O CONGRESS. liaujc of RjprcfenUitivct April 2J. Tuelday, April 29; Afttr re-'Sirg Pime private petitions, tbe hoyfe refurned the confideiation of .tlic report fibin the committee upon the contested Cic£tio. 1 of Mr. Francis Preston, ■from" theftate of Virginia. Mr. Tiigge, and Mr. Preston spoke «aches them for some time to the merits of the cafe. Mr. Scott then rose—he declared that of all the qneftions which had ever come before that holife, the present was to him the moil wonderful. To tell us, that an elfftion had been overruled by a party of soldiers, was indeed extraordinary. Up on such an outrage, it was inoil astonish ing that the whole country did not rife as One mail to resent and punifl) it. But for his own part he favy the business in an op posite point of view—he could not for his ioul difeover the smallest pretence to set aside the election of Mr. Piefton; nor could he comprehend or conceive upon what ground so strange a notion had been darted. As for Captain Prcfton, brother to the fitting member, whose con dudt had been so loudly excepted against, Mr. Scott said that his behavior at the election was that of a sage. Instead of the fire of youth, he had discovered all the moderation that could have been ex . peftedfrotn the charafler of a philefopher 1 . As to the introdu&ion of soldiers at the • . election, he saw no harm in it. They had a right to be there, for they weie , equally entitled with other American ci tizens to give their votes in the choice of a representative. The quarrel that suc ceeded was accidental; and did not aflfedt the question before the House. Mr. Scott was ready, and had long been so, to give his voice for dismissing the petition of Mr, Trigge. He had not the smallest (hadow of doubt upon the matter. Mr. Macon was of the fame opinion. It had been asserted that in this cafe, the laws of Virginia had been violated. He would be glad to know what law. Mr. W. Smith considered it as a very clear point that the election was not a fair one; because it was evident that the peti tioner had not enjoyed an equally fair chance, as the fitting nitmbpf. Tt .was true that some fa£ts in the petition had not been completely substantiated, but ma ny had. The House had been told that hearsay testimony was unworthy of atten tion, but he wished to remind them, that they were not like.a court of law, reftrift ' ed to proceed upon a regular proof, and not to go beyond the letter of it—They were entitled to hear and weigh every thing advanced, and to form their opinion from the general convidkion arising upon the whole of the circumttances. Some fads of the most unwarrantable kind had come out. Three of Captain Preston's soldiers guarded the dooT of the court-house, where the election was held. When a person, since examined as an evidence, wanted to - go in, they flopped him with this questi on, " are you to vote for Trigge ?" Up on answering yes, they replied—" By Jesus then you (hall notand though he was fifty-eight years of age, two of them laid holdof him and cast him to the ground: when he got up again he went off. Mr. Smith said that there was a clear collusion between Captain Preston and the soldiery. Here Mr. Preston interrupted him by de claring that there was no such thing in the evidence—Mr. Smith affirmed that there was. The was then dire&ed to read part of the examination of the witnesses the particulars above stated appeared in the proof, and Mr. Smith infifte<} that they contained a demoilftration of colfu five measures between the fitting member, his brother Captain Preston and the mili. tary. It was objected to Mr. Smith, on the part of the soldiers, that they had on ly said they could, not that they would knock down Mr. Trigge's voter. But Mr. Smith considered this critical distinc tion as minute and trifling f rom the lips of a soldier in liquor. He did not unde r stand Jts accuracy, and he imagined that his own nerves must have been as much affeded by the could as by. the mould. Many of the country people Had expressed much difla tisfa£hon with the soldiers. It was prov ed when the fray began, Captain jetton had wished to have twenty of his loldiers there, and this hint was no sooner given, than a person ran off and immedi atcly returned with a party of them i Mr. Shcrbourne was for supporting the fitting member. He wijhea that tn£ time of the House might not be fquaridercd in ait uftlefs display of elorjuence ; it was, to be fiire, very agreeable to speaker him felf, bat at the fame time very fuperfluous in regard to his audience. The clerk was again ordered to read some passages in the proof, as far as they rdpeftet! the behavior of Capt. Preftdn. Mr. W. Smith then rose a second time. As a member of the committee that had been ehofen upon this buiinefs, he was 1 entitled to vindicate their report, of which Ihe read some extratis very unfavorable 4o the behavior oi the soldiers. Mr. Smith observed that Mr. Fretton, in his defence 1 had been extremely profufe of his censure on the committee, for doing what they couftdered to be their duty. Mr. Smith, referring to the observations of Mr. Sher bourne, said that he was perfectly in order 1 for defending the report of the committee, because it was juftified by the facts. Tho' the quarrel between the soldiers and the 1 country people did not happen till after the poll, yet Hill it arose from bad blood before,the poll began, and tlterefore a re ference to it was firiftly in order. Mr. Smith said that it wa9 no part of his in -1 tention to injure the character of Captain