The Yazoo City Whig and political register. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 183?-1840, 1840-04-24
POLITICAL.
The New Jersey contested
Election.
TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

IN A III EEOFLft.
We desire to call the attention of III,
whole country to the statement herewith
exhibited, as report prepared and presen
ted to the House Of Representatives, by tht
minority of the Committee on Elections, t.
which was referred the contested election
from the State of New Jersey; and we es
Ipecially desire TO call their attention to the
novel, extraordinary and appalling circum.
stances, which have driven US to the neccs.
sityof thus appealing to our fellow citizens,
from one end of the Union TO the other; and
we do it with the confident assurance, that
they will give 10 the subject that careful
and unprotected consideration which safety
and interests, imperiously REQUIRE; that they
will unite with US in the belief which in
the honest sincerity of our hearts we enter
tain, that the Government under which we
| live, must soon become worse than Tur-
kish despotsm, unless the People, in the
majesty Of their strength, shall arise and re-
buke the prepetraries 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 them.
selves.
We will not enter into a minute detail of
the means by which FIVE of the Representa-
lives of the State of New Jersey, furnishing
the highest evidence known to the laws of
that State, that they had been regularly and
constitulionally elected, were driven from
their seats, previous to any investigation
whatever, and denied alright 10 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 unparalleled proceeding.
We wish to take up this subject at ano-
thes point, and let the country know what
are the circumstances under which five 9TH
er gentlemen from the State of New jersey
have been voted into seats in the House Of
Representatives, who have presented no re-
turn, 10 credential, no commission: and
this done when the members holding the
commissions of the 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 averred they could prove-that they
had received a majority Of the LAWFUL votes
given at the polls.
The proceedings Of the committee having
charge ofthis subject, will be seen by refer
ence to the report below, up ito the time that
the report of the majority of the committee
was presented, and we now proceed to give
a statement of what has since TRANSFERRED.
But it must be remarked in advance that
the Committee, having determined that if
an investigation was to be prosecuted be-
hind the commissions of the Governor, eve
ry principle of equity and fairness required
that there should be a thorough search into
the legality of the votes given for each par
ty, and finding that there was no sufficient
testimony before them by which it could be
ascertained for whom majority Of the quail
flied voters of New Jersey had cast their
votes, such time was granted as the parties
themselves deemed requisite to enable
them TO take such testimony as they might
think advisable TO establish their respective
claims, and that accordingly the parties se>
verally left Washington for the State ofNew
Jersey, where they now are engaged in the
prosecution of this work.
During their absence, and shortly after
their departure from the CITY, (no complaint
and no application coming from them to the
House, 1the Chairman of the Committee SUBJ |
mitted proposition to have the documents
relating TO the contested seats printed for |
the use of the committee. This furnished |
a pretext for the introduction of another pro-
position, that the Committee should be in
structed to report forthwith which of the
parties had received majority of all the
votes given at the election. After long de.
bate, this was SO modified as to require them
10 report upon the LAWFUL votes, which ex-
oresslv, as a matter of course, excluded, all
votes.
The subject went to the committee and
With precipitation which we deem in
high degree exceptionable, the majority of
he committee adopted resolution direc-
ing all the votes given to be reported as
awful. under a most extraordinary mental
leIusion that the Instructions required it,
because the committee were required to re-
,ort forthwith. All efforts to have the tes-
imonv then before them examined were
successfully resisted--reasonable time TO
he minority to report these and other facts
% the House, denied The report was pre-
1ared. presented and received, without de-
az. the tile to which is we'll adapted to
.reaIe the impression that the votes repor
led were all la,oful votes, while the body Of
hi report itself (which few comparatively Of
Ihosa Who see the title will ready labors TO
arcnse the committee for not ascertaining
,ghathar The votes were IaUfal or aaLasCfisl
- member Of the minority Of the commit
lee attempted TO explain the facts to the
House. the Speaker decided that be was en-
I,tled IL the floor--ihe majority Of the House
ovarrnled the decision Of the Chair, and
ref1sed him the privilege Of speaking; the
question demanded, all debate ST.
aed--in the mean time counter-reports is
nrenared ana offered to the House--they
Tefssol to receive it, and proceeded az once