Mr. BROOKS of NewYork addressed the House. [His speech, when concluded, will be found in the Appendix] Speech entitled NewYork Contested Election. April 5 and 6, 1866. The House having underconsideration the following resolutions reported from the ComElections: Renovied That Hon. James Brooks is not entitled to a seat in this House as a Representativein the 39th Congress from the 8th district in NewYork. [fr solver] That William E. Dodge is entitled to a seatin this House as a Reprosentalivein the 39th Congress from the 8th districtin NewYork Mr. BROOKS said: mr. Speaker! I do not knowI have ever before risen to address a public body with cmotions and feelings like those with which I now rise to address the HoRep cs. I am in some sort arraigned at he bar of this House by a committee, for the members of which I feel the highest respect, and by a contestant whose position as a merchant and whose abundance of wealth surround me with embarrassinent and make me feel diffident in addressing the House in a matter which concerns my own interest. But if I know my own heart, proud as I am of a seat in the HoRep cs and of my associates here, I v O not rise so muchfor the honor of this seat as to vindicate the right of 200,000 people in one of the largest representative districts of the U.S. to the choice of their own Representative 11 on the floor of this House to vote for them on the many important questions which come up here for action. Sir, this election has excited profound interesthere and elsewhere. In our district it was one of the hardest fought contests I have ever seen in any part of the country. Yes, sir, fought by all manner of means, and in the midst of most extraordinary excitement; and when it was over I thought it was over for good; but it has not been over; it is rolonged to this moment, during a ear and a alfofone contin uous struggle. the members of the HoRep are almost all acquainted with the localities of the imperial city which I have the honor in part to represent. I am sorry to say that a large portion of the wealth of my district has not been with me, but against me; and it is the richest district in the who a country, and approached in wealth by only one other, and that in Boston. I am sorry to say that the wealth and prosperity of that district located on 5th avenue and the adjacent streets were for the contestant; while in the river districts, where our laboring population reside, the hard tisted mechanics, the men who send our ships floating over every sea, and carrying the stars and stripes triumphant from pole to pole, the men who are the architects and artificers of our grandeur and glory that class of men, situated in the river districts of NewYork, in the main gave their support to me. My contestant in this case availed himself of that fact, which I cannot more deeply regret than he. I would be road to represent the property and wealth of NewYork, as well as its labor and industry and hitherto in a former Congress, in the last HoRep, I did represent both. The contestant has availed himself of that fact to say, in describing the geography of this district: " It embracestheextremesof poverty and wealth. ignoriinednnd intelligence, crossing the city from river to river, includin the Filth avenue. Murray Hill and Dutch Hill. he interior districts are the abodcs of wealthy citizens and intelligent middle classes; the river districts, intenementhouse and shanty. hide the rowdies. ioughs, and worstfloating population of a greateity." I have no comment to make upon that clas sification which my contestant would make of the people whom he claims to represent. Let it go forth to these people. Let them read it, let them know it, and hereafter, as we shall meet again at the polls, undoubtedly, not here, but there, we will discuss the description of our constituents that he gives in a document which he lays before this House. I have said I am surrounded by difficulties and embarrassment sand have been throughout this contest, because from the very start even till now I have been met by a man ofimmense wealth and boundless resources. That is no discredit to him, however. It is an honor to have property if it is honorably earned or acquired and well used. But I have been met throughout and I dwell upon it because I have been thus met by a man whose income as recorded is $384, 415 perannum, and if we add his unrecorded income from U.S. bonds, 7 thirties and five twenties, from cer tificates of indebtedness, from railroads, from coal companies, from iron companies, and from insurance and marine companies of all kinds, it swells up to $500,000 an income which, calculating 313 days in the year, is $1, 619 every day of his life; which, calculating 12 working hours, is $3, 038 a day; which is $251 every hour, and $4 20 ever breath he breathes, when he is off his bed an wide awake. Sir, I should have thought, possessed of a vast