The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1858-02-20

Rice and Shields Illegally and Unc0n-
.sttutionally Chosen U. 5. Senators.
In the report of the debate in the United
States Senate on the LIST inst, the following
paragraph occurs
Senstor Bayard announced his intention OF SPposng
the admission Of our Senator'S the ground that they
were elected Illegally, by State Legislature e9nveneu
before Congress had admitted the state INTO 'ne oo'
In the communication of HENRY NJ. RICE
and Gen. SHIELps to the Committee OF the
U. S. Senate, relating the circumstance at
tending the meeting of our Constitutional
Convention &C., we find the following SEN
tence:
rb,t the election was conducted without violence
thar The members elected to Legislature met at
the capitol End day Of December last as
ed BY the constitution that every member OF both par
ties voted upon all questions which before them
The first extract quoted, shows that
some of the members of the Senate are
aware of the defective title by which RICE
and SHIEL ps claim seats in that body: The
point announced by Senator BAYARD, is one
early suggested by the Minnssotian, and one
on account of which the Republican men,
bers Of the Legislature, at the opening OF tne
session, took a position adverse to any elec-
ton of L. s. Senators at that time.
The second extract is skillfully contrlVed'
but involves in its construction, disensen-
uous suppression of the truth.
Messrs. RICE and SHIELDS pretend to con-
vey to Congress the idea that they "ere
communicating the whole of the iac's-'he
whole truth relative to their being elected TO
the L. S. Senate.
But they are careful to omit the point sug-
gested by Senator BAYARD, which they knew
was objected by the Republicans here at the
time of the election and they omit stating
the notorious fact, that though both parties
voted" on the question, the Republican men,
bers did so under formal protest against its
constitutionality and propriety-which pro-
test i. duly recorded upon the Journal of
both branches Of the Legislature!
There is as much moral turpitude in the
suppression of truth, when important to the
proper understanding of case, as in the de-
lberate misstatement of some of its facts
Messrs. RICE and SHIELDS are guilty of
this moral turpidude when they thus try to
cheat the Senate out of the knowledge that
our State Constitution required the previous
passage of lar regulating the mode which
the Legislature should elect United States
Senators; that all laws require for their ver-
ifcation, the signature of the duly elected
Governor Of the State that under the State
Constitution, the Governor elect could not
qualify nor enter upon the duties of his Of
fee until after our admission into the Union
that to obviate this want of q constitutional
Governor, SAM MEDARY, the Territorial Gov.
ernor, was recognized by the Democratic
majority of the Legislature as sufficiently
Governor for the purpose and that the law
passed by this majority, regulating the mode
of the election of United States Senators,
only received SAN MEDARY's signature (; and
that consequently Messrs. RICE and SHIELDS
are Senators by an act of usurpation on the
part of the Federal Governor of the Terri
tory, accompanied by the deliberate violation
ofthe State Constitution, both by him and the
Democratic members of the Senatorial Con-
vention, who went through the farce of vot-
ing for the individuals who are thus clamor-
ing at the door of the Senate with their bo-
gus credentials, for admission to seats upon
its floor.
- IL
Union promptly because it is her right; but we
do not want the U. S. Senate to countenance
usurpation, fraud, outrage and dsengenuous-
ness, by recognizing men as our Senators
who were Illegally and unconstitutionaly
chosen to the office.