The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-04-09
The NEW JERSEY CONTESTED
ELECTION.
TO THE .QlNERIC.aN PEOPLE.

~ THE .AWERIC.7N PEOPLE.
we desire to call the attention of tn,
whole country to the statement herewith
eAiiieiled, as report prepared and pre-
scented to the House Of Representatives
by the minority of the Committee .,
Elections, TO which was eferreti the con
tested election from the tate of New
Jersey and we especially desire to cal
'heif attention 10 the novel, extraordinary
ana appalling circumstances, which have
; driven rs 10 the necessity of thus apneal
ing To our ieIsw-citi.en<. from one ent
OF the Union to the other, and we do i
with The confiden, assurance, that they
Will glva to the subiec, ,ha, careful m,
uhpreJutiiced consideration which its i'm.
portance demands, and their own future
SAFETY anu interests. lmperiouslv require
mat lhev Will unite with rs in the belief
which, in the honest sincerityor our hears
we entertain, that the Government under
which we live must soon become worse
than Turkish despotism, unless the
People IN the majesty of their strength,
shall arise and rebnke the PERI etrators of
the outrage which, has been committed on
the constitution of the United States, the
laws OF one of the sovereign States of this
] Union and the rights Of the great body
Of the people themselves.
We will not enter into a minute detail
OF the means by which FIVE Of the Repre-
sentallves of the State of New Jersey. fur
nishing the highest evidence known to
the laws of that State, that they had been
regularly and constittionalIy elected,
were driven from their seats. previous to
any investigation whatever, and denied
all right to participate in the organization
and proceedings of the House, and much
less will we undertake here. to pronounce
upon the motives which led to this un-
paralleled proceeding.
We wish to take up this subject at an
other point, and let the country know
what are the circumstances under which
five other gentlemen from the State of
New jersey have been voted into seats III
the House of Representatives, who have
presented no return, no creaenti II, no
commission and this done when The
itiS'hpSio VIC COillililSSlol VI ttlG
Governor of that State, under the seal of
that Commonwealth, were at home by
leave of the committee, taking dispositions
to prove-what they had at all times aver
red they could prove-lhat they had re-
ceived a majority of the la,oful votes CIV
Ell at the polls.
The proceedings of the committee hav-
ing charge of this subject, will be seen by
reference to the repor, below, up to the
time that the report of the majority of the
committee was presented, and we now
proceed TO give statement Of what has
since transpired.
But it must be remarked, in advance,
that the committee having determined that
if ain investigation was to be prosecuted
behind the commissions Of the Governor,
every principle of equity and fairness re
quired that there should be a thorough
search into the legality of the votes given
for each party, and finding that there was
no sufficient testimony before them by
which it could he ascertaned for whom a
majority of the qualified voters of New
Jersey had cast their votes snch time was
granted as the parties themselves deemed
requisite to enable them to take such tes-
timony as they might think advisable to
establish their respective claims; and that,
accordingly, the parties several!v left
Washington for the State of New jersey,
where they now are engaged in the pros
ecnion of this work.
During their absence, and shortly after
their departure from lhe city. (no COM
plant and M application coming from
them to the House the Chairman Of the
committee submitted a proposition TO have
the documents relating to the contested
seats printed for the use Of the committee.
his furnished preiext for the introduce
lion of a,oIher propositions. i.,at the com
mitiee should be instructed To repnr,
forihecith. which of the partie. had seceiv-
ed a majority of all The votes given at the
election. After long debate This was so
modified as to require them to report up
on the la,cf,l votes, which expressly, as
a matter OF course, excluded all aulauful
votes.
The subject went to The committee with
precipitation which we deem in high
d.gree exceptionable. The majority of
the commitee adopted a resolution direct
ing all the votes given to be reported as
ia,cfM, under a most extraordinary men
tai delusion, that the instructions required
it, because the committee were required
to report forth,Oith. All efforts to have
the testimony then before them examined
were successfully misunderstanding
time to the minority TO report these and
other facts to the House, denied. The
report was prepared presented and re-
ceived without delay, the title to which is
well adapted to create the impression tina,
the votes reported were all iamfM votes
while the body of the report itself (Which
few comparatively of those who see the
title will ready labors to excuse the com
mittee for not ascertaining whether the
votes were lamfd or etnlawfM A mem.
Der of The minority of the committee at.
!, tempted to ex.lan the facts to the House.
The Speaker decided that he was entitled