fortune like that, a hereditary fortune, a fortune by inheritance as well as by industry, clainiing. to be a representative of the mer chants of NewYork he would have been content with the declared and recorded election on the day of election; or, if not content with that, that he would have let alone a district iving about 6,000 majority for Genera Me Clellan, and would not have aspired to misrepresent on the floor of this House a poulation like that of the 8th district of NewYork. But nothing has surprised me in the course of this contestant throughout from beginning to end. In some early remarks which he made upon this floor, with profound anxiety to appear here at the earliest period he is reported in the Globe (February 3) to have said: "Reluctant as I yet was to enterinto such a contest, I was urged to it from all arts of the country, and especiallyby thosewho hadJtaken a deepinterest in the canvassin my own district and out of deferenceto than and topublicsentimentgenerally. I felt it to be a duty to expose, as Itho ht I opportunity had an to expose, the machinery y which for years the wealth and influenceof themercantileportion of the city of NewYork had been deprivedofa proper representationon the floor of Congress." "I havesatherofor two months.taking adocp interest in the debates that have been goingon. but compelled to bea silent listener." Knowing that there was to be a prolonged adjournment for the holidays. I sent again to my attorney in NewYork and urged him to seethe attorneyof the sitting member and ascertain whether it was not possible to havethe testimonysent here, that it might be printed. that the ease might comc bolorelhc committee, so that I might know whether I wasto have the privilege of participating in be important discussions of this ody or whether wnsto return to my home and engagein my ordinary mercantile business. "Now at this late period of the session. when two months have already expired, and when questions of such large interest to the nation, and especiallyto the commerco of the city which I believe I was called on to represent which I have not a doubt I am legally entitled to represent when questions of such vast magnitude are coming before the House, I feel that I ought to have an opportunity to participate in its deliberations if I am to have an opportunity but I do not want.if I am entitled to a placeon this floor, to sit heresilentlynnd have all thesegreat financial and other important measures passed, I having no voicein the matter.” Sir, from the tone and tenor of that address it is a parent enough where it was born. One would know what inspired its origin. Certainly, it was not inspired in the river districts of NewYork city. Nor was it inspired on the 5th avenue of NewYork. Only in Wall street are me“n thus inspired to address each other. Letat, c est moi, ” said the French kin; “ Congress is I, and Iam Congress, ” one wouId think from reading the remarks which have been reported here. The contestant began nearly a year and a half ago to strike at these river districts of NewYork. 17 distinct allegations are in the pleadings which he submitted to the House, and he lighted upon 13 differentriver districts at once, so as to employ all my time in order to meet him and his wealth in the con, test. By presenting an immense front, by threatening my position on all sides, by not letting me know at what portal he was to enter, without regard to means, he soughtonly success, no matter how obtained. but he finally fell down on 4 districts, and at length the 4 are reduced to two. Two out of 13 ! and upon these two alone is it necessary to make remarks, so far as he is concerned. The districts which he would throw out are of course the river districts. Allis right on Murray Hill, where the gentleman lives and which some people christen “Shoddy Hill, ” but all is wrong on Dutch Hill and in Mack erelville, where laborers of the congressional district reside. All is right directly among us, in our own neighborhood, but all is wrong elsewhere, where other people than ourselves reside, whom he desires to disfranchise in order to elect himself. To maintain his position the contestant has introduced all sorts of witnesses and all sorts of testimony. I prowe to call the attention of the House as brie y as possible to the character of some of these witnesses and to some of this testimony. In the 1st place, the most extraordinary arena that ever man devised for the taking of testimony and for the introduction of such wit. nesses was chosen by the contestant in this case. Men who had never before entered the portals of a church, men who had hardly heard of a divine Master, men of the character of Geoghegan, who has already been described as the fraud broker, are for the 1st time introduced into the portals of a church. Geoghe an, I need not describe him. I wish gent emen could have seen him within the sortals