Mr. DODGE, (the contestant.) I am very much obliged to this House for the courtesy extended to me on this occasion, and I will not trespass upon its attention by any extended remarks. The election in question was held on the 8th day of Nowmber, 1864. Immediately after that election There were very strong evidences that there had been irregularities and frauds in the 8th election district of NewYork more than sufficient to overcome the small plurality claimed by the sitting member. The whole vote of the district was about 22,000; and the sitting member claims a plurality of 148votes. Reluctant as I was to enter into such acontest, yet I was urged to it from all parts of the country, and especially by those who had taken a doe interest in the canvass in my own district. An out of deference to them and to public sentiment generally, I felt it to be a duty to expose, as I thought I had an opportunity to expose, the machinery by which for years the wealth and influence of the mercantile portion of the city of NewYork had been de rived of a reperrepresentation on the floor of congress. The necessary legal notice was made and served u. on the sitting member. On the 20th day of hcbruary we convened to take the testimony under my notice, and on the 8th of April the taking of the testimony on the part of the sit ting member was closed. The testimony taken on my part was taken in charge by Judge Brady, before whom it was taken. He took o urge of all the papers, sealed them up accordin to law, and they were transmitted to the Cler of the HoRep during the fall, and were here in his possession before the opening of Congress and on the 2nd day of the session my friendfrom NewYork [Mr. Rsvnoun] moved that the papers presented on my part be referred to the ComElections and be printed; and he likewise moved that the contestant have the privilege of the floor. I have sat here for 2 months, taking a deep interest in the debates that have been going on, but compelled to be a silent listener. I have been exceedingly anxious on personal grounds that this contest should be ettled at as early 11day as possible. I stated to the chairman of the committee that I believed that my papers were the 1st thing before the committee; that they had been presented before the papers of any other contestant, and that I hopedmy case would be taken up immediately. The chairman said to me in reply that the committee had as yet only one side of the case before them; that the papers of the sitting member had not been presented. I immediately wrote to my counsel in NewYork, stating to him that, notwithstanding the promises that had been made to him by the counsel of the sittin member, that under no circumstances should the sending for ward of that testimony be delayed beyond the opening of Congress, it was impossible for me to obtain a hearing before the committee, because the papers of the sitting member were not here. I constantly annoyed the chairman of the committee by asking him when my case would come up, and continually received the reply that the papers on the other side had not been received, and that he had more than once notified the sitting member through the Clerk of the House that the committee were ready to have the testimony on my side printed, and that if he had any testimony to print, it must be here. Knowing that there was to be a prolonged adjournment for the holidays, I sent again to my attorney in NewYork and urged him to see the attorney of the sitting member and ascertain whether it was not possible to have the testimony sent here, that it might be printed, that the case might come before the committee, so that I might know whether I was to have the privilege of articipating in the important discussions of this body or whetherI was to return to in home and engage in my ordinary mercantile business. M attorney wrote to me, from dafY today, that those papers would be here. knew where those papers were. I knew where they had been ever since the close of the investigation. I knew where they had been throng 1 the s ring and the summer and the fall: that they ha never been in the hands of the judge. They were in the hands of the attorney of the sitting member, who had assured my attorney that they should be ready in time. The attorney of the sitting member stated that for this purpose be had taken the papers with him into the count during the summer, that he might embrace the opportunity to examine and arrange them. When, late in the fall, he was again urged to produce those papers, he pleaded want oftime, professional engagements, and the rest difficult of getting the papers in order. Iie said that e was very anxwus to do so, and for that reason, as he had business out in the oil regions, to examine into the title of some lands there, he would take the testimony out with him, that he might take advantage of any leisure time to prepare it for transmission to the House. I repeatedly urged my attorney to see whether it was not possible to get those papers here; for I took it for granted that I siould get no hearing till they came. He called again and again on the attorney of the sitting member, and that attorney finally said to him, ” Come here to the officeand look over the matter with me here, and see whether it is all right.” My attorney assented to that, and told him, ” Fix it all up in your own way; only get off the papers as quickly as you can, ” and wrote him a note which has been read at the desk, the whole object being to get the papers here, if possible, that we might go on with the investigation. I knew perfectly well that the sitting member, who has been so long a member of this House, and who ought