit. Had the opposition TO me been
manly and open, founded on actual or supposed dt'
ferences Of political opinion, no complain, would be
uttered: but when petty frauds were resor'ed To-
when deeds we're an,idated to make votes-when
convicts of Infamous offences slipped into distant
precincts and cast voies-when men swore on the
sacred book Of God that they had paid their taxes
who had neither been assessed or faid-when po'
litical opinions were ascribed 10 me, which l never
entertained-when public speeches we're put into
my mouth, especially one made by a lar more aus
tinguished man than | ever hope to be, by the mis-
apprehension or imperfect memory Of a few indi.
viduals, but wickedly and designedly countenenced
and circulated by others who knew better-when
every species of espersion was threwn upon me ia
remote parts of the district, where | was PERSONAL
Iy unknown-when the press lent its aid in this I'M