of that church as he was seen upon the ay when the testimony was taken. with two of his fingers bitten oil in various lights, from NewOrleans to NewYork, placerated in his person, powerful, vigorous, an outlaw, a bruiser, a fighter, a bully, a man who dwells in the very lowest purlieus, in the very sink ofiniquity, from whence the contestant in. this case fished him up for use on this occasion. He was one of the main witnesses in this case for the contestant indeed, the Ajax Telamon. Another was Myers, whom the ComElections designates as a U.S. deputy marshal. Well, he was approver, the testimony shows, all over California and Aus tralia. Originally a butcher, he became a police officer, and during the excitement and turmoil of the war he got to be deputy U.S. marshal, or in other words, a Government detective for the U.S., a spy, a man to find out what was going on, a man employed to go here, there, and ever here, sometimes in Missouri. sometimes in Ightucky, wherever he was Wanted. Here let me say, in presence of this House, that however useful detectives may be in time of war, whatever services they may have rendered to their country, if there is a character on earth more despicable than another it is the spy. The Government detectives that are chosen on all occasions are never chosen for their character. but because the have no character. men utterly regardless o truth or right and this was another test witness in this case on behalf of the contestant. Another of these witnesses was Chose, a man who performed an extraordinary operation within the portals of that church. n order to throw out the 7th district, 21st ward, two fellows, (Peter Funks we call them in NewYork) by the names of McLaughlin and Coughlan, were introduced into the holiest precincts of that church to Mr. Dodge by George jhegan; and there these Peter Funks told this hase (so Chase swears) that they had voted 4 times for me and only once for Mr. Dodge. Now, these two witnesses thus introduced by Geo began this Chase swears that he never saw efore. He did not know that their names were McLaughlin and Coughlan, only that they said they were; and yet by the introduction of such witnesses as these an effort is made to disfranchise the whole district and to throw me out of Congress. I did not know at the time that this was being done, but when some friends of mine became cognizant of such rasoally tricks as Chase and Geoghe n wQe engaged in they resolved to have an O set for such, when ever they were to be of any worth, in congress. Hence, not in the holiest precincts of the church, where it is written upon the walls, “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor, ” but in the purlieus of aliquor sho, where “whisky, ” “gin, ” “rum, ” are trotfully written upon the labels of the bottles, the Messrs. “McLaughlin” and “Coughlan”were again introduced, and there they stated to another man that they voted “ 4 times for Mr. Dodge and only once for Mr. Brooks." That is the character of the witnesses they presented to perform his miserable part on this occasion. That is the part the witness Chase, in concert with Geoghegan, acted to trick me out of my seat and to trick Mr. Dodge in. What sort of a character is that of Geoghegan? What sort of a credit ought he to have among honest men? Another of those witnesses was a Mr. Bur chell, the land agent of the contestant in the contested 3rd district, 21st ward. This Mr. Burchell there re presented for Mr. Dodges large landed property lie held in the3rd district. Thatward was originallyafarm belon ngto Mr. Phelps, the father in law of Mr. Do go and by the conversion of the farm into city lots the property became ofimmense value. Through this Mr. Burchell an effort was made to prove that the contestant in this case had 188 in stead of 137votes in this district. He exerted all his landlord power and all his ingenuity to accomplish that purpose. Irishman after Irishman and German after German was brought up before the judge on that occasion to swear how they voted, for whom they voted. It was supposed to be certain that by the OWncrship of mortgages upon their property, by the os session of their houses, by having contro of their wives and children throng the tene ments in which they lived, the contestant in this case, through his land agent, Burchcll, could force these lrish men, Germans, and Americans, too, to be recreaut to their oath. Thank God, he failed. Though they may have told him for the purpose of saving their property that they voted or Mr. Dodge, (yet when they were brought up before the judge to give their testimony upon oath, with very few exceptions they were true to truth, and the contestant failed to make out his case inthat district. Instead of reducing 137 votes, with all the violence of his landlord power, he was able to produce but about 120 votes running behind his ticket, and therefore the committee