Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1836-04-21

r. IS~a n5alEf IL $3.50
question of reception. Lcf us now fgrnd
our eyes for a.nhomEnt to- the pnt,reiofsthe
right, which 1feaT, we size about To- abandon,
with-the view TO- hseertai6w what must Iethe1
consequence if%wees,rrenaer Il. q
Ofsthe rights belonging toa deliGeta.sa
;bodysI know Of. none. more or
moro Indispensable TO- aypfoperI,ertSrtian
of its lupctisns, than the yilglit 10 deteTinihes
;Nsliat. ii shall exieua,i its Jurisdictions. 5nndI9S
what it sball.dircct It's, dc%ilberation and 1o-;
ton. 1t is. lhetirst md; universal dawofai 1
such bodies, andextends neutrality-suspicious.,
burt 10 reports, tobills, nndSresolptiJhs sSari
ed only in tho two latter in the f6rnl If HE
question. Itmay be; cdplpnfel TO the lInc--
ton in the animal economy, with Which uH:
living creaturessare cndowed,. ~ofSselccting,
through the instinct of taste, what 10 receive
or 10 reject, ton which the p~reserraiiop of
their Acknowledgements DcPriuc them Of
this function, and the pnisonous,ti ms well rs.
the wholesome, would be indifferently receiy4,
ed into their system. So withYdeliberatG
bodies ;1dcprive them of the essential and
primaryrigh,s 10 actcrniinc at fhefrplcasure
WHIT TO receive or h~reicct, and they would,
becomes hc passive receptacle, indiilcrenily,@
of al that is frivolous, absurd, unconstitu-
tional, immoral, and impious, as we'll as
What may properly demand their dclibcra-
ton and raclioh. Establish this m6nstrous.
This impious principle, (as;it would prove
consequence? To what would we commit
ourselves !? If n petition sh1uldb be present.
cd praying the abolition Of the Constitution,
(Which VIC are all bound by our oatl, To pro-
teci0 according 10 this alioIninable doctrine,
it must he received. So, if it was prayed,
the abolition of the Dccalo9uc, or of the
Bible itself / go farther. If the abolition
societies should be converted into a bodyof
Atheists, and should ask the passage of a
law DENYING the existence Of the Almighty
Being above us, the Creator Of all, accord
ing to tllis blasphenous doctrine, we should
be bound to receive the petition, To lake iu-
riSdiction of it. | ask the Senators from
Tennessee and Pennsylvania (Mr. Grundy
and MIR. Buchanan) would they vote to re-
ceive such n p%etiiion2 i wait not an answer.
They would Instantly ~rejectit with loailrl
ing. What then becomes Of the unlimited,
unqualified, and universal obligation 10 re-
ceive petitions, which they SO strcnuously.
maintained, and TO which they are prepared.
to sacrifice the, constitutional rights of this
body !
shall now descend from those hypo,he-
~ = w itS III UCltTS
the Senate. What then must be the con-
sequences Of receiving :tllis petition, on the
principle that we are bound to receive il and
MI similar petitions whenever presented !
| have continued this question calmly in all
its bearings, and do moi hesitate.to pronounce
that 10 receive, would be to The abOliti0nis1s,
all that tho most %sanguinc could for the pres
ent hope, and to abandon all the oliiwnrks
upon which we of the South rely for our de-
fence against their attacks here.
No one can believe that the fanatics, who
have flooded this and The other House with
their lRtifions, entertain the slightest hope
that Congress would pass a law at this time
10 abulisl, slavery in this DISTRICT. Infatu-
atcd as they are, they must see that public
opinion at tho North ia not yet prepared Tor
so decisive Il step, and that seriously 10 at
fcnfrti.~no~-would ho fatal s9a ihnir, Il ause :
SxYlat then do they hope? What but that
Congress should take Jurisdiction of the
subject of abolishing slavcry-should throw
open TO the a~bolitionists the hills of lcgisla-
ton, and enable them 10 establish a pcrma-
ncnt position within their walls, from which
hereafter to carry IN INTERPRETATIONS against
the institutKnseof the slave-holding States.
II we receive this petition, all these advan-
tagcs will be realized 10 them TO the fullest
extent Permanent jurisdiction would i've
assumed over the subject OF. slavery, nor
only in this DISTRICT but in the States them
selves. whenever the aholi,ionists might
choose to ask Congress by sending their pc
titions here, for the abolition Of slavery in
the States. s@We wonldbe bound to receive
such petitions, and by receiving, would be
fairly pledged TO delibefatc and decide on
them. Having succeeded in this point
most favorable position would be- gained.
The centre of, operations would be transfer
red from Nassau Hall tothc Halls of Com
gross. To this common centre, the incea-
diary publications Of The abolitionists would
flow, in the form of petitions, TO be received
and preserved among the public records
Here the subject Of abolition would be agi-
tated session after session, and from hence
the assaults on the property and institutions
Of the people of the sldvc-holding States
would be disseminated ,inthe guise o fspccch-
es, over the whole Union. a. s.
Such would be the advantages Welded 10
the abolitionists. In proportion to their eainI
would be our loss. What would be Yielded
to them, would be taken from US. Our true
position, that which is indispensable to our
defence here, is thai Congress has no legiti-
mate jurisdiction over The subject Of slavery,
either here or elsewhere. The reception
Of this petition surrcnders this commanding
position yields the question of jurisdiction,
sosimportant to the cause Of abolition, and
so injurious 10 us; colnpels It's to SIT in silence
TO witness the assaults on our character and
institutions, or TO ensage in an idle contest
instheir defence. Such Rc0nfest is beyond
h,ortal endurance. We must inSthe end be
humblcd, degraded, broken down, and worn
out.
The Senators from the slave-holding
States, who most unfortunately have COM
mitted themselves to vote for receiving these
incendiary petitions, tell us that whenever
the attempt shall be made to abolish slave
ny, tlleY will Join with us To- repcI it. [