Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-03-12

Buchan1n,l II would SaSiy ''S H'S'H'' o
ought to satisfy the South A.
MI. Grundy expressed wish 10 aooress Inc oenaee
on the srb;sci before taking the question, and as the
hour was atc the Senate went into the consideration o'
Executive business after which II -
Adjourned. 81 -. -. -
Tuesday, lHareit5, 1896 -
IN SENATE. =.
The Chair communicated report from The i,su sur
Department, transmitting, in compliance WIN ,"e
luton Of The Senate, statement prepared ny 'c Iva
surer, of the balances in the Deposite Banks .,o
Also report omlhe same Department tIahsa ~ ,h
statements Of the affairs Of the Depose banAS W ~
first Of February last. oo,,;,,oo oc
MIR CLAY presented memorial from coininitre VI
managers of the Marine Hospital at Lou'ss,.t, n.y.
praying for aid from Congress TOR Ihaa anu a,rs ,n
tons Of similar character on the western aio
afer sew remarks from Messrs. Clay, Davis, Benton
and Porter the me mortal referred to the COMMITTEE
on Commerce and ordered to be printed
NJ Io;rb presented the petition OF the heirs Of &C.
nera William Campbell; when was referred 70 the CON
mittee on Revolutionary Caims.
Tbe senate proceeded to the consideration Of the
mortal Of the Society of Friends Of Lancaster county,
Pennsylvania the subject OF the abolition o! slavery
in the District Of Columbia.
1aIr. Grundy spoke at length the subject: his re-
marks will be given herea!ter]
MIR. Hubbard said that che paper from which he OBJ.
tained the information alluded in the hands OF the
Senator from South Carolina nearest to him. He would,
however, refer to the Senator from Ohio, (Mr Morrs
and he requested that gentleman TO state for the inior
nation Of the Senate what he knew in relation to the
Dir. Morris said he had distinct recollection Of
ing some proceedings Of :hc Ohio Synod, and also
recollection of the tenor of their resolutions They
10 him during the session OF that body, and they
aracted his attention because of his friends were
members it. These resolutions after condemning sa
very as moral evil, not to be tolerated in christian
world, declared that they would not permit their meet
lighthouses to be opened to preachers who were slave
holders and that they would not permit any member oil
the church. who held slaves, to hold communion with
them. He had not these proceedings with him then;
but if they necessary for the information of the
Senate before taking the question, he would bring them
to the Chamber and put them into the hands OF some
Senator in order that they might be made known He
felt this to be of some consequence frequent declara
tons had been made in the OF the debate, that
dissolution Of the Union would be the result OF Legislation
in certain way, the subject of the abolition OF sla
~. AS he deemed the subject Of importance to
the section of the country he represented as well as to
the Union, he would take occasion to express his views
on it before taking the question.
MIR. Kent had doubt that the prayer OF these pc
TONERS would not be granted lie maintained that the
guarantee of the right to petition, implied the right that
it should be received otherwise the guarantee vi the
right to petition would be but mockery. At the first
session of Congress- they had not been in session SIX
weeks, before they pctoncd upon this subject.
Congress then thought proper to receive the peous,
hut decided that they had power the sub ject.
He relied upon the intelligence and patriotism of tc
good people Of this Unon by the exercise OF reasOn TO
put stop to the Of this excitement. After much
reflection, he had to the conclusion, that Con.
and commented at some length on the deeds of cesson
and the Constitution, support Of that position Civ
ing Congress legislative Jurisdiction meant that it
should not be interfeed with by the States OF Virginia
and Maryland and was intended unrestricted pow
err other respects. In support Of which, he cited the
opinion Of Mr. Madison, and sundry decisions Of courts
He thought it they adopted the motion of the gentle.
from Pennsylvania, (Alr. Buchanan.) which was Il
strong measure, with some degree Of unanmity, it
would 60 far towards quoting these people, and prevent
them from sending any further memorials to Congress.
He alluded to the aPprehensons cncrtaed of the in
of abotonism-the open declarations of the abo-
ltioniss, that their object was, direct their efforts
10 reach the savc-hoding States, and the painful
events of last year. He adverted to the fact that il,
of the States North of the Potomac there were
number of slaves to show the great difficulty in get
ting rid of the few they lad had in those States in the
county in the State Of Maryland where he lived and
which adjoned the District Of Columbia, there were
about 100 slaves, 100 whites, and 1909 free
Their property IN slaves were of great value, and he
thought it unreasonable that they should be asked
oyeld it up to crafty the peculiar notions Of the abo!i
tioniss. If were yielded up it would be placing the
whites at the disposal of the blacks. Ii The thousand
slaves in this District, who valuable owners
and whose condition was now s-JUd and comfortable
as it could be- liberated they would be placed in
worse condition, as there cultivation here, any
means OF employment by which they could live lie al
luded to paper signed by Arthur Tuppun and others
IN opposition to the message of the President They
Informed them that they had three hundred and fifty
societies. PRESS and the means OF circulating their
in the most odious point Of view, in defiance u
the Post Office regulations lie thought Congress
should not hesitate 10 come 10 decision to check
these people in their mad career In doing lie thought
the better way would be- follow in the footsteps of
patriots that had gone before them and say them that
Congress had power to interfere in the Far
be 1t from me, said Mr. X to duplicate our Northern
feowctizens in improper course. He gave full Gre
dence to the declarations Of honorable Senators here
and intelligent gentlemen elsewhere, that they would
not interfere on this subject II for the enuctmcn,s
OF each State TO provide for the ameioraon Of the
dtion Of slaves within its limits if there was any need
Of such amclioratiou. MIR. X. closed with few re-
marks, and by citing the Of McCowen and Of
oughborough, in relation 10 the of the urisdic-
ton OF Congress as the local Legislature of the District
Of Columbia
a majority Of the people Of Ohio. the subject of abo-
lon, were such would be considered sound in the
estimation Of the Senators from the South. 1t was well
understood that the opinions Of Ohio against sa-
very in the abstract, but the opinion was almost unan-
NOUS there that Congress had not the power to Interfere
with the subject OF slavery in the slave holding States
few OF the people Of that State believed that Congress
possessed the power to abolish slavery in the District
Out these constituted but very small minority He did
not believe that ftlieth part of the population of
Ohio were in favor of either of the two projects In
Short the sentiment against abolition was so prevalent
among them, that he regretted to say outages had
been committed against the aboonis.s This had hap
pened, though, in only two instances.
With respect 10 the two propositions before the Sc
nate to the manner of disposng Of the memorial h.
could not with the Of The Senator from South
Carolina because was not in accordance with the OPT
MONS of the people of his State, and involved constu-
tIonal objections The right of petition was secured by
the Constitution, and the rejection of the one before
them would be violation of that right; at all events
even the question doubtful the refusal to receive
would present issue, and lead to mischirf lie
therefore could not vote for it. He was equally opposed
70 the motion of the Senator from Pennsy ivalna 10 re-
est Inc petition without assigning the for so do
ing; because such course, taken with REASONING and
thinking people, such these memoalists were would
NOT % treating them with proper respect He thought
therefore, that, with the rejection of the memorial there
70 DC the reasons for it distinctly given aud spread