of Elections could not throw out the district as he intended and desired. Another of these with cases, one Hargin. of the 13th district of the 18th ward, was another character. This or in was an Irishman, originally from Connaug t; an upholsterer by tradeq afterward a low play actor by profession, and finally an employee of the oral Goveminent for the purpose of enroll iu people of the city of NewYork. It is not on y proven in the evidence that he is a man of utterly abandoned and worthless character, so abandoned that the committee had to throw all his evidence out, but that he was willing to receive, and did receive, 20 or 30 dollars from the laboring men of that district to release them from the enrollment. Sir, this congregation of witnesses needed something else added to them. It needed a saint as well as a satan. Geoghegan was the eaten and they got a Mr. Dean to work u the 15th district of the 18th war, who in his affidavit swears at the start, “I am a man of religious principle.” To make out the conglomeration perfect, it was necessary to have this saint as well as all these satans. What a set of witnesses to swear a member out of his seat! What a regiment of rogues, cheats, and even saints! Sir, when I look at all these. witnesses, whenI dwell upon their character, and when [see how Mr. Dodge and Geoghcgan niar shaled them in his parlor and in his church, I am led to exclaim, in the words of Shakspeare: “Eye of iicwt, and too of frog. Wool of but, and tongueof dog, Adders fork and blind wormssting, Lizards leg, and owlcts wing, For a charmof owerful trouble, Like a hell brot boil and bubble." During a year and a half of the hardest work of my life, I have realized the force of the line of Shakespeare Double, double, toil and trouble.” Sir, when I look at the character of these witnesses produced from that great city which I in part represent, and which is in some do recthe modern Rome, I am often reminded of the glowing words which Cicero used when describing acend of witnesses which Rome vomited for"th upon the expulsion of Catiline: Quesiagladiator, quialalro, quiacica nua.quil parricitln, qtuateatniimtlompmbjtefor, quia ciremnacriptn, quisganeo, " “quia per dimeine eniri polest, am.nocumaniline" non-fa miliarinimc, tiriaae palcutur.” “ What wretch, ” it maybe translated, “ what. rogue, what scoundrel, what abandoned villain has the contestant in this case not had either in his church or in his own parlor!” Let me read from the record here, which is tome one of the most agreeable and yet one of the most painful records I ever met with in all my life. I read from the examination of Geoghegan: Interview:of GenghenanwiTh Dollars i.n Dodges Parlor. Extractfrom D., 454. "guerrilla. Where was it that you sawMr. Dodge? " weer. In his own house, the 1st time that I law him; I went thereto call on him “Question.Where did Mr. Dodge receive you? “Answer. In Iiilvownhouse, in hisparlor. “Question.What pmed betweenyou and him on that occasion? Answer. Nothing, only he askedme if go I wouldut down and testif to the best of my knowledge what I know about t a “ district. cation.That was the wholeof the conversation? " nncer. That was the whole of the conversation. I told him I would do so with pleasure. Do"Qdueerslion.Where did you seeMr. Phelps? (Mr. counsel.) fff mwer. I saw him down in Wall street. in his O "cc. " IuUffOflY.ou didnt so to his house? Miner. No, sir. I went to his offica to tell him that I knew a little about that district. “Question.When did you gothere? runner.Someday last week: I dont know the exact day. I Went there someday through the week m“yself, without his or anyman ever sending for me. question.{lav euouever beentoMr. Brookeshome! newer.ho. air.” The part of this evidencewhich I read with sin is that which records that a merchant of NewYork, aspiring to represent its commerce and its trade, a re Representative of the noblest class of men, should have consented, for political purposes, to introduce within the portals ofhis house, and into the presence of his Wife and family, a perjurer, a ruiser, a fighter, a man maimed in his limbs by the innumerable fights in which he had taken part. On the other hand, that part of this record which I read with pleasure and delight, and which I wish to place before the country on record is the clos: iig remark of Geoghegan, that he never was in Mr. Brookes house. One word as to the character of this man Myers, the conperator of Geoghegan to disfranchise the 7th district 21st ward, another of the witnesses in this case. I must read the testimony which is On page 398. Myers was usinga city letter carrier to drop letters for him to enter on the registry, telling him at the time to take no trouble to find them: “ Question.Do youknow whether it is usualfor car riers to hunt in couples? "“Answer. Not very usual. Question.It is rather moreusual for policemento hunt in couples, is