Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-24

MIR LUMPKIN submitted the following motion
Pesoired, That during the remainder OF the prcscn
SESSION of Congress, the daily meetings Of the Senat
sHell commence at II O'Clock, A. NJ unit, utherwis
oydcred.
The bill TO provide for the payment Of damages sus
I'd by individuals in the with the Indian tribes
s &c lS30, was ordered to be rngrossed for thirt
RIDING.
Afterwards adjourned.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE
Mr. PARMENTER laid before the House other ties.
timony in relation 10 the contested election of Masss
chusctts which referred to the Committee of Elec.
lions
The CHAIR announced that the business hrst IN or
der was the resolution reported from the Committee OF
Elections by Mr.. Campbell, their Chairman, proposing
10 print all the testimony connected with the New Jer-
sew contested election and the amendment of Mr. X.
Garland of Louisiana 10 print other testimony referred
10 that committee, subsequent to lis report.
Mr.. BROWN Of Tennessee, member OF the COM
mittee being still entitled to the floor on the above
question, spoke in continuation of his remarks of yes
terday The burden of the remarks of the gentleman
from Maryland, MIR. Jenfer it seemed TO him, was,
that this mysterious package, this new evidence was
not read before the committee. That evidence do.
cument, said Mr.. B., was before the committee,
previous to the adoption OF their report. II sealed
up and could be inspected by the committee with.
out committing act Of great improperly This mys-
terious package brought into the committee by the
son was made that it should be opened by the chair
man. The chair said the package having been address
ed to the Speaker Of the House, and it having been
referred the committee by the House, he had
,hority to break the seal The committee, save two,
(Vhins0 conceded with the chairman that he had no
right tn open the package 1t then sent TO the
Honse and referred to the committee after the report
was made, which report was only adopted by the com
mttec and sU5lltted to the House. after full nvcs
cation Of all the testimony before it. These gentlemen
who complain that this testimony not examined
never intimated till that II comprised evidence Of
illegal votes but understood to be evidence merely
going TO show that the polls of South Amboy were ir
regularly held. This cry that there evidence OF
Illegal votes was after thought.
Mr.. B. further said, that when the gentleman from
Connecticut (Mr. SMITH brought forward in commit
tee resolution that the sealed package should be
the Speaker 10 be opened by him. and be referred to
the committee, only two belonging to the Opposition
voted for the adoption of the resolution. Mr. B. said
that this testimony was part of that now being taken
to settle the ultimate right OF members to seats under
= resolution adopted by the committee, and not
the evidence which to decide the prima tacic right
TO who ought to be the sitting members. Mr.. B.
maintained that the Chair would have been liable to
pains and penalties if he had opened that sealed pack
age. He then adverted TO the post facto law which
had been passed by the Legislature of New Jersey TO
meet this particular case That law makes it the duty
Of the commissioner ke testimony, to seal it up, and
10 deliver III person. or to transmit IT. TO the Speaker
Instead ofthis package taking the indicated by
the law of New Jersey II was found tho desk of the
Chairman of the committee, without having been frs,
sent TO the Speaker, without his knowledge that
was in the city. 1t was, under such circumstances.
emphatically denominatcd suspicious package. II
seems that it to this city enclosed III an envelope
addressed to private individual, in violation of the
law above alluded TO. The only thing certain
known about it that appeared on the table otthe
Chairman of the Committee. The opinion of the
Chairman and the Committee was a correct opinion,
L.. h,rh1y and inn
to break the seal and act on the testimony, without
the knowledge of the House that was before the Com
mitee particularly when the evidence was taken TO
decide another right, and not the right which the
Committee was then called upon to report He sad
the Committee had toiled by night and by day in
investigating the evidence which its report bas
3D. and before il made. The majority OF the COM
mec after that investigations were utterly astonishcd
that any doubt had existed that the Democratic claim
ants were elected and entitled TO the seats. The
ufoul deed Of depriving the State of New Jersey OF
her due representation, of which that House had heard
no much was committed by the Governor OF \. Jersey
That officer knew that the gentlemen he commissioned
had not received ma orty of the votes, and that they
were not elected. The proceedings OF that Governor
and his Prvy Council, record of which was before
the committee and the correctness OF which living
man had dared to call into question, showed that fact
The law Of Jersey required the Governor send for
the absent returns before he issued his certificate, yet
the Governor failed TO do, s respect as the law and
his oath required him TO do lie knew that BY giving
ticntes he could make members for little time to
~ ont his purposes but the record to which he before
adyerted proved beyond car that the Governor and
Prvy Council had doubt that they would not be per-
United to hold their seats permanently in virtue Of
those certificates The committee, therefore, by its
,ion Of which certain gentlemen so loudly complained,
had done nothing more than realize the prophecy of
the Governor by placing the Democratic claimants in
the vacant seats. Their right to could have been
decided by good arithmetcian in hour after the
testimony had been submitted to him. and Investigated
nv him; but the committee had been four weeks ascer-
tanning the fact and yet gentlemen of the Opposition
complained that il has acted with prccipitancy. Bnt
the chief complaint of the gentleman from New York
MIR Fillmorel and others acting with him, in relation
To The report OF the committee was not that the facts
IL the body Of the report untrue, but that the title
page was wrong because ii contained the word lawful
lie was confident that the people would look beyond the
Title page Of that repor-they would 60 INTO the body
of il 10 ascertain the TRUTH and the objection of the
gentlemen to the report, on this ground, would avail
them but little.
The committee, in making the report as TO which o
the claimants had the greatest number OF lawful votes
took rs the basis of their proceeding the resoutoi
adopted in the earliest stage of their proceeding Una
all the votes received by authorized ofcers acung
conformity with law, were prmd tac'c legal, ul,l .h
contrary should be shown. Now here was resolutoi
,dnnted UNANIMOUSLY BY the committee, as basis to
their further action and which the committee scrupu
lousy followed in their report aud yet gentlemen nov
pretend to say that the committee acted without au,o
ri,y Surely gentlemen, in making use OF TINS alter
thought, must have forgotten this resolution, "h'cl
they themselves had adopted The report oil the com
roittee therefore, was bu, echo and embodiment Q
the principle contained in that resolution Mr. b. wen
into detailed examination of the proceedings OF IN
committee, TO show the impediments thrown N tn"
way by the gentlemen who now complained tina, ''r
had reported without proper considerations Ut beior
no concluded his remarks he arrested by
Mr.. ]. w. JONES, who said the morning hour ma
oxn;,ed and called for the orders of the day.
On motion, the House resolved itself into commute
Of the Whole the state OF the lnon' (AiF' pawso
in the char,) and took up