The spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1840-1844, 1840-11-13

O'Clock on Saturday night, instead OF five The
vote of this same town Of hliyille in 1892 was not
lodged in the County clerks Office till seven hours
after the appjincd time, and the clerk had already
sent his certified list to the Governor. Yet the
clerk even then, transmitted the votes of MlIvlIe
TO the Governor, with a certificate of the facts and
they were counted by the Governor and Council.
This was construction of the law which the Cum
berland clerk and the Governor and Council were
bound to regard, Jet Il first return from Mlville,
though informally authenticated had been received
by tho clerk as early as Thursday. That it was
his dUty to regard this return and certify it to the
Governor, has been already shown in our remarks
upon tie vote of South Amboy.
We can see no reason then, for the county clerks,
and the Governor and Council counting all the
votes duly given, but informally returned, of all
other towns save Milyi.le and South AmbOy, but
this, that these towns gave majority for the De-
mocralic candidate of 3jS votes. This fact was
well known to the county clerks who suppressed
the votes, the Governor who refused TO send for
them, and the Council who neglected 10 count
them; and also, hat their suppression in the count
would give the certificates of election to the poi-
cal partlAans of Governor Pennington his Council
and county c!urks, und s'nd to the Goth Congress
with the ''Broad Seal" Of New Jersey, five per-
sons who were not according to its laws members
OF that Congress:-whle the same votes counted
for whom they were given entitled five of their po-
litical opponents to seats and credentials.
This bold fraud was designed upon the electors
and electoral ights Of the people Of New Jersey,
and Gov. Pennington sent five of his parzans to
the Goth Congress with the ''Broad Seal" of the
State certifying to Il broad lasehood,
Was Congress bound to admit these ''broad
seal'' claimants to seats under these crcumsan-
ces, when at the same time with the falsely certi-
~, ,rnln,t,l. pnpn1 in thn IF
the House the fullest proof that those credentials
belonged to others
Art. |. Sec. ), of the Constitution Of the United
States declared. That 'cach House shall be the
Judge of the election returns, and qualifications of
its own members" And Gov. Pennington cannot
by any form of certificate, however formal, take
from the House Of Representatives the power of
Judging Of the rctUra, It's authenticity, its truth, IN
the first instance when the roll is nmdc by its clerk,
any more than in the second, on trial before its
committee On elections.
If is true, as conicndcd by GOV, Pennington
and his political plrzans, that the seal Of state,
though affixed to !aSehood, entities whom it de-
carc3 elected to a seat, then the Governor of New
York might send into the House 30 members who
had not received single vote, anf who would re-
main till after the dilOtory process of report from
the committee Of elections and the most important
matters had been decided by their votes, in coun-
clls into which fraud and corruption alone had Civ
en- them an entrance. There Is no law which can
sanction such wrong, much less compel it,
1t is the complaint of his eXcellcrcy the Cover
nor OF this State and Of the JOINT resolutions of the
Council and General Assembly Of New Jersey
transmitted to this State, that the Constitutional
rights Of New Jersey have been denied her in the
rejection of her representatives. duly commissioned
&c. Whereas Your committee pcrreivcs that the
House Of Representatives, in the exercise of its
constitutional power and duty Of Judging of the
returns of its own members, has protected the
people of the State of New Jersey and itself from
the gross fraud of a Governor and two county
cle.;s, who attempted to impose upon the State
and upon the louise live persons Whom the cleo
tors Of New Jcrsev had never chosen. 1t was the
constitutions! right of the lreemcn Of New Jersey
to be represented by those they had chosen, and
tn4 House of Representatives pursued tho only |
course that could preserve 10 th0m this right The
IlOus' was the sole Judge Of the evidence of cleo
ton, 1t was not confined 10 the certificates alone,
but could examine whatever more it chose, and
upon the whole evidence in the case it decided
consistently with the ruth, and thus the attempted
fraud WAS defeated.
And this attempt of the wings of New Jersey,
aided by the wings Of the Union " to treat the e.
lection in that State, MS though they had not been
Defeated thus exposed aud prevented, its perpc-
traitors in New Jersey might be expected TO de-
icnd. But it was hardly 10 be supposed, that in
being TINS bailled in their design 10 violate the
sutonal rights Of oth,rs, they would assume such
want of indignat On TO-. the denial Of constitutions
al right TO themselves nor that fraud upon popu-
lar election of this character should find counte-
nance in any quarter, much css that it should re-
cciyc the appreciation of high official station.
JOHN BUCkMASTER,
Chairman Of Committee