Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1857-01-21
MIR. TOombs upon Iowa IL evolutionary
TacticS.

MIR. TOOmbs upon Iowa Revolutionary
Tactics. ~
Mr.. Toombs made very clear and forcible
speech in opposition to the Report OF the Com
mittee of the Senate declaring Mr.. Harlan's seat
vacant. The disorganizlng and revolutionary
proceedings of Iowa Locofocoism, as exhibited
by the absquatulation of the Senate in order to
prevent the majority from electing Mr. Harlan,
is very properly characterized, and we commend
the following extracts to the attentive rerusal of
our Buchanan readers. The rebuke is timely and
well deserved:
Sir, in the early history of this Government,
adhering more strictly to the forms under train
ing of the common law and of parliamentary
rules, we oftentilnes permitted slight Irregular
ties to defeat the popular wil-the will of those
who had the right to vote; but the other branch
of the Legislature of the U. S., taking broader,
clearer, soundcr, and, will say, more enlighten-
cd views OF these questions have looked day by
day, more at the substance and less at the forms
OF proceedings; they have directed their inqui-
ries more and more to the fact Of wl,ethero Or not
the person claiming the Office OF representative
of the people is sent to them by the lawful votes
of i MA GRITTY Of tie qualified electors and have
thereby wrested from fraud and chicanery its
most effective weapons, and indicated the right
even at the expense of forms. Here the menu
beers OF the Legislature voted Diea voce, and ma
jority OF both branches together, of each sep
aratcly-a ina ority OF the whole number of those
who had right to elect HIM, sent the sitting
| member here. You have the substance of an
election. The question is, whether the factous
conduct OF a few men who were elected to the
Senate of Iowa, and who ought to be condemn
ed by the people, and not countenanced by this
body, shall by illegal conduct prevent the exer-
else of their constitutional rights and duties by
majority of the Legislature, Or defeat their le-
gally declared will? They never shall by my vote.
That is the great fact, the fundamental fact of
this case. The men whose will could send Sen
ator here by the Constitution and laws have sent
the sitting member here. No fraud-not even a
fault is alleged against the majority or the sitting
member. Nobody pretends that any Of the votes
given were not good votes, and that they we're
not cast by the persons entitled to cast them.
The only allegation is, that the Senate had not
its own teller present. IL is rule of law that no
person can avail himself of his own wrong; and
| say that these persons should not be allowed
to avail themselves OF their own wrong to defeat
the will of the people Of Iowa.
The sitting member received clear majority
of the whole number Of members ofthe Legisla-
| ture of Iowa. That fact appears from the pa
pers. The election was heldin substantial con.
tormity to the laws of Iowa; it lacks nothing ev-
en- OF form, except what necr ssarily resulted
from the non-periormance OF their duty by the
very persons who are now protesting against it.
Shall these objections prevail? Thequestion is,
whether the Senate ofthe United States will per-
| nit this constitutional DUTY to be disobeyed-
this legal obligation to be disregarded, for the
benefit OF faction, against the Constitution of
the United States-agains;. the rights OF Iowa.
and Of the sitting member? | say not