Rutland herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1823-1847, 1836-01-05

shire on the subject Of slavery in the Disirct Of
Columbus, prcscnicd BY Mr.. Briggs. the debate
was this day arrested by call Tor the previous
question. and the petition ordered TO lic on
The table. The ayes and noes have been taken
repeatedly. bat in no insiase upon any question
Of nerds. This eyssive disposition Of the subject
has been voted sgains; in general by the Msssa.
cbusetts delegation who, u Is said were Of opin.
ion tina. the true way TO disposo Of the subject was
to refer ii IN the ordinary course Of legislation to
the Committee on The District Of Columtis. In
fact, every Northern man, from Pennsylvania on
eastward, who spoke on the subject, so far !
remember WAS Of this opinion.
Mr.. Adams made a short speech on the subject,
Monday, bu, without entering into The main sub
sianee Of it. Probably, however, he would have
spoken again, il the debate had not been cut short
BY The call for the previous question; for an OBJ
scrvatiou % his, in which he used the phrase of
"the sublime merits Of slavery" annoyed some Of
the Southern members and caused them to refer 10
him in a way TO provoke reply.
To day Mr.. Slade, Of Vermont, made a down.
right abolition speech lie took, however, u very
jus, aud true distinction bet seen the schemes Of
the sbol,,ionsts in general aud this particular OBJ
Ieci, the abolition of slavery aud the sldre trade in
the District of Columbia.
On this petition, the debates have been more
sensible and argumentatve than they were last
week Mr.. Jones and Mr.. Garland Of Virginia
both made speeches, impressive and manly in their
style, and free from the offensive ex,ravsgances
which distinguished those Of Mr.. Hammond, Mr..
Pickