Speech #430000904

I am lookinz simply to the question of law as my judgment conceives it. and I intend upon that judgment to cast my vote. shutting out of view all apprehended dangers. Another collateral matter is raised by an interrogatory propounded the other day by the Senator from Pennsylvania to the Senator from Missouri. when he was addressing the Senate. The question was this. as I remimemnber. and if I be in fault I hope the Senator from Pennsylvania will correct me: When the Senator from Missouri was discussing the power of the House of Representatives to investigate the acts of the lecotors of the members of that branch of Congress. the Senator from Pennsylvania sked him whether a committee of the flouso of Representatives. or the House itself. could investigate the fact that an elector for a meniber of the House had procured his naturalizationpapers by bribig a member of the court. What hearing has that upon this ease? It has none. and yet it is calculated to mislead. nless we understand the import of the question . and I now propose to show the parallel between the case put by the Senator from Pennsylvania and the case of an elector of a Senator to this body. The House of Representatives cannot investigate that question. and why ? The action of the court in grantlag the naturalizationpapers is a judgmentof that court. Apetition is presented by a party desiring to be n aturalized . the facts are brought to the knowledge of the court. the court passes upon the facts. and that becomes a judgment of thecourt. and it is a very wellsettled principle of law that you cannot in any collateral proceediog attack the judgment of a court. This rule would hold in the investigation whioh would be instituted by the oIue of Representatives. But now comes the parallel. When that elector has been natiralized and he casts his vote. then the house of Representatives may inquire whether that vote was obtained by bribery. They cannot go baek of his naturalization . but when he becomes an elector. and stands upon the same footing as a nativeborn citizen. yon can investigate the thet as to whether he has been bribed. just as in the case of one nativeborn. And so as to an elector for a Senator. While you canmot go back of the act that makes that man an elector in the legislature. yet when he becomes an elector. when be is seated as a niemaber of the legislature of the State by the adtion of that legislature. then his act as an elector may le the subject of investigation. and yon may inquire in that case. as in the case of an elector of a membe of the popular braeh of Congress. as to whether his vote has been induced by bribery.