to be familiar with the statute on this subject, was not conforming to that statute, but that he was delaying and delayin. Why he was doing so I could not understand, but it was perfectly plain that he was doing so. I was anxrous that the papers should be sent here. I wanted them published in time. I wanted them)ublished with the testimony on my own side, because the crossexaminations on the taking of his testimony are quite as valuable to me, in many instances, as the examination of my own witnesses. At last, sir, we obtained a hearin before the committee. My counsel left his usiness in NewYork and came forward for 5 days before the committee. Mr. BROOKS was there. He was there with his books. The chairman said they were ready to hear the argumeut. My attorneys argument occupied an our or an hour and a half. Not a word was spoken by Mr. BROOKS. Not an objection was made by Mr. BROOKS; not a word about his papers. I took it for granted that he had made up his mind they were of little value, and that he would go into the contest on my papers, where hehad such a lengthy crossexamination. On the 2nd day of the committee I was met there by an unexpected motion on the part of Mr. Bnoous. The motion was to turn me out of the committee, and have the case, as the lawers say, quashed, because I had no standing before the committee, having failed to comply with the statute by not giving him notice of 30 days. He argued that case before the committee. He argued during 2 sessions of the committee whether the 30 days should be from the report of the county canvassers or the report of the State canvassers. I have no information of the decision of the committee, but I have understood unofficially it was unan imously against him. I thong t he would be prepared now to go on with the examination. but he now raises another (tiestion for the decision of the committee, and that is want of sufficient and explicit notice to him as to the specifications and charges] have made. That he is now or uing, or in the process of arguing. Now, sir, n though for more than 8 months the sitting member had not in any way conformed to statutes so clear and so spe cific, which he of all other men ought to have known, and which I could hardly be expected to know, he being a member of Congress for so long and accustomed to the routine of this House that he should not have known this, I say, was very strange. I was satisfied there was something what it was I could not imagine that there was something which satisfied him this would he of no consequence, for he would not have any necessity to use it; that there would be no necessity to present it. Now, Mr. Speaker, I never would have raised the question whether or not he had complied with the statute if his testimony had been here in time. If it had been here to have been printed I would never have objected to it; but e has had m bookwhich he has read here today in his and s for weeks, while I have not had an opportunity to see his. ow, at this late period of the session, when 2 months have a ready expired, and when questions of such large interest to the nation, and especially to the commerce of the city which I believe I was called on to representwhich I have not a doubt I am legally entitled to Represent when questions of such vast magnitn e are coming before the House, I feel that! on hi: to have an opportunity to participate in its e liberations if Fain to have an opportunity at all. But, sir, I have been met on his part by a strict conformance to the statute, requiring from me the most strict adherence to the law, and now I feel it to be my (lut to state to the House most clearly and positive y that the gentleman has not in any way adhered to the statute. The statute was read by the chairman of the committee, and with your metmission I will refer to it again. It declares that the testimony of the witnesses, together with the questions proposed by the parties or their agents, such magistrate is authorized and required to cause to be reduced to writing in his presence and in the presence of the parties or their agents, signed and duly attested by the witnesses respectively, which he shall immediately transmit by mail, duly certified under his hand and seal, to the Clerk of the HoRep for the time being. Now, Mr. Speaker, if I may conclude that the sitting member has had in his hands or the hands of his counsel this testimon for the last 8 months, thenI say tbatl shaH not have to prove that it has been in the hands of hip counsel and not in the hands of the judge at a I aver that, although there may possibly be inside of the package a letter of Jo ge Russell saying “I herewith transmit, ” &c., Judge Rus sell has had nothing to do with these They have been in the possession of Mr. lpaBpOeOrsK. S or his counsel for more than 8 months, and 1866, 613} now he comes here and proposes to shut me out under the plea that I have not conformed to the statute. Now, Mr. Speaker, I feel that I have a right, afier this long detention, to claim before this House that the gentleman, in order to have a standing before that committee, and to allow his papers to go there, must prove to the House that he has conformed to the statute. Now, I hap co to have in my hand a copy of a receipt of Xdams Express Company, transmittinr7 the ackage from NewYork, which I will ask the Clerk to read. It will be seen that it is from Mr. Waterbury to Mr. BROOKS.R. Water bury is the gentlemans counsel. lhe Clerk read the receipt, as follows: NEWYORK. January 19. 1866. Received, of N. J. Waterbury, one pack o; not given; marked, Hon. Jsuss Bnooxs, asvbainluge ton D. C. Fbr the company: COLBY. Freight collected.