The Madisonian., 1840-02-08
HOUSE OF RrrREsENrArlvns, january 0, 1910


Mr. Boris. No, sir. nor any Of the rest Of the par
~. "a general laugh accept the gentIemap's ex-
planaton and suppose that the fact he states it,
do not pretend TO be conversant with the facts but
choose to read the speech which this gentleman made
on that for the purpose of contrasting it with
the same gentlemans votes in this case. Tho House
will see what his ground was.
"Mr. SMITH, Of marlborough, in reply to the gen.
tloman from Alfred, coBtended that the meeting of the
town OF marlborough holden the 5th OF Septem-
her, was legal, that the inhabitants of the had
right to ADJOURN their meeting to any hour of the day
Suppose SAID Mr. s. that the citizens Of Marlborough
had continueto ballot for Representative through the
whole of the first day until IL o'clock night Would
they not have had the undoubed right adjourn for
one hour = And that would have brought the
next day, at a much earlier hour than the gentleman
contends for. None surely deny this right. Ii
the meeting were legally assembled, might be legally
adjourned to any hour Of the same Of any succeed
Ing day. The law respecting the calling Of the meeting,
and providing that in towns where there 500
voters the meeting shall not be called before o'clock
IN the forenoon has reference exclusively the first
sembng OF the people, and 1t not desgned rcgu
late the hours OF their adjournment 1t is no, contend
ed that the meeting, the original meeting of the town Of
marlborough on the l1h Of September, at H.
legal or too carly hour To any subsequent period the
objection OF Tune will not apply. Besides, sad Mr. s..
do not know, and It is not for us here to know, in the
absence OF proper evidence, whether the town of Wa
terborough does or does contain 500 voters The
record before cannot determine the point We can
not have here the proper testimony involved the ques
tlon raised upon Mr.. RS election. The question is
therefore er'denty premature rs not The proper time
now, before The organisation of The House 10 CONSIDER
a.. There IS no precedent el;ant TO tcdrrant such
course. II we refuse Mr. r. his seat we deny the
town Of Marlborough the exercise Of most important
| rights to which their claim is good that Of any
other town. Mr.. Rs certificate is pr,rna taeie epi-
dcnrc Of h,s election. IL may be impeaehcd or may
not. AS to that, at this time, Jurors sitting ia
Judgment upon it, unable to decide. We cannot consl-
der the dispositions and counter depositlons the ailida-
| Wits and counter.afidaylts which may be furnished
We cannot go INTO examination Of ILLNESSES mhteh
may bc Summoned upon The tro ades Of the question.
lhs, sir, is the appropriate business of committee
on contested elections. Iohen these subjects haoe
rariably been referred heretofore and ought not TO
innopatc upon The cslitstab!ished usages Of legisa-
fion I"
4 Thus the House perceives that the gentleman
goes way in his speech and an other way in his
vote, ,accordngt to circumstances II he will only give
the right vote, he may dispose VI his speech in any
way he thinks proper.
Here, too are extracts from some of the ncwspa-
pers of the day. will read or two, that the
House may understand what were the doctrines and
opinions OF the great democratic party the State
OF Maine on the subject OF disregarding legal re-
turns:
The Bangor Republican of January 1890 an able
Jackson paper, contained The following which was
copied into the Eastern Argus OF January 10, 1880:
| "THE LEGisLATURE.-Ths body assembled at Port
land on Wednesday, and has hitherto presented scene
Of disgracefu management and undlgnlfcd conduct
on the par, Of the Federal members, probably never
exceeded and seldom cqualled in any legislative
assembly. Alter two or three days of rIotous
debate, without parliamentary organization, the Fe-
deral members converting the whole posse Of Repre-
scntatves into committee Of elections, the member
from Waterbury, although legally elected, aud present
ing credentials that would, IN any other similar
bly, eyer holden this country haye entitled him
seat, was rejected because a jackson man"
The Maine Democrat, then and still paper Of
proessed republican principles, and now tie mouth
piece of Cor. Fairfield, copied into the Argus Of
January 10, 1880, spanking Of the Legislature said
It is true the House have succeeded in organizing
that body, but far better would have been for the we'll
fare and honor OF the State they had remained for
unorganzed, rather than that should be brought
about by the Of proceeding adopted by the Federal
party which is at unconstitutional and unprece-
dened aud which cannot be justified any fair prn-
cipes whatever The conduct of the Federal party on
this occasion will excite much surprise in the People
To witness them legislators, using all the means 10
their power for the purposes Of electng party Speaker
to them resoring to every expedicn to deprive
member Of his scat because politically opposed to them,
and, above all, to allow partisan seat whsa. not e-
gay entitled to It. for the purpose OF eecng Their pnr-
poses is what did not expect from them-it is
going step further than we had supposed they would