it not? "Answer. I " waslearning my route. " Qlimueitsetrio. n.Why did you haveto learn it? I! " uw;merelya subterfuge. Qimulion.In other words.you acted a lie on that occasion I " A “ nmver. We have to use such dodgel sometimes. Question.You dontthink it wrong, a: a partisan, to“usecilherdodgesor subterfuaell “ Answer. No, sir. Queulionl.fyourpartybad requiredit, yonwould oc“casionallytel a lie aswell as act it? “ Answer.No, sir. Qimnon. Is there any voi? great distinction betweenacting and telling a lie “Aimaer. A " greutdeul. Acti Qngitualilioena.nPdletaeslelindgeofinnee. the difforsncebetween " Answer. A detective has gottouse all subterfugein] the world, irilhouteomromiainhgimselfhis lie, in gelTT m any information O “ Imnla. Question.Are you a detective? "Armrcr. I “ have been. Qnmion and your habits as a detectivecling to you still, dont the? “Amer. They oalittle.” It was in the time of the drafts that this well known Government detective was sent to hunt upon Dutch Hill for names upon the votin list and registry. Myers was known to everybo y in this district. What did he do to find men not residentsin the district? Why, sir, in the midst of this excitement he went to the women and the children. In such times women would swear their husbands were not residents, or dead, although they were right aside of them or under the bed, to ese ape a draft. Children would swear in the same mannerto the police officer or the Government detective, and yet such tes. timoni;v of affrighted women and children is broug tu here to oust me from my seat. Let me read mm the testimony of Myers here: “ Myers, as a spy on Dutch Hill, goesaroundamong the womenand children not to find voters." Extract from D., 402. “Quemon.Were they men or women that you M m “ Answer. Women. Illfiflofl.Women entirely? rumor. Yes." Extractfrom D., m. “firemen. Where did you inquire for this Herwin u in “Azuwer. Up between 39th and 40th stree s. "“AQnuaelsvteior.n.On the hill? Yes. air: an old residentup there said he lived in 45th strcot. “Qumlion. ho is that old resident? "Annoer. An old lady thal ha: lived therefor were and you". “Question.What is her name 7 "“111mm. Thatsmorethan[can tellyou. ennon. What is " her business? mwer. Icant tell you." Extractram Myers. D., 409. yo"u Question. How many do you think you informed Goohpgan? "Answer. He gave a good deal of iuformation when I lookedfor parties I could not findmyself. He cor ro"boruaetsetdwant or peoples statements. How did you happen to go to Steve Goo cganto get information abouttheseparties? "Annrer. By beingacquaintedWithhim thatsall. “Question.Did you sendfor him, or did he you sendfor I "Amrwm. I didnt send for him at all; I stop used to in his housewhen I went up thatway on several occasions." I am to be worn out of my seatin the HoRep by a lot of women and children protecting their husbands and brothers from a draft, or Geoghe n, whose testimony is distilled to this House t we h M ers. Sir, before the lawyers of t iis House I should but waste time to dwell upon the worthlessnesa and illegality of all such hearsay testimony as this. I torbear to say more here on that point. We have another character, Brady. 0w, Brady was clerk of the regular 15th district of the 18th ward, appointed by Mr. Dodee himself, or his friends in his interest, another of the witnesses who is now used in this case to swear me 06 the floor of the House. Let me read from his testimony in the big book to show the character of the man: “Question. How manytimes had you taken something to drink that morning that you went down thereto act as clerk of the registry? “Answer. I dontknow. question.How many timesdoyou think 1 rumber. I couldnt torm no idea. Question.Are you really positive that you hadnt taken somuch that it influenced you? “A mew. Oh, no; it “ didntinfluence my nerves. question.How many glasses does it take to effect uno1 you t "4mm". It dependsaltogether on how the sys emis. “Xueimon. How wasyour systemat that time? newer. I " didnt take noteofit. gueolion.How. many glasses did you take that a 3:41:00". I dont know; I didnt count them; I wasntthat particular aboutit. “Xuemon. " How manydid you take? nmrer. I dont know; I might have taken 4, or“two or 6, or 15. yoution. buoahad drunk (Ween would influence much I “Answer. lfldrnnk emna. h! down it mtght, but f [took all day Ifion! think it " would.quention.Did you vote for Mr. Barr more easily becauseMr. Dodge was a temperance candidate? "Anmer. [didnt makeany inquiries about whether th“eyweretam eranoemen or not. You Question not ohwav, Jeustat kbeen casroemfualannyd ththaitnmk owrhneinthger whether you hadnt taken somany that you had for get whlethor Mr. Dougherty administered the oath to on Anncer. Oh. no: it “ was too soon. (til881th". “I l lowearly doyou commence generally? Miner. Not until after I got out of bed; it de pendsupon how I “ uemon. Howfedeidl.you feel " Miner. I think I felt like taking a drink? I dont know whether I “ took oneor not. ution. Did on take any beforeyou started? " runner. I don t knOW;. I1HILCllGlmMIOCCflrTcm that[didnt tnlrenonoleqf tl. "gruelion. What do you drink when you do drink? " miner.Sometimesale, sometimes Bourbon, some times laser. "Question.Did any personever say auythlng to on about an consideration beneficial to yourself at you could have for voting for Barr? “Answer. No, sir. ""Question.Do you say that positively. I am pretty well satisfiedof it. “ question. I ask you if youcan say positively? li nower. I says opositively; because I dont reco cot. “QuestionYou would know if therewas? “Anmer. It Igot it; yes.sir. Question. If you were to getit, it is a matteryou won d know? “Answer. All I got. I got a few dollars to spend towards olcotioneering. "guesTTon.Who did you ct them from, OBrien? winner.Yes. sir; tow helping the eloctionof Mr. Bizrr. B“Qi?u|cion and you told him you would vote for arr "Anrwer. I told him I would do what I could for im. “Quemon.And you votedall the Republican ticket exceptfor Congress “A 1mm: Yes, sir: that is. the Union “Chitin “Qpution. Who did you vote for for President, now "Answer. I voted the Republican electoralticket. "Question. How comeyou to vote for Barr for con“Slimmer. Becauso I felt like it." Now, Mr. Speaker, it would weary the House too much for me to enter into further reading to show the character of the witnesses in this case. I need not say to you Mr. Speaker, and to this House, that NewYork is in some respects the sewerage of the whole earth, that no criminal throughout all Europe, man a criminal in Asia and Africa, no crimina in any of our own States, no rascal who wishes to hide himself, can so well bury himself and his iniquities us in the streets occupied by the million of people who make u the vast population of NewYork. I no hot say to this House, in a population like that witnesses can be suborned to swear to anything anybody wishes them to swear to. But let me not be misunderstood in reference to that noble and magnificent city. No city on the earth presents noliler characteristics. It is a place of abundant charities. It has palatial structures which line its rivers and deck its numerous islands to receive the poor and miserable from all parts of the world. It has churches, 100s in number, whose spires int to heaven, all proclaiming the Christianity, the religion, the excellence, the general patriotism, and charity of that people. n such a vast population, resembling that of ancient Rome as described by Cicero, in words I have (pioted from one of his orations against Cat i ine, of course it was to be excted, if men of wealth, of gigantic income, c ose to purchase scoundrels and perjurers, and to receive them in their fparlors or offices, they could secure scores of them to swear.if necessary even the very hair from your head.Mr. Speaker, in the course of this discussion some very extraordinary theories have been advanced in the report of the ComElections, and in the speeches of some members, the most extraordinary of which, as it seems to me, is that in contested districts the sitting member is to account for every voter, if all the districts should be contested, even for the whole 26,000 odd voters, Brooks, Barr, and Dod e men. There is no sense, if there is any aw, in all that. But such was the task I was at to in the 7th district, 21st wa, and 15th district, 18th ward, and the success of my task has been wonderful, and can be seen by my brief, &0. If the expenses of such witnesses can be aid, I can produce here, on the floor of this House, for I have seen them since, in the city of NewYork, and will bring them here, witness after witness to contradict Myers and Dean. I cannot produce all the 13,000 voters that voted for Mr. Dodge, or the 4500 that voted for Mr. Barr, or all the 1000s of men that voted for me. That is out of my power. It is out of human power. It is no such duty as a man can be expected to perform and such a theory as this is heard for the 1st time on the floor of this House. More than a year after the election how am I to be accountable for any of the men who voted for Dodge or Brooks or Barr? The thing is impossible; and every man must know it is as senseless, I am sure, in law as in human judg ment, for lswis the essence of sense, and not of such nonsense as thiswould make of law. suffice it to say, that in these two election districts there were two Republican registrars and one Democratic; two Republicaninspectors and one Democratic; and two clerks, one of whom was a Republican. 