The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-21

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modified as to assume any shape that Senators
pleased, as his object was merely to obsaln tSe
information. =
The further consideration was pcstponsd
! until tomorrow. :.
The Senate then took up the following req,
luton:
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of the Navy We
directed tc communicate to the Senate CO.'S
of the report made to his Department by tae
| Board of Naval Officers convened at WashiIl
ton, in pursuance of an act passed FebruaSS
| %, 1855, entitled can act to promote the etd-
cheney of the navy" and of the record, journt,
or other papers accompanying said report; g,
in the absence of such papers, that he furths.t
inform the Senate whether the causes FOR whiss
officers of the navy recommended by that Board
to be dismissed or retired accompanied thekg
report, or were otherwise made known In Wi
ting to the Department; and, if so, that he coll-
municate to the Senate copy of the same. I,
Mr.. Butler addressed the Senate at length
condemning the law, but defending the mels
bers of the Board acting under it from any iFs-
purity of motive.
The debate was continued by Messrs. Masoa
Mallory, TOucey, Benjamin, and others whess,
without taking any question,
The Senate adjourned to Monday.
HOUSE. >
On motion of Mr. Cobb, of Georgia, he az
nual message of the President of the sJniteS
States, and the documents accompany tie
same, were taken from the Speakers to PIE, re-
ferred to the Committee of the Wholes3n TIE
state of the Union, and ordered to be p !ntee5s
and motion to print twenty thousand extg,
copies thereof was referred to the Com aitteH
on Printing. =
Mr. Florence, of Pennsylvania, present ID ttS
al ofG A
seat of J. w. Whitfield as Delegate fir, m tL,
Territory of Kansas. In presenting tb ms.
mortal, Mr.. F. thought it was due to him ,elf q
state that he had arrived at no conclus on III
relation to the declarations which it contained.
He should make up his mind on the ev; dene.s
that might be presented to the House and tIs
country. He asked that the memorial migb.
be read :.
1t was accordingly read, and is as follows s
To the honorable the House Of Representatives
ofhe United States:
"The memorial of the undersigned, on bs.
half of the qualified voters of the Territory 81
Kansas, and in his capacity of represen .atite
of said voters as hereinafter stated, respe fully
represents That he claims to be EMIT ed e
represent the said Territory in the Thirty>oursh
Congress as Congressional Delegate, to tie e5,,
clusion and in lieu of Hon. j. w. Whitfield, tn
sitting Delegate, upon the following state VI
facts: The said j. W. Whitfield, as yous me.
morialist is informed, claims to have been elece
ed at pretended election held on the first daf,
of October last, in said Territory, which sas.
pretended election your memorialist CONTENDS
and proposes to show was absolutely void being
without any valid law or the will of the peopEs
Or qualified voters to authorize or to support l.
"That the law under which said pretend q
election was held emanated from Legislative
Assembly which the people and qualified voters
of said Territory protest and declare, through
your memorialist, were not elected by them, bgt
imposed upon them by the force of Superior
non-residents, who could pass no law that wouki
be binding on them, and whose election anr
action should not be sanctioned or recognise,
by this House, because they are utterly incoty
sistent with the idea of Republican Governments
and destructive of the plainest and most unds..
niable civil and political rights. :,
"That the said supposed election la~ w&s
entirely nugatory and of no effect, b~eauss
passed at an illegal and unauthorized place,
where no valid legislation could be hat,, ana
was void in itself and on its face, as containing
provisions directly and materially violative of
the act of Congress to organize the said Ter-
ritory. =
"That said pretended election was not COLI
Quoted even according to the forms and mods
prescribed by the supposed law which purportea
to authorize it. ::
"That many hundreds of illegal votes wers
polled at said pretended election by non-res
dents and others.
"And your memorialist excuses himself fot
the want of specifications under the two objeG-
tons last above stated, by reason that he has
been unable to obtain from the Executive OF
fee in said Territory the necessary informstios
of of al
that after several applications to the Secretary
of the Territory for certified copies of paper,
in his Office had been neglected and evaded, tbs
said Secretary finally gave positive refusal tt
furnish the copies demanded; and for the fur
Their reason that the said Secretary of the Ter.
ritory has withheld the copies of Executive
minutes for the year 1855, although the laws
required him to furnish them semi-annually to.
the President of the United States, which sale
copies, had they been forwarded, might have
furnished the necessary information to yous.
memorialist.
"And your memorialist further states tina !.
he was duly elected by large majority of the
legal voters of the said Territory to the said Of
fee of Delegate, at an election held on the 9tE.
day of October, which, he proposes to snow,
was the only valid election held in the Terrific,
ry for that purpose. A. ii. REEDERt :
The memorial was referred to the COMMITTEE
of Elections, and ordered to be printed 3
Mr.. Knox, of Illinois, presented the memorials
of William B. Archer, contesting the seat Of.
James c. Allen as Representative from :bt(
seventh district of the State of illinois, whick>
was referred to the Committee of Elections, enc
ordered to be printed s
Mr.. Quitman, of Mississippi, presented the
memorial of Miguel A.. Otero, contesting the
seat of Jose Manuel Gallegos as Delegate from
the Territory of New Mexico which YVES re-.
ferred to the Committee of Elections, and orSer,
ed to be printed. :
The Speaker subsequently presented evideace:
which had been transmitted to him touching
the contested election cases from Illinois and.
New Mexico; which was also referred to toe.
Committee of Elections.
Mr.. Taylor, of Louisiana, presented the mes
mortal of Albert Fabre, contesting the seat of
George Eustis as Representative from the first
district of the State of Louisiana which was
referred to the Committee of Elections and
ordered to be printed,
The Speaker then laid before the House a
large number of Executive communications.
Mr. Houston, of Alabama, moved that the
message of the President of the United States
relating to affairs in Kansas Territory be taken
from the Speakers table, referred to the Com:
mittee of the Whole on the state of the Union,
and ordered to be printed.
A debate of considerable length ensued, as to
whether the message should be referred as sug-
gested by the motion of Mr. Houston, or whether
it should not be sent to the Committee on the
Territories or to the Committee on the Judicia-
ry. The previous question was finally de-
manded and seconded and, under the opera
tion thereof, the motion of Mr.. Houston was