Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-01-21

yious 70 defeat the election of Blair and Rive, @
believing it impossible to elect Gales and Scaten h. a.
viscd him 10 come aud be candidate us wa,
bic he could be elected lie added, that if he was ,ua
from the want os means 10 execute In. PRINTING of
I House he could make an arrangement with Gale a.,
Scaton to DOT. Mr Mitchell said he thought TIL nav
position 10 Green was no more matter Of bri,o,
than was the election BY the Wings of Sub. Trc,.
~ candidate Tor the office of Speaker. He made ~
proposition on his own esponsibty, and it was dya
Mcssrs Gales and Seaon to say that he did 50 w,lo
auy consultation whatever with them. What cous,rp
ton others might make on the part he had acted h.
did not know, but he was sure that one who va,
not capablc of committing bribery himself would ca.
slider that letter rs 4 proicr of bribery. He had No.
4 vet obtained copy Of his letter to General Gro,
but when he did SO, he would lay it before the Hons
The article III the Globe SAID that his letter was shown
first to the Speaker it ought 10 have been, and ba
would call the Speaker attention to the idea here A.
tempted to be conveyed Was il meant that it ougb,
first to have been shown to the Speaker for the purpo,
of his LAYING it before the House: The article frh
said that by all twas considered as an offer of bribery
He did not know if the Speaker considered it, but
The SPEAKER said he knew nothing of the art,rI.
in the Globe, to which the gentleman referred, till he
it in print. He never expressed the opinion tia,
the letter shown 10 him offer Of brberybut 10
said at that the proposition was inadmisslb!c.
Mr. FISHER of North Carolina presumed that +,
understood by every gentleman present that he
was the member from North Carolina to whom allusian
was made in the article in the Globe. This rendered
ii necessary that explanation should come from
him. in relation the part he had in the matter though
he regretted that his should have been connected
with in any way. He had ambition TO figure IN
matters Of this kind, and ii for this that he
had not spoken of it. The simplest way to explain
subject of this nature tell the whole story and
he would do with much brcvity 5 possible
About the time that Congress met, he received let
ter from General Green, informing him that he
candidate for the Office Of printer 10 the House and
In, alpc tod his I'm he n lplt pr
common such occasions, lie laid the letter aside and
took no further notice OF it; and few days after he
General Green who said nothing on the subject
But day after the Speaker elected, he, Mr.
F.. received another letter from General Green, enclos
ing this letter of the gentleman from New York, rir
MITCHELL The statement in the Globe, Iust read was
made from explanation of his, Mr.. Fisher 5, and
OH his authority; and after it written out had been
shown to him. The Editors of the Globe had been
cused of having committed the same act that was pro
posed in the letter of the gentleman from New York
and having heard otis matter, they called him for
the purpose of obtaining information respecting it.
which he Mr.. F felt that il was but sheer justice
that he should give them.
Now sir said Mr.. F., for the contents of the letter
lie would cndeavor 10 give them according TO the best
Of his recollection. The letter begins BY saying ,ha,
il is pretty well aSccrtaned that Gales and Seaton
could not be elected. and that the writers aversion
to Blair was 50 great, that he wished Gen. Green t.
come and be candidate, believing that If he could
ret few of his friends vote for HIM, he could he
elected: that the printing would be worth about
$50 coo, and rs Gen Green probably had not the
means Of executing Il, he could make arrangements
with Gales and Scaton 10 do ii for him-he retaining
$4,000, without any risk responsibility whatever
and Gales and Seaton receiving the remaining S2n,0g0
for doing the work and mourning the trouble and
sponsiblity' This letter Gen. Green enclosed to him.
MIR F. desiring him TO confer with certain gentleman
on the subject, without naming them; but by the a!u
Scns made he could not but understand who General
IL m r Inc mn
proprety of the proposition, and yoW, SIR Undressing
the Sreakcr,l beng the frs. gentleman met, of those
for whom thought the letter might be intended, may
remember that said 10 you that had received Il !c
ter of strange character and showing il TO you
asked if | should show it TO the gentleman referred
on remarked, sir, that the proposition could not h"
entertained for moment, bat you said nothing You
have Just very correctly observed about bribery. You
thought that ought 10 exhibit the letter 10 of the
gentlemen referred 10 in Gen. Green letter
After had left you, met with another gentleman
distinguished member Of the other llousc-to whom
offered to show the letter, explaining its contents
He declined rcadin. II, ana denounced the proposition
in the strongest terms overture of bribery Here
the mistake made in the article in the Globe II
the last named gentleman who denounced the
letter overture OF bribery, and not another person.
is there Inferred though you and myself before had
expressed our disapprobaton. then determined to
return The letter 10 General Green and get rid Of the
subject altogether But for my safety showed
il 10 gentleman from South Carolina, who my
icllow-lodger. Shortly afterwards Gen. Green
IN, when | WIS rrioIccd al having an opportunity Of
getting rid of the SUBJECT. General Green referred 70
the subject briefly, and, after very lew words OF cx
PLANTATION, he asked for the letters, and placed them
in his hands There another i'll the Globe
which Mr. F said he would take occasion to correct
1t probable that il might be supposed, from the
Globe, that this statement was made with the know
ledge of the Speaker. This was a mistake The
Speaker had no knowledge whatever of the statement
ben" made. Whether the gentleman from y. York
is right in considering III" proposition matter
Of bribery than the election OF the Speaker hy Wing
votes, he would not pretend 10 say. The subject
before the House, and every might draw his
conclusions
Mr. HOLMES observed that il was dug to the zen.
tleman who had just made statement, (Air FIshcr,)
that he should corroboratc every word hc had stated
The gentleman had submitted the letter referred TO-
him. He read it and his rccollections assured hin.
that there not one word that the gentleman hal
stated to be in il but what correct. When II
shown to him. he (Mr. H. had expressed no ndigna.
ton surprise because he had heard that this was
of the most corrupt bodies earth, and therefore hear
ing letter read coming from member OF such body,
said he prepared to expect some corruption; but
not yet fully noculatcd in the manner OF conduct.
ing such affairs. The very holiness of such PROPOSE.
ton drove the mind ''trom lis propricty." This Mr
Holmes uttered in satirical vein
Mr.. MITCHELL said he would undertake 10 say,
that although all that the gentleman from North Caro-.
lima had said in the letter might be true, he hadmot
stated quarter Of what was in it. Aso, it seemed
to him that the gentleman had conioundcd his (A!r Ms
letter to Gen. Green with the General s letter to him.
(Mr. F. If Gen. Green offered 10 bribe Gales and
Seaon, he (Alr NJ did not offer TO bride either of them
There proier of bribery in the lie had
merely suggested TO Gen Green the basis of agree
ment he might make with Gales and Seaton. If any
one looked upon it protlir ofbribcry he had vcry
poor idea Of what bribery He, however, expected
TO ret copy of the letter from Gen. Green; and VIXEN
he did So he would lay it before the House, when every
gentleman could Judge of its purport for himself
Mr.. FISHER said, single word more. 1t Will be
recoected that made charge that the proposition
Of bribery but do say, if there any
thing like bribery in it, it not to be found in Gene
raj Green, but in the letter of the gentleman from Now
York, MIR Mitchell.l 1t possible that he, 'Nlr
FISHERY had not stated all that in the letter, bnt
have stated distinctly what | rccoIIccted Of it, and
what believe, was the most material parts
Mr.. MITCHELL asked, did he not say, in the let.
Ter, that did not wish General Green 10 come
here, and make any arrangement that public OPINION
would not bear him out I'M