or  any  committees  thereof,  for  or  against  the  passage  of  any
law  appertaining  to  the  rights  of  any  State  or  Territory."
Several  other  matters  were  included.  The  President,  in  a
letter  to  the  Pittsburgh  centenary  celebration,  of  the  25th
of  November,  1858,  speaks  "of  the  employment  of  money
to  carry  elections."  This,  also,  was  to  be  inquired  into.
This  was  received  by  suspending  rules,  by  a  vote  of  117  to
45.  Mr.  Hoard's  resolution  cited  the  fact  that  a  Repre
sentative  from  the  State  of  Pennsylvania,  Mr.  Hickman,
did,  on  the  12th  of  December  last,  on  the  floor  of  this
House,  make  this  statement:  "Mr.  Buchanan  could  not
purchase  me,  so  I  can  not  be  purchased  by  others.  I  have
already  been  offered  more  than  I  am  worth,  and  refused  to
sell  myself  at  that."

"On  the  same  day,  Mr.  Haskin,  a  Representative  from


vi.J         THIRTY-SIXTH  CONGRESS— FIRST  SESSION.         lir>

the  State  of  New  York,  on  the  floor  of  this  House,  made
the  following  statement:  'In  answer  to  this  (a  charge  of
being  one  of  the  mercenary  band),  Jet  me  say  that  no  one
knows  better  than  Mr.  Buchanan  himself,  the  utter  false
hood  of  this  charge,  for  he  endeavored  by  threats  and  by
seduction  of  patronage,  without  effect,  to  draw  true  men
away  from  the  path  of  duty.'

"And  on  the  14th  day  of  December  last,  Mr.  Adrian,  a
Representative  from  New  Jersey,  on  the  floor  of  this
House,  made  the  following  statement :  '  During  the  Le-
Compton  controversy,  I  was  approached  in  such  a  manner
as  shows  corruption  on  the  part  of  the  administration.'"

On  these  grounds,  Mr.  Hoard's  committee  was  ap
pointed.
