New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1855-02-21
ASSEMBLY.

CANAL CONTRACT EXTRA ALLOWANCE.
This being general order day, the House went into
Comnitee OF tbe whole and took up the bill autnor-
izpp The Canal Commissioners to review sni modit'
the contract Of Calvin L Chambelsin and Urbane I.
Edgerton for the construction of sections numbers
six and seven Of the Erie Canal Enlargement through
the mountain ridge west Of Lockport.
On motion Of Mr. WAGER, the enachng cause VI
The bill was stricken out thus killing the 6,ll' n,c,,
ON reporting this action to the House, Mr. PECh
nal cd Of the House that il would not thus summary
dispose Of the bill IL was unjust to The contractors,
and would result in stopping very important piece
Of work. H.. ~
THE oswYGo CONTESTED SEAT CASE:
Mr. RAMSEY, Chairman of the Commutee on
Privileges and Elections called up me rePof ,h Oh c cs
tested seat case for the lid Distrlc' oil o'"eSo
County.
The majority reported two resolutions, declaring
that James NJ. Seden, the sitting member, was moi
entitled to the at and awarding the sea! 10 Andrew
S.Warner
The minority, claiming ih,t there was material evi-
dence Sc. 20 take reported resolution ihat tne exc
be referred back with instructions to take the addi-
tionai testimony.
Mr. RAMSEY moved the adoption of the majority
resolution giving the seat to Andrew ). Warner
This motion elected prOtracied debate, which was
not concluded when the hour for recess arrived
Meaus WAGER RHOADES. WACERBERf,
a. G WILLIAMS LAMPORT, PETTY, SrORRS
and C0NGER advocated pcsiponement aud refer
Msssrs RAMSEY &. T. JOHNSON and SrEB-
BINS thought time enough had been consumed-that
The case had been before the House half the session,
and urged prompt decision as due both to the con-
testapt and fe sitting member.
DETENTION OF WITNESSES.
Mr.. C. e. LEIGH, from the Select Committee to
whom wss referred mu Nh of the Governors Mes
sage as related 10 the incarceration OF Witnesses has
reported IA favor Of altering the Law as to allow
testimony to be taken within IS hours after witnesses
have been oned aud while under exs min 'tioa,i
not able to give boad to appe from time 10 time dur
ing tie examination they are to DC put IN charge O
an officer This does away with the bar Noas pFac-
ce OF combining witnesses, which practice hrsi took
Its rise. say the Committee in the tine o Pdilo anl
Mary in the year 1854 Thair reason fo altering the
law Is briefly that tina witnesses are innocent, AMI
should not be treated hie criminals Ihey refsr 10
instances where young persons, particularly females
have been ruiped by being inearcsrated with crim-
mails, and the ruiG Of sueh Is greater evil than
the escape from justice OF a multitude of criminals.
They sgrCe that the public does not require such per-
sonal injustice. and that the courts would have
iong since declared a. a,nst it as breaking in upon
the Fundamental Law of persolA liberty were
II not for unwilogness to reconsider their de-
cisions They report bill 10 favor of taking the
festip ony de 6ene esse. They say it robs the poor
not only of their personal liberty, bat of their tine
and leaves their families prey TO penury and want
They declareiobe cruel TO place the wteess and the
criminal ia the prison, for no other reason thnn
that he has had the misfortune Of witnessing crime
That the witnesses ia such share the odium and
disgrace with the criminals for strangers seeing the
in pron do not stop 10 inquire the esuse OF their IN
generation, and thus they remain IN ms memory Tor
thing for real feons 10 pretend they were only
incarctra.sd as witnesses. thus Inc real isloh
escapes the odiam, and the witnesses ars
a6jusged guilty. On selfsrirg men i bears with Pc
caisr cruelty They are frequently taken up ust as
they are leaving port and kept for months as feions'
save in the bare name their voyages are broken ~
end they are kept 10 state Of suffering, while 'hsir