The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 183?-1840, 1840-04-17

70 all nenest van Buren Men.
"A plain Impartial siaienent 81 1cis, Il FeIo.
non 70 tie asinissiot. 81 ne q. s. Hoass b
Representatives. 81 the re Pm Buren,
member e ne coniesfed seats.
Its well known and not disputed S. any
one, that the ave commissioned members
complied with n The acquisitions 81 law Il
ensitle them q seats Is members. and thai
the ave Van Buren, claimants produced 10
the House reasonable testimony. although ii
was not legal and was taken without notice
Ito the opposite party, that Of the whole nuns
Der Of votes polled they received majority.
The election vas close. The Wing mem-
bers did not, and Of course could not, claim
10 setain their seats, unless fun investiga-
lion would show thar they had received !
majority Of the legal votes. This they de-
clared themselves ready toshow tothe House
orcommitiee. The V.B. mon. also averred
thar they could show that they had received
majority Of legal votes, and on this ground
only did they claim their seats The claim
of the Wing men bers 70 take their seats, in
the first instaace, untilthe conclusion o. the
Investigation, il virtue oftheir having the
legal certificate and return, was quite diff
ferent thing from this question. Both. sells
of members claimed the .fnaE righl to the
seats upon the sole ground ola majority Of
legal votes. Il was admitted also that some
illegal votes had been given on both sides.
After the Committee on Elections had had
charge ofthe case some weeks, and had re.
ceiVed considerable testimony in relation to
illegal votes they notified both setts Of clain-
ants that they would give them sufficient
time 10 procure all the testimony they might
desire to establish their respective claims
upon The ground Of having a majority of le-,
gal votes the committee having previously
determined b. resolution to go into thoro'
Investigation ofthis question.
Accordingly, after conference betweenihe
committee and the claimants, the COMMITTEES
determined that they would leave the case
open until the second .londaV II april.
neat, " tinstl unless all parties should be ready
sooner. The committee authorised the
claimants to take testimony untilthat time,
and they accordingly set out for N. Jersey
for thatpurpose.
A week or so after this. while the claims
ants were absent taking their testimony, !
resolution was offered in the House requiF-
ing the Committee to report forthwith on the
New Jersey case, which sett Of claimants
had received the greatest number of votes,
this resolution was finally amended by the
casting vote ofthe Speaker, so as to require
the committee TO report the number Of ..laaO-
fur votes. The reader viii observe the inn
portance of this amendment, for without it
the committee would only report what was
well known from the first and admitted by
all, that the Van Buren, claimants had the
greatest number VOTES. The House was
about two days in arguing and deciding
whether the committee should report the
greatest number of Uotes or IascfuL votes
The committee retired to their room with
thisresolutionandd determined by resolution,
(the Van Buren, members voting for, and the
Wing members against i'll that inasmuch as
the House required them. TO report ssforth-
with, p it precluded them from Investigating
the testimony beforethe as to the legality
or Illegally Of votes; and they accordingly
/ reported the whole number of votes received
by each sett of claimants, without reading
the testimony in their hands upon the ilIe-
gality of votes taken, or making deductions
for any on either side. The report of course
gave the Van Buren, claimants majority,
and resolution based upon it was then in
trOduced into the House giving them the
seats.
All the Whig members Of the House in-
sisted that the House had no right to pass
upon the claims of either sett of claimants at
this stage Of the proceeding; for the claim
ants, BY leave of the committee, and conse-
lquently Of the House, were then at home
taking testimony to substantiate and decide
the very question then proposed 10 be deser-
mined upon BY the House, without ii; and
thatthey had been legally notified that their
cases would not be tried until the seecad
Monday in April. Upon this ground some
twenty Or thirty ofthe wing members refu-
edo vote upon the resolution at ali, and i'll
was passed by strict party vote, Of course
bg large majority.
Before this vote was taken, Wing mem.
ber Of the committee attempted to inform the
House that the committee had disregaraed
the Instruction to report the legal poses, and
had reported the whole number. He was
prevented from doing this BY repeated calls
70 order; and although the speaker as often
declared him il order, Jet these decsions4
were ssvefally overruled by the House. By
strict party yotes, The Wing msmbers Of
the committee, being the minority, had pre-
pared Report which they endeavored Is
make 70 the House, but after the repeated
and tireselne efforts. the House refused Is