Mr. SPALDING. Mr. Speaker, my purpose on the present occasion is merely to explain my own position, and to give some of the reasons "whic Will control the vote I shall give upon the question now before the House. I mi from the report of the ComElections that this contest arises in a congressional district in the city of NewYork, which east 21, 662 votes in the election in question. Of that number the sitting member received 8, 583 votes, the contestant received 8,435 votes, and the 3rd candidate received 4,544. In reality, therefore, the contestant in the present case did not receive one halfof the who enumber of votes cast in that district by 2,346 votes. Now, by the duties of my.lace, Ifind my self compelled to act as a jii ge between 2 gentlemen of high respectability and waiving all feelings of partisanship, which I know are very powerful with me, if not with others, I am disposed to do as between those gentlemen what the dictates of justice may seem to require. I do not claim to be as well versed in the merits of thisquestion, in the history of the case and the evidence pertaining to the case, as anyone member of the ComElections. may not presume to have that knowledge. But I do claim that I have list ened attentively to the arguments which have been made here; I do claim that I have examined to some extent the reports of the majority and the minority of the committee, and the testimony upon which those reports are pred icated and I am satisfied entirely that this election, which took place on the 8th of N ovember, 1864, was wholly irregular. Iain satisfied that the laws of the State of NewYork, refscribing the we and manner in which these congressional elections should be held were not complied with to any great extent by the parties in 1 nterest, or rather by those to whom the authority was given for superintending the electiOn. I am further persuaded that numerous frauds were practiced on the one side and on the other: of this I can entertain no doubt. I cannotdoubt but that the registry was a fraudulent One in many respects. Witnesses have been sworn and examined who testified i that they themselves aided in making up the registry by putting on the names of fictitious persons, persons who had once lived in the district but admoved out of it, or had deceased. Man things of this sort conspire to bring my min, as I think it must the mind of any can did man, to the conclusion that the election itself was irregular. The objections to the election, as, given to us by the majority of the Committee of gElections, are brought to hear more especially upon the 15th district of the 18th ward and 7th district of the 21st ward and they give the reasons why the returns from those districts should be rejected. Icannot say but that my judgment approves of the reasons deduced by the majority of the committee for rejecting these returns. Now, when we have done that, when you have rejected from those 2 districts votes to the number of 835; in the 15th district rejecting for the sitting member 221 votes, and for the contestant 57 votes; and in the 7th district rejectin for the sitting member 160 votes and for the contestant 71 votes; when we have done that, where do we find ourselves? It will be noticed that those 2 districts gave heavy majorities for the sitting member. But they are swept away, so that his large majorities in those districts count for nothing. But the vote is differentin one other district, the 13th district of the 2"t ward, to which the sitting member took exction on the ground that there were such irregularities there that they rendered the election return invalid. In that district the sitting member received only 136 votes. while the contestant received 894 votes, and the 3rd candjdate but 27 votes. Now it is alleged that at one period during the canvassin this district, all 3 of the inspectors or cauvassers left the polls and retired to a drinking house, and were absent, as was conceded by my friend who has just argued the case for the majority of the committee, [Mr. SIXELLABARGER] for the space of 20 minutes and I call upon the House now to bear me witness whenI say that I have that learned and ingenious gentleman a fa opportunity to explain to this House how he could cure this efect in the transaction in that district. It has been shown that the canvasse rs, one and all, went to a drinking house and were absent for 20 minutes, leaving the ballots upon a table where any and all persons could have access to them, and where the ballot box could have been stuffed to any extent. I gave the gentlemen full opportunity to explain why the committee did not also reject the returns from that district. Sir, his reply was given with a great deal of assurance; and my learned friend and colleague, being a good lawyer, has the skill when he feels that he is arguing on the weaker side, to put on an air of assurance and speak in an impressive tone of voice. Said he, “ I can answer the question readily. The constitution and the laws didnot sanction that adjournment of those cunvassers for that space of time, henceH the committee found no defect there whatever.