Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-01-23

Of the constitution to cndunger the Union, and If per-
sisted in destroy the peace and prosperity OF Tie c0u
try Therefore, $3.50,
Resolced That in tine opinion Of this House. the sun
ec of tho abolition Of slavery in the District OF Cou-
bia ought not be entertained BY Congress- ana H. -
further resolved, that i'll case any petition P[ay,S ~" s
hereafter presented it is the deliberate opinion OF Tue
House that the same ought TO be laid upon the table,
without being referred or printed. !
The question before the House being The amendment
of Mr.. Wise
MIR. Huscy said he would have supported the mGt'on
of the gentleman from Virginia MIR. Wlsc} had 1t ors
presented al proper time. lie was willing 10 meet t'G
constitutional question whenever it should be prcsehr1
in proper manner, but it moi his nent!on 10 Z"
into the merits of the question al present The ps"F,c
he had the honor to REPRESENT and h. believed iic Wie
people Of the South believed the Constitution OF t:ie
IT, s. granted power cgis!ac this subject The
position his State occupied prevented MIA from
gazing further in this matter. lie was oi opinion tiir
Subject should be disposed of by ca"g Jr tIe yeas and
nays without discussion 1t ought to BE- rc"iirc! '!'a
this deep and pervadlng question: He South
knew the rights which belonged to thcm. aud it was
hurLly necessary for him TO say that they would maintain
those rights We have the voice 81 history to warn us
how 10 proceed in this matter. The discussions IN The
French legislature had their influence in The nsurrrc
ton in the West Indies. He had noticed this crcun
stance merely as additional motive for drawing this
exciting and agitatlng question 10 close.
| The resolution of the grnIlenlA from Alane, (hr
Jacyis) would have cpuci!iarg influence lc South
the terms of the rrsoiu ru LrInm that the agitation o!
the question calculated disturb the compromises
of the Constitution. 1t not inconsistent with tn"
resolution Of the gentleman from Virginia; ana he was
willing to 90 for that resolution also ut the proper time.
There could be but opinion relation to the reso!u
ton Of tic gentleman from Maine, and he thought tia!
by adopting it, would discharge utloS to our
county. lie did net think that The arnanlent of the
gentleman o!n Virginia could BE- sustained IN It's pre-
shape because 1t would be striking out the IAN
guage Of the gentleman from Maine, and inserting tile
constitutional question. God forbid that tho existence
! r,.,Il hon mars
matter Vi propriely H. VOID say i'll conclusion, that
he would support the original resolution OF the gentle
man from Maine, hut whenever gentlemen should see
properlo present the constitutional question III proper
| manner, he would sustain their views
Mr. Halves said the people he had the honor to repre-
sent vie wed the subject before the House with as
great attention and deep interest as perhaps, any ot the
people. lie had regretted that the discussion OF tile SUD
ecl should be carried o., because III his view every
speech made was calculated 10 create an impression IN
the minds Of the aboiiioniss that they were prosecuted
He believed the Consequences to be dclecrious, let dis
custom from whatever quarter II might, "nelef
from the East, North, South, West. Viewing the dis
cussion as deiccrious every part Of ts great
icdctncy he felt himself bound to demand the previous
| question
Mr. pcyon rose and asked the gentleman to withdraw
| The motion.
MI HAYES said, cannot Withdraw, Sir, have given
my for the notion and feel compelled to insist
upon it.
The motion for the previous question not seconded
| by the Huusc-Aycs 30, Noes Un.
| Mr. Pevtnn had hoped the gentlemen of the South
would meet The only question they wished TO
presented there, that vas the question of power, not Of
| expedicncy. Would any gentleman 60 home to the
South aud tel his constituents that they mi ht enjoy
life, liberty and prosperity, because 1t was not expedcnt
to touch il? He would assure gentlemen that the mere
declaration CT inexpedcncy with regard to The Dstrctot
Columbia would he insufficient to tranIGlze the South,
aud they deceived themselves if they thought Mr..
T. then referred TO The recc:t speech Of Mr. Adams, and
the message Of Governor Marcy in relation to the spe-
cia message Of Governor Gayle part Of which he read
This he SAID, would show what the South had 10 expect
from Northern feeling and Northern people lie would
put the Of the guilt Of the incendiary being clear
beyond doubt and that murders without number had
been committed through him his agency; yet upon the
po.ition assumed by the Governor Of New York, hr
could not BE- punished, because he did not commit the
crimes within Tie Limits Of the State i'll which he resided.
Mr. p contendrd tina: this coniiccd with that clause nt
the Constitution Of tie l. ted SlalrS winch provided
for the surrender o! uitiveS from justice The OF
an incendIay firing from mortar across State line,
could be done with punily according to that position,
if there law III the Stale OF New York, to meet
| that particular case.
! Mi F. maintained that the who committed crime
at distance against State, just anenabe 10 The
laws OF the State hr had outraged, if he had commit
ted the ACT within the limits Of the State. lie just
much fled from Justice the criminal vino from The
State Mr. T. then read the opinions of MIR. Van Buren,
on al amendment the CONSTITUTIONS in relation TO the
abolition vi slavery within the District # Columbia,
tanned in the letter fro the Hon. Sas Wright to Io;.
ltitcic ES; and also the letter Of Mr. Van Buren, 10
Samuel Cwin OF Mississippi to shaw that Mr.. Y. B.
reserved the power in the States this species Of pro-
perty and that could not be touched without amend
neu to the Constitution. Mr. =. denied that it could
lie ancutcd under any circumstances and the time
was come when they must Come up and meet this
question. He then read an extract IRON letter Of
Mr. Butler, the Attorney General TO Hugh i. Garland,
Of Virginia. respecting the meeting at lbuny the sub
ec slavery West OF the Mississippi in tie year 1919,
and Mr.. Van Burens on that OCCASION tie also
dilaed the proceedings OF the n York Legislature in
nutM IN ihp IIDirD
regarded the question of slavery, in which Mr.. V. 3.
voted for the preamble and resolution, declaring that
Congress git exclude slavery from New States, be-
fore their admission into the Union MIR. T. then refer
red to publication he had received few days since,
| titled supplement 10 the Pioneer, from which ne read
sandry long extracts maintaining the right OF Congress
to suppress slavery in the Territories and in the District
| OF Columbia. There hundreds Of thousands OF
abolition publications issued from the State of n. York,
act which punishable III The Southern States, but
the criminal could not be reached because he resided
within the limits of other States; yet gentlemen from
the South, told that the North sound on this su;
ect He compared the conduct Of the abotlonsls with
that Of armament Of private citizens, against OF
the republics Of South America. " li"n such thing
about take place, with regard to Texas, he said,
the President OF the United States promptly issued his
proclamation agans. the design; but proclamation
no message letter had been forth against these
societies. who consprns warfare against The insti-
tutons Of the South
Nh P drew picture Of the condition of the slaves
Of the South contasted with tho aborers of tho North,
and commented great length upon the above publica
ton or address OF the Antslavcry Society. lie main
tanned that the only way to meet the question: to vote
for the amendment Of the gentleman from Virginia.
Amy thing less than this, would be ''shirkng" the ques
ton; would be evadingit The question of expediency
would not now do. lie believed there fixed deter
inuon TO battle the question; and he called upon the
gentlemen OF the South not to suffer it TO he batlied.
| MIR. Bouldin said the difference in form
than in substance for could doubt what every
Southern man believed this subject. There was ia
natcism both North and South; and he knew there was
general crusade against slavery at that time, and argu
nent was almost useless. Upon the question of const