7 I had not a single friend what soever; no, not one. These officers of the election were appointed by the Tammany organization and the Republican Organizations of the city of NewYork. Tammany Hall was opposed to me and the Republicans Were opposed to me. I had notoneinspectpr or regis trar or canvasser there at that election, and yet I am arrai ed here for frauds said to have been committe it may be by Dod c, it may be by Barr, but never even alleged to very been committed by me. Sir, I made an exeriment at that electiona.great eXperiment nown to the people of this country. made an experiment to see if a man could run for office and be supported by the people of NewYork who would not pay or or uy the nomination from a convention. The conventions of both parties in NewYork have men in them who are held up in the shambles for sale to the highest bidder. Relying upon the people, I went not to those conventions to purchase or to higgle or to buy one. I did not march u and down among the men of property in that district, for they sifidom go out to public meetings or take any interest in anything that adds not to their property; but in those river districts, night and day, at the earttail, upon every little stagethat I could improvise in street, as well as in hell, I invoked the people of NewYork to cast aside these false and )corru t nominations and send me back to Congress y their own will. I told them, though, “I will pay no money whatsoever for an election, but of you the pee lo, I beg and implore your suffrage. Prou and defiant elsewhere, I addressed those who are the real sovereigns of the country, and who could elect me to office despite all arrangements elsewhere and thanks to the people, thanks to the virtue of the hard fiste mechanics, these steamboat men, these machinists these fishermen, these gas men thanks to them, they crushed the machinery of parties all to pieces and sent me back triumphant to the floor of this House and Isny to on now, here on this floor, with all due humility and submission, that if you throw me out from this House or this constituency I will come rolling back here, amid the thundering voices of 1000s and 1000s of these people, for these hard fisted mechanics who have liroken all political machines will dare to send me, and even dare to proclaim their will om nipotent. I shall O again to the foundery shops and the gas s ops; I shall again mount the cart tail and the barrel, and re reclaim that I desire the suffrages of the poop e, and I know they will give their hearts and heads in cheerful free will. But what a theory is this, that I am to be held accountable for every man upon the re ister or upon the poll list; that I am to be old re s. onsible, months and months after the election, for every man who voted in the vast population of an ever changing cityl Why, sir, to apply the same rule to the contestant that he applies to me, the evidence discloses that a witness was sent to the 5th Avenue Hotel to hunt up who voted as from thence and on the poll list, and from which he received some 60 or 70 votes, and after the election they could produce but 20 or 30 who were, if I recollect aright the number, really resident there I The evidence shows thata change in the poulation is ater in the streets and houses where the ric live even than in the tenement houses inhabited by the hard fisted mechanics. A great cry is then raised here against the sale of li uors near the polling places. Why, Mr. Stoner, there is more liquor in the cel lars of the 5th Avenue Hotel, or in the hotels contiguous to it, at this day and this hour, more rum, gin, whisky, brandy, and wines of all kinds than are to be found in all the avenues of the river districts, which are inhabited by the hard fisted mechanics. The only difference is this, that in the cases of the hotels the liquor may be good, while in the river districts it is not quite so good as it might be. Now, sir, let me illustrate the difficulty of finding the names of voters on the re ister. It is proved in the testimon that a man y the name of Jung, when shown his own name writ ten down on the poll list “Young, ” declared that “such a fellow never did live at that place, ” and that he had never heard of him, although hisownname is pronounced “Young.” Then here is the case of a man by the name of Fleise he. He says that no American can write down his name; that it is pronounced like “Fletcher, ” and that upon every poll list his name is written down F etcher. Now, if the great poct, Goethe, had voted in NewYork, his name would have been written on the poll list “Gerta;” and if that magnificent genius had gone to the polls he would have found his name thus recorded. Nothing is more common than a change of name from one to an other. Whenever, during the old French war, the British sailors ca tured a ship from the French navy, they always rechristened it; thus, the “ Bcllcrophon ” the “Billy Ruffian, ” and the “Andromache” became the “Andrew Mackcy.” Changes like these are of constant ocCurrence, and yet I am held responsible by the ComElections, not aihne for the orthogra by of voters, but fqr the phonography also. ly hat injustice upon my constituents as well as upon mel