Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1856-08-07

forms of law emanating from any legislative
body, real or pretended and which was par
ticipated in by only one of the two or more
political parties known TO exist IN the Terri
tory--he received majority OF the votes east
II matters nothing, in this connection,
whether Mr. Reeder received more or less
votes than Mr.. Whitfield. They we'e not
UOted for at the same election; and IN some
instances, it may be, the same persons voted
for both 1t is enough TO know that while IL
is claimed that the election of Whitfield was
held under an invalid law, that of Reeder is
on all hands conceded to have been held under
no law whatever, and without particle OF
legal sanction cr
Here, them we have the Republican doctrine
in its purity. The House of Representatives
alone may set aside an election held under the
forms Of laws, on the ground that said forms
were prescribed by Legislature elected by il
legal votes; and it may legalze an election
called by a political mass meeting and held in
defiance of law
AT the time of writing this article, it is not
known to us whether this doctrine has been
sanctioned by the action Of the House of Rep
resentatiyes or not; and il matters little, SO far
as our present purpose is concerned. We have
stated the doctrine just as it has been proclaim
ed by the Republican leaders in the House Of
Representatives, and supported by the Repub-
fcan press. And we defy these leaders or their
seryile organs to show that we have misrepre-
scented their position in single particular.
And now we ask the candid men Of all par,
ties to look squarely and sternly at this doc
trine and the inevitable consequences OF esab
fishing it. If this doctrine prevails, aud 1T is
established that a single house of Congress may
annul an election on the ground that the law
under which it was held was enacted by body
composed Of men, some of whom were elected
by illegal votes, and legalize one held without
any of the forms Of law, or any pretence of
legality, how many years will GO BY before the
House OF Representatives will become mob
Vigilance Committee" like that of San
Francisco, acknowledging no responsibility to the
Constitution of the country, and no obligation
to recognize or respect the laws OF the States
Establish this doctrine, and how long will 1.-THE,
before some political party, dissatisfied with the
result of a congressional election, will call
another, and without any of the forms of law,
send to the House and demand admission for
their political favorite?
We cannot believe thata doctrine so mon
stronsly unjust and revolutionary as this will
find favor with the thinking portion of the
American people. Never before was such
doctrine proclaimed in any Legislative body in
this country; and never before, we may safely
add, was such a party as that which nov pro-
claims it, permitted to disgrace the American
Republic From day to day that party has
grown more and more reckless and desperate,
until at last it boldly proclaims its purpose to
subyert and trample upon the most sacred
rights of the people, and to defy. by unmistak
able acts, the very Constitution which its mem
bers have sworn to support.