Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-12-07

that question now. W, are only TO act upon the
certificate. which is of record in the Clerks o!.cc.
Undcr this state oifae.s h desired 20 know why was
that. the certificates of the yeancmbcrS from tie Stat
q New jersey under the great seal Of the State, and
made out in pursuance of the laws of the State, and
winch rn'Sed by the Clerk III the 81 Mr.
4 !,ludoiph, sho ud be d.>rc@arded by the Clrrs i:c
dos red to kloy, OF the Clerk why II was when The
same evidence presented TO HIM IN the q!
! these five gentlemen, winch presented III the
case Of Mr.. Randolph that he refused 10 put their
Names upon the roll and proceed with the organization
Of the body Hr hoped that the House ould hear the
statement of the Clerk, but when that statement
laid before them, he hoped they would come to
practical point. We have been debating intricate and
abstract questions and he had been surprised 10 hear
gentlemen attempt To nulliir and stu!tiiy their
powers, By argu NJ that could vutc and dee DE-
upon any question Why can not dee de: We
cannot chousc Speaker witho VI deciding. When gen
tlcnrn say cannot vote and dec de- they also il
is order choose Speaker, Tor thai vii be the
next step in proceed ngs Gentlemen were great
/ ly mistaken when they argued that uid not vote
We can VOTE and he supposed We would be voting
rjt@ By and by. The proof conclu5 vc that
we could vote and decide, but he looked tile farther
We were not sworn members of this House. True II is
We have our certificates but morgan zed boz
d yet We are body of men With soulsas well as bod cs
and may not make ISSUE and decide that issue
lie considered that had the inherent right to vote
and decide In the House OF Commons, from whracc
We derry" a.! IDEAS Of Parliamentary practice.
The CLERK puts Guc$t.GnS at their meet ng, and it
so"ncrcd On Their Journal IN ordcr II tie prSGnS prs
SGt lie docs 80 because liz is their servant, and at
their master The Clerk lrrc puts qucs, ons. not
the pres d c officer hut the agent and servant
the House. There Is an inherent necessity that
should cote and dec dc questions, and il was idle
argue tina, could do Moth ng but bv un7n !aouS con-
seat IL was next 70 Imposs bic 60 lind unanimous
sent any question lie denied such ~. pie.
We may decide upon questions PUTTY the Clerk,
may appoint chairman 10 put those questions, 5 is
done in conventions These were his views, and for
the purpose of bringing them 10 practical test, Nh
c. moved the members that the Clerk to the last House
oi Representatives have permission read the state
men ttai he has requested leave read and that the
question ~ this motion be- put BIZ the Cl.rk.
Mr. FANDERPOEl incurred Of the gentleman
from kcntu, y Mr. Whtr,l whether he waived h'S
objection II tia Clerk making statement explanatory
oil t.lc cours" he had pursued:
! Nr. WHITE. | protest against the Clerk reading
ti,'t cgancnt which Les his table. have OBJ
lection 10 h making hr Il statement, confirming hl
sell 10 h rs for ,. conrsc taken by INN.
Mr. EANDERPOEL 81 d. fthcrc wcrcany tin ny Ike
concurrence in The views ii gentlemen who supported
those h came here with he certificate ss.om
OF the Governor Of New Jersey, the task, of answering
them would b. much more simple and easy; but g"ntr-
men had 30 man" and such conflicting modes oi attain
lng the Interior object, nj least to Justify
pci"n that the Object itself could not bc very n>i.
