Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-01-19


tue petitions was clearly within the power OF Congress
ana one upon which this body could act whenever in
,er opinion wsr necessary for such scton to DO had
re was wen convinced that the rcti,oncrs entertained
the saiEe opisca with himself un.n this subipct. aud
that they tad IN good faith sen, their pet,ns TO Con-
Sss "'o WIN equal good faith they believed il was
'he guy OF congress 10 provide means BY which slave
W and The slave trade should be abolished in this Ds
TleL ne question is, have these petitioners the
ttght 10 DC heard hy this BODY who possess primary
13mpe'e and exclusive legisaii upon this subject a.
ihis right, he said secured to them in the mos,
T anss oy inc provisions Of the Constitution IT.
Ina. instrument deprives Congress OF all power 10
make any law to abrdge this right the Constitution re-
cognsing the right as original and inherent and docs
"a the slightest degree, permit Congress TO interfere
withit as right. Upon this constitutional nrovison
me petitioners have placed their feet as upon a
rock, which cannot be moved but in The cxerc;sa
oil this right, he willing to admit that ,eoncrs
ought 10 observe that dccorum wbc is 10 Tho
vsy eA siencc oil society He would contend that
IL pet were presented o this body. containing
seurrious language and abuse of Senate or any one
% ITS members, that ought received but the
senate mad ample security in this matter as no pe
,ion could be presented but through of its members
nut is objected in this case that the petitioners ,
ee.n we language OF their petitions un,varran
aoy on sovereign States, we'll individual citizens
oil those States He said if the right of pettoning Con-
g,ess was deemed Of so much Importance as to be de-
ciarcd by the Consultation, tight which Congress-
should not abrdge with what proprctv then shall one
branch OF Congress undertake 10 declare that petitions
shall not be received the ground that the bec yhic
the petitioners seek obtain is not in the mower 81 g.,
gress TO grant, that the words used bv the
are such as ought to be heard He wonld ,sL @
Yemen ths was not abridging the right of petition
II congress could prescribe the matter and form in which
petitions should be presented, he thought there was
Ut once an end to the right of peoE,ng He said he
could difference in principle i'm Srescr;hna H.
manner In which an act should be done aud in
ing IL altogether. Ii seemed him. that tho ocrine
conended Tor, would hold thus far The petiions now
presented, pray the action of Congress upon sub;cc,
oyer winch Congress alone has the power of Legislation
They have expressed themselves in this attes in s,c
language as they Judged proper for the occason this
their inherent right the liberty of speech is theirs with
outfestrant and they subject for its abnse ONLY r.,
no
ground that in attempts make petitions noI,,ah
10 we do not abrdge the sacred right of petit
uoning his he was would be con,e ended for
by any Senator In this belief he found ,bo,
.ne Pettons would be received, and the motion of the
gentleman fail. Ii necessary that he shouIJ or
press his opinion of the effects that would follow CON
trnry course. " con-
Mr. Porter felt that he should bat lily perform his du
TO ms constituents, il he permitted this subject to pass
without noticing by few remarks And frs, ne H.,
remarks OF the Senator from Ohio (Mr. Morris he
agreed with him that his constituents wished to oace
their feet on the Constitution and if the pentcn,n L.d
iooked into and fully considered all the
that might from memorials he could no, H.,
himself feel that he had been putting his foo, ON The
Constitution in presenting them The gentleman had
made one remark which he had heard elsewhere that bv
refusing the right of petition there was no
they might 60 No man could value more highlv Than
ne did the right of the people peaceably to assemble and
Peton Tor redress OF grievances. IL was right which
his vote should always sustain But he should be clad In
know how the motion OF the gentleman from ) Ca1on,
or the vote ne was about to give it, could be consider
ed as restraining the right of peton9 Did The same
power which conferred petitioners the riobt TO naIe
petitions also confer Congress the right to reject
~ on examination their prayer should be found unrea
sona6le and UNJUST and if they had this right had hcv
not also the right say once? Did the penteno1
want petition to be carried to a committee and do,he
rated on when 1T contained language grossly rejecting
the people of the South; people as nure nd 40 ';s
tuons MS any the face of the Globe' Were thew 70
take petitions couched in such language and co,n,;,
them before rejecting them? He for his part wonId NOT
suffer these tanatcs and than fanatics 10 come
mere ana tell them that the people he represented were
Observation-Disclosures
There was another reason why they should refuse
10 receive these petitions They proposed TO take ava,
the property of the people of this District The GOOD
people OF ONO were exceedingly kind to wish 10 et,an
clpate The slaves OF this District TO take away from,
widows and orphans because the abernacles OF Ohio
were endued with extraordinary spirit of pIilaDthro
Py RE knew what wanted by these aboIitionists
Ihey wanted to get some Legislative action here with re
sard TO slavery In this District for the purpose ofbearng
on the Legislatures of the South But they were mis-
taken Dad they suppose that they could ever induce
the people ct the South to give up the property ac
CURED from their ancestors and by their own industry p
INA lhey suppose that because they had the example of
the British Islands before tem where the mother conn
try had been worked on by Hypocrisy naticsn and The
most profound Ignorance, that they ever could eact
their objects III the South? Did they suppose that tcv
could found any thing on what had passed the other
side OF the water! Did they suppose that the Island
ers would ever, of themselves, have consented 10
the emancipation of their slaves if the measure had
not been forced upon them by the mother country -
NOS they never would; and il would be vain for The
abotonsts to hope for any thing of the kind from
the South With respect to these petitions he was for
rejecting them at Was he to be told that in don
so he was rejecting the right Of petition? This was
painful subec and he wished to avoid it, bot he should
be traitor the State he representa- f he
that these petitions should be presented there from dav
to day containing the gTossest ISLANDERS on the whole
Southern country, and calculated keep alive that
citement OF which they had already had too much
(Det4te to be contaued)