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

/ New Jersey members should vote upon TIE election
Of Speaker, not-hc thought !, time to settle that
Guest on when should arise. At tie present moment,
when the question made t. who should be
counted the Chair was not compelled 10 forbid the tel
lers from doing that which they said :hcy would do
that to say count persons not entitled TO vote and IN
order to prevent that the Chair proposed that the tell
era should report whoever passed between them and if
any person passed through whose right 10 vote was
contested to report that fact to the meeting Well
what was the fact No objection was made on either
side, to any person who passed through and who
tell that the will not he precisely the same in the
election OF Speaker Who tell whether this ,Iucs
ton viii arise at all IF it does arise, then the House,
being organized, will he prepared to decide it in the
gular form The Chairman considers that his duties
VIII BE- at an end the moment the House organ Zed:
10. he will then call upon the House To elect speaker,
and whenever objection is made any member voting
on that election, will be for the House 10 decide that
qrSat.On. The Chairman decide nothing i'll regard
to that, he appointed TO the Chair for other pur-
pose than 10 complete the call of the roll of the House,
and have put down upon il the of every person
claiming to lac a member. The Chair has decided no
question faevcr which will effect the practical point of
controversy, and VIXEN the House arrived at that, il
decide Ii irccy and fully. Where, then, the
patton spoken of III the decisions of the Chair The
Chair has said that his sole and greatest here was,
II possible, toaly the heat exhibited and bring every
member 10 decide coolly the question before him.
There rXpcdrnt which had occurred to the Chair
OF avoiding all these questions of difficulty, and that
was which occurred IN the last Presidential cleo
ton. In thai case, VIII be within the recollection Of
most Of the members Of this House, there pucs-
ton whether the vote OF the State of Michigan should
u" admitted and counted 1t VII be rccoltcctcd That,
n that time the State had been admitted INTO the
Union, but had formed tscIfinto State Government,
and appointed electors 10 vote for President and Vice
Ircsd, mt. When the votes of the different States
were sent in Michigan among the rest, a question
arose. the in principle with the present question,
to whether the vote Of the State of Michigan should
be counted and the taken at that time this
\ resolution presented to the Senate and passed,
! "a follows:
! Rcso'rcd That in relation the votes of Michigan,
if tn" countng emitting 10 count them shall not
srniiay change the result of the election, they shall hr
reported By the President o the Scnat" III the follow
u9 ''Wcre the votes of Mich gan Ia be count
ed, the result would be for a. b. for President of the
United States votes. II not counted for 4. b.
tn- President Of the L. States votes. But in
either \. B. is elected President of the United
States. And in the manner for Vice President
i This resolution conceded BY the House OF Rep
rcscniativrs, and accordingly when the votes wrrc
counted up This floor, the votes of Michigan were
included, and it was announccd-for Martin Van Bu-
rem, Il Tie Of Michigan be- counted, 10; if the
votes of Michigan he not counted, lG1 but IN either
event, Martin Van Barren Of New lori is elected Pre-
sidcnt of the United States.
Il seemed to him that this precedent furnished prin-
ciplr By which this whole difficulty night DC settled
Let the members from New Jersey hc conn:ed vet
nr, he held that Ia b. the due of tn people of New
Jersey f.. he begged the meeting 10 understand, in thu
lie had taken that ii the right OF the people
of New Jersey which lac attempted 10 sustain Ii
those persons prevented from voting who come
here ccnmIsS"ncdSy the Governor Of New Jersey, the
people OF New crscg deprived of their represent
tatur in Congress, and his wish, above all things,
if possible avoid the suppression Of the voice Of the
people New Jersey As 10 the question whether the
State Of New Jersey should be represented by
Of men or another OF men, he believed there
: 10, -fci diversity Of opinion in the House. AZ least,
! for HIMSELF he would appeal Ia the resolution which
he had offered AT the last session. He would appeal
Ia that resolution evidence that then, his
opinion that Speaker could not be elected until
!s question was first decided That his opinion
then; his opinion ana c had niicrc,! tins
resolution 10 avoid the very difficulty in Which
/ now involved He was of opinion then, now that
the election OF Speaker could not take place, consider
ng the state of parties III this House, until the question
with regard 10 the New Jersey members was first set
rd and he had offered that resolution 10 provId" for
the The House chose not o consider that rr@olu-
ton and the unpr0vIdrd for, and II for
the House decide The House, when it is properly
CONSTITUTED will be competent TO decide IT, aud IL
before the election Of Speaker, appoint committee
to examine this question between the different returns
from New Jersey, and report that In the House, and
tue House may decide upon il. With respect 10 the
difficulty OF persons attcmptinrto vote whose rights
disputed il appeared by the question Just settled, that
such had arisen, and It was premature 10 look
forward 10 such case. When the question came
f practically up TO whether those members should
BE- counted or not It appeared to nam that The case
Of the vote Of The State Of Michigan in the last
Presidential election, would provide solution Of
tina, difficulty And with respect to the right Of voting
Of these members there precedent under the old
form of Government, which might serve TO throw some
lgh, on the subject, If gentlemen would consult the
journals of the old Congress, fourth volume, page iO6
they would find that gentleman claiming seat from tn
State of Rhode Island, by The of Howell, to
speak upon motion, when he was called 10 order by
Mr. Mercer, and question made whether he had a
rinh speak participate IN the proceedings OF Com
grcss because the State Of Rhode Island only elected
members for year and that year had expired Tins
question was put the House in ten fifteen different
forms as 10 whether the members from Rhod" Island
should br permitted to vote, and every Of those
questions The members from Rhode Island did vote I'M
til the question finally given mp. Now with these
two prccedcns in view, he would ask gentlemen 10 rx
anime the matter before us, and If they could not
como the solution of the question perfectly sassac-
tory al sides.
II Mr.. CIR tEES made some further remarks in sup
port Of his motion
/ Mr. WISE said he would state the facts again, and
~ he wa; very conidcn; the truth Of his recolcc-
tons he would ask it of his friend from Kentucky as
a prrsonal favor that he would Withdrew his motion.
liz would again that his cCilcagu" did make the
declaration hr asserted he did; and he confirmed in
his recnll"cti,ns from the fact when the Char reported
10 the House hat had been sad by his colleague, the
latter rose and corrected him by stating that he sad
that he would count al who presented themselves, IN
less Otherwise directed by the House. In the correct
ness Of this statement, Mr. w. said lie sustained by
the rccollcctons Of all the gentlemen around HIM, both
of the Opposition and Administration parties.
Mr.. GRAVES SAID it appeared TO him that there was
only misunderstanding between himself and the gem
teman from Virginia. The gentleman $ colleague did,
it was true add the words stated, but It was after the
decision of the Chair given. If the appeal was
made on the ground that the gentleman from Virginia
would, unless otherwise directed by The House. &,
and il should 50 appear on the Journal lie would vote
against sustaining the decision Of the Chair. But if it
was, as his honorable friend from Virginia (Alr Wisc)
had said tia, his colleague (Mr Droagoolcl did not
ask the opinion Of the Chair how could h" Mr. "'s")
have risen in his seat, and repealed with such warmth
and indignation the charge made by the honorable
member FROM New York, CNlr. Vanderpoc that the
Chairman had been guilty Of an act OF lsurpaton-
Sir, would have been usurpat'"n-gross usufpaton
All lie .rnnilcrnnn from Now York WIS correct in