bic ore, One seemed wiling 10 trust the Cl'ri. and
charged HIM with gross del Hqu"ncy for not nscr,6n"
his roll the of Nr. l"rk ard his associate,
Other gentlemen seemed mnw Hing 10 trust him. and
thought II best that should pass the contested
seats until We g,t quorum. To whom the
ineniS, submitted by gentlemen, manly addressed
Most Of the speeches 10 which he had listened had been
addressed 10 the Clerk Of the House some severely
ragming h. conduct and others evidently designed L"
induce the Clerk 10 rrredc from The position he had
taken. Now, did not Common justice, Ia had alni,s
SAID common dcccncy, demand that the Clerk si"n!d
have the opportunity of explaining: Why GaG
gentlemen deny hi;n this reasonable privirr"
Why were gentlemen here, IN hmiee, 50 anA,cm,
to exclude the !",' '''' ms III "c'ofhhile' WIN ''''
principle that induced them 10 exclude the evidence
tia, went 10 show that tn" certificate ofr Governor
IN truth. and III fact evidence ct ihc expressed
VIII ot tlic sovereign pe"P" of New jersey, but TIA;
Others actually received the majority. Had it con-" -
THIS that the voice oi u majority 81 the people OF
vgrrigm STATE ouy I" L. silcnc-d by notes II
M. a. pim and technically, bat that flucti0narv WI"
h.d taken course that n!:gl'', IN lis consequences,
possibly give effect 10 that VOICE. not 10 b" allow
ed the opportunity Of explaining and jusy ,m9 rs
COURSE, aud that too, after il had been anirnavCr;cG
upon IN no sparn" manner He hoped his friend from
/ Kentucky (Mr. Nhitr) would review tn" determine
ton he had expressed IN permit the Clerk t" read
the explanation he had proposed Ia submit I" US II was
due 10 iunciionary whom held responsible Tor 81"
fetal cton, and whose dec sion had been severely
criticised.
Mr. V. said he had already remarked, that most Of
the speeches had been addressed 10 the Clerk I" induce
hon to abandon tn" position h" had taken Suppose L.
refused II rccrdc-.nd it hc presumed th"t
IL had announced his dec son with, III due consl"cfa.
om-wat course then remained 10 us, II lie r named
consistent but that prop, srd By I'll" gentleman from
Virginia, (Nlr Rlycs) IL M on was, that W. pass
for the present yer the contested New Jersey seals,
call the rcsdu" Of the members whose ghis 10 seas
was con,rovcrtcd: and then, hay mr. quorum, w.
would h. IN situation % decide, whether, hci.t. 'r
ran eaton, all III" claimants should stand bacb y"
other alternative remained to US. ithe Clerk d
>crihr The of either sci of the New Jersey cam
ants on his roll, must from The law Of necessity,
hy general nscnt pass the contested seats and post
ponc further action upon Them mtll we procured quo
ram competent act He had heard great deal about
The law Of necessity He acknowledged lis full Il re-
and obligation upon tins occasion. But there was
another law To winch were here, ~ In" schargr u
nur high du! amcnalr; he meant that law ofc'ur-
ray and proprcty which should ever govern DOR deli.
brrlG;ra mere. lie viewed TIE coed NJ and temper
v III win III the debate had thus lar been conducted
an ampl. pledge that nothing unLeconipg the places
W. occupied would be- attempted uttered To re-
turn them agam to tins universally respected law ui
neceSii h. would ask whether il did not Irrcs sbly
drive INTO the course suggested by the gentlemen
fro IN Nrr ma MIR. Rivrs.)
The Clerk had dec drd that IN the present stage ci
our proceedings, no question could b. taken And 1t
must be sc for roll having "" been called, and No
quorum nsccr,a ned, any body would now have -ht
10 vote. Could not each Of the conflicting claimants
from New Jersey clam and cxrrc the rrht Of voting
What could prc"cnt them: Why not vote as well as
any other gentleman whose had not yet been call
I'd: Here then, We would cxhih tlc 'ncn>rosiy IL
FIVE more members voting wthn tins bar, than tia
G. institution tin. laws Congress author zed 10
be- elected to the House. We then driven ID the
necessity If our object were not dIsorgan zat;cn OF
passing over the contestIng members, until the last Of
the nndisputed members was completed, and thus
cure a tribunal to lock into their case
/ THre Mr. WISE asked MIR. V. to WELD the floor, in
order to ask him question Mr.. V. said he would
yield for the purpose of explanation, hut not to BE-
catcchs"d.
And here he would ask, whether, after the roll
He'd
act,cn could b. had upon this subject matter lie had
no doubt On the subject. We House competent
10 act upon il the moment the Clerk had finished call
lag the list o! the members whose not DIS
purd From the very necessity and fitness OF thing,
power resulted 70 lis to act upon matters OF tbs "r
scripon in that stage Of our existence. We were Il
"HouSe before the Speaker was chosen The Gomst!-
tuition had created such BY of the cxprrse