Preston, who, when the tumult began, took off ljis sword, and gave it to some person to held. For this moderation, Capt. Preston deserved credit. But still Mr. Smith considered himfelf as juftified in oppoling the election, since it was not conducted with that firmnefs, that regula rity, and that equality of chances, requi site upon republican principles. He read a quotation from Blackftone, as to elections, "Violent interposition" fays that writer " what is it, but to cut government up by the roots,and poison the fountain of public security?" He dwelt, at some length, on this idea, and on the peculiar impropriety of military interposi tion, he said that upon the whole, Mr, Preston had only a majority of ten votes, and when the circumstance of fixfy or se venty soldiers driving off the voters of Mr. Ttigge was opposed to such a narrow ma- ' jori/y, could any body call this tranfaftion legal? (At the words ten "votes, Mr. Smith was twice interrupted, firft by Mr. Mac on, and next by Mr. Smith of Maryland, but he perfillcd in his assertion.) He had flat _ ~prnm»l»n - » »■ » - — Shall the Houft fuffer an officer, the bro ther of a candidate, to seize the door of a court-house, and turn away the voters of his brother ? It had been said that it was customary, in that part of the coun try for a candidate to collect his friends, and block up doors, but surely it was a very improper cullom. The fitting mem ber had said that if his brother made any wrong step, he should have been prosecut ed in a court of law. Mr. Smith did not mean to fay that Captain Preston had com mitted any offence worthy of that, he did not perhaps imagine that he was doing any wrong at all. It had been asked, was it poflible that sixty or seventy unarmed sol diers could overawe two or three hundred people ? He thought it possible. Mr. S. Smith of Maryland defended Mr. Preston. He said that in foinung an impartial judgment npon this question, various circumstances mud be taken into consideration, besides the facts in evidence before the house. In Elections of East ern States, the citizens met in small bodies; and they conducted the business with that order-and decency which became the true Republican chara&er. But it was the miffortune of Southern States, that their citizens assembled in large bodies the ele&ors of a county meet all together before the fheriff, and give their votes at the fame time. Hence it appears, as the matter was described by Mr. S. Smith that an election in the Southeru States is often productive of very great mif -5 , He , fald that was somewhat Vi?o • hear,n g another member (Mr W. Smith) express so much refentmtnt at an eleSwn not. The gentleman had access to the history of a certain eUaion, where the very chancellor of a court of jnllice, bred a riot in his own court, for the express purpose of serving his party. Much had been said about the enormity ot knocking down a juftice«f the peace : and m the report the affair was stated as «f the magistrate had been at the court „°e -„ V" J"® °® c,al opacity » Now Sir, said Mr. Smith, «in this part of >t the report is not fair. The justice „° f P eace " as ""t there in his official ca « WaS there drunk Sir, and , he gave the firft blow Sit, to the man ; " who knocked him down." Mr. Smith had by the firft accounts of this election, been very much prejudiced against the ele&ion of the fitting member. But when' lie came to examine closely into the bulinefs, he declared that he had nev er known an election in the southern states where there was so little mifchief. He was sorry, for the honor of his part of the country, to give this account of it to the eastern members, but in point of com [ mon justice to Mr. Preston, they ought i be informed that a southern election i was quite a different fort of tranfa&ion from one of theirs. In the evidehce be i fore the house, it had been ftatcd that one person had been seen at the court : house with a club under his coat. " But " fir," said Mr. Smith, " 1 have known "Jive hundred voters aflembled, to have " clubs under their coats. So that if " such a circumllance is to set aside an " eledtion, the committee may begin by " dissolving mirre. If the committee are " to break up every ele&ion, where per " sons were seen drunk, they will have a " great deal of work upon hand Sir."— In what way were elections for southern members carried on ? A man of influence came to the place of election at the head of two or three hundred of his friends ; and to be sure they would not, if they I could help it, fuffer any body on the o ther fide to give a vote, as long as they were there. It was certainly a very bad cuflom, and must veiy much surprise an eastern member, but it was the custom, and perfe&ly known to be so, and there fore it was very injurious to hold up the conduct of Captain Preston, as a pretence for dissolving the elcftion. The beha viour of that young gentleman, when in sulted, bad been exemplary. in the midst of a riotous mob, he gave away his sword, that he might do no mifchief in that way. This was a great instance of moderation and presence of mind. The aspersions cast upon the chara&er of this officer, Mi-. Smith regarded as highly unjust and they might if not pro perly taken notice of, be extremely inju rious to his hopes of advancing in the service. Captain Preston had gone to the court-house as a private citizen, and he had a rig-lit to be there. A? to the menace of the soldiers that they could knock down one of Col. Trigge's voters, ■tKift wss vtfn yc" IJT.llin fiuiif tii'fi-ft l °g tliat they would do it. Were a man to have come up to Mr. Smith in the street and , fay, " I will knock you down fir," Mr. I Smith would be for striking that man ; but were he only to fay, " I can knock " you down fir," the expression would be quite different. But as to the affray that fell out, after the election was over, Mr. Smith asserted, that if the soldiers had killed all the country people, or the coun try people had killed all the soldiers, this had nothing to do with the merits of the election itfelf. And as to tins quariel, few young men had the temper of this officer (Capt. Preston) in ordering off his soldiers ; so that instead of the cen sure of that house, he deserved their praise. At his age, Mr. Smith would not have ordered his men off; and as to the censure on the military inserted in the report, he did not agree with it. It would be a very fine reason to be sure, to vacate a feat in that house, because one of the electors had been seen with a club *under his coat! Mr. Smith was sorry to 1 gire such a dtfeription to the Eastern members, of the manners of his country; but he did so, that he might hinder them from being hurt, at the facts brought for ward in the evidence. He concluded by reminding those members, that it would be ridiculous to measure one thing by a nother which was perfedly opposite ; or to judge of a Southern by the enftoms of an Eastern ele&ion. * Mr. Clark said that three days had now been spent upon this business. Lorn Jpceches did not alter the way in which members were to give their -votes, and they were therefore nothing but a loss of time —he wished for the question. Mr Macon said that there was no law to hinder the militia from attending elec tion as well as any body else. member fwor " « on M r.day) spoke for a few minutes. He aw no reason why another member (Mr. hurt b™tK °r - C i R inr p f C,rcUmftance °f a n Election S S ?r' g l ° the f P«ch of Mr. S. Smith he observed that there was a riot at the gentleman's own election and in his worfe - th - Riot Slll 4 Church—the-not was raised by I / i a magiilratc, who with hi's own hand , dragged one of the oppolite party cut 0 c e the Church. " And if you want ev! t dence of all th.s, faiO Mr. Gillon, I J myfelf, was present, and, can be aZ , - « nets." Mr Gillon- fcw s - reason Why there (hould be Aich a no ;r° } Ut thl ' 3 el^' on Particular, when o! f thers were jult as bad or a rrcat 5 7, rfe - member (Mr. P r f ftun) • duly qualified to bold his feat, and M t Gillon hoped that he would holdTt 1 ———— ™ From the General MvcrtiCer. t CIVIC FESTIVAL. j aasasvr'K'sgfc Ilrael, about three miles from town i > j" ; £" heui:ru ~ fcrf, ~"»Sbt » deprived the general meeting „f anuXrof - = about 800 citizens, among whom the°Gover^ - or and leveral olucers of the and Fede- I 8° v u e ™ ments attend «», alibied to St ; brate thole events which have in . r conducetd to consolidate French liberTvS . guarantee our independence. The MiV./f r and other officers of the French I the citizens with their company The flags of the filter rep.blx, Lrled ' and ornamented the feat of festivity, At two , the company partook of a plain yet pl tßtifu , repast, after wVich the following toasts were . drank, accompanied by universal marks of , I approbation. L I h , e Re P llbllc of one and indi visible—May her triumphs multiply until every day in the year be rendered a festi val in the calender of Liberty, and a .'aft In I the calender of courts. 11. The people of the United States—May each revolving year increale their detec tion of every species of tyranny and th»:r I vigilance to secure the glorious inheritance acquired by their Revolution. 111. The Alliance between the filler Repub- I lies of the United States and France— May I their un;on be as incorporate as light and I heat and their friendlhip as lasting as t ; me. IV. The Mountain—May tyranny be chaia- I ed at its foot, and may the light of Libtr t) - rem its fuinmit cheer aud illuminate I the whole world. IV. The Republic of Genca—May eveA j nation that values its I like tier tiie ft "citations andfefift tlie er of tyrants combined for the deilrueiie.n I of freedom and equality. VI. The great family of Mankind -Mav I the diftiniStion of nation and of langua' e I ■be loft in the afTociation of freedom and of friendlhip, till the inhabitants of the I various fedhons of the globe lhail be dif diftmguilhed only by their virtues and their talents. j VII. The Constitution of the United States —May its form and spirit be the ipvaria- I ble guide of all who administer it—may its authority never be proflituted for tin purposes of party nor its departments ille gally blended for the purposes of intrigue. V , The men of th e People—the mmo j rity the Senate—and the majority of the House of Representatives of the Uni ted States—May they on future, as on I past occasions, have wisdom to dtfeover and fortitude to refill every attack upon , I Constitution and rights of their.poun try, while they enjoy for their service* the patriot's true reward, the love and i I confidence of their fellow citizens. IX. A Revolutionary Tribunal in Great Britain May it give lesions of Liberty to , I her King, examples of justice to her Mi ni ftry, and Honeiiy to her corrupt Legit* I lature. X. The Armies of the French Republic- May they be invincible and unihaken till j by their glorious efforts Liberty and Peace, I exalted in the lame Triumphal Car, ihall I be drawn to the temple of Janus by the humbled tyrants who have dared to molest I them. I XI. The extin