The Northern Congress.--the Pan-Handle traitors Assume to represent Virginia!
In the
Washington House of Representatives, on the 4th inst., after the election of
Galusha A. Grow to the Speakership, the following individuals were sworn in as
Representatives of the State of Virginia: John S. Carlile,
C. H. Upton,
R. V. Whaley,
G. Pendleton and
W. G. Brown.
We copy from the proceedings as they afterwards transpired:
Mr. Cox, of
Ohio, objected to
Mr. Charles H. Upton being recognized as a member of this body.
He was in possession of authentic and perfectly reliable information that
Mr. Upton--who is a native of
New Hampshire--was and is a citizen of
Ohio, where he but recently published a newspaper, and where, so late as last fall, he voted.
Mr. Upton's right to vote in
Ohio had than been challenged, but he asserted his citizenship in that State, and was allowed to vote.
Mr. Cox said he had no other object in agitating this question than to vindicate the decency and dignity of the
House.
Mr. Upton admitted that he had voted in
Ohio, as alleged, and that he had, until lately, published a paper in
Ohio; but he had not been in that State, except on an occasional visit, for five months, and for many years he had been a resident of the
State of Virginia.--He was glad, however, that when the country was reeling with anarchy, the gentleman should be so desirous of vindicating the decency and dignity of the
House.
Mr. Burnett, of
Kentucky, also protested against the admission of those claiming to represent
Virginia here.
In their claim were involved questions of the gravest importance.
If
Virginia was yet in the
Union, as some contended she was, then the power of the State Convention to prohibit, as is aid, the Congressional elections on the 23d of May, must be conceded, and there gentlemen, a portion only of whom were elected on the day legally fixed for such elections, can have no standing here; but if they come as delegates from a new State, then their recognition and admission would carry with it the assumed power of this body to admit new States.
One of these gentlemen is according to his own confession, a citizen of the
State of Ohio, yet he claims to represent
Virginia here in regulating citizenship within her boundaries.
He had no desire to appear factions, but would act resolutely in accordance with his conscientious convictions of duty.
All that he desired was to get a direct vote of the
House upon the question.
Mr. Burnett was several times interrupted by
Messrs. Morrill of
Maine,
Stevens of
Pennsylvania, and
Lovejoy, with points of order, but replied that he based his proceeding upon higher grounds than the rules of this
House — upon the
Constitution.
He moved that the credentials of the gentlemen claiming to represent
Virginia be submitted to a committee with instructions to report, &c.
Mr. John S. Carlile, of
Virginia, said he could not permit his right to represent his constituency here to be brought into question by the acts of gentlemen from another section of the same State.
The only question involved in his case was whether the State Convention, which had been created by the Legislature, was empowered to annul a law of the Legislature.
By the laws of
Virginia, the Congressional election is fixed on the fourth Thursday in May; and upon that day his constituents, disregarding the ordinance of the State Convention, which they knew to have been tyrannical and illegal in that relation, elected him, with but twenty-three dissentient voices, to represent them in Congress; and his colleague, Win.
G. Brown, from the adjoining district, was also elected in a like manner upon the same day.
Calls for the previous question upon
Mr. Burnett's resolution were made by
Messrs. Washburne and
Richardson of
Illinois.
Mr. Cox moved to lay the resolution upon the table, and upon this motion
Mr. Burnett demanded the yeas and nays, but his call for them not being seconded, the motion of
Mr. Cox was adopted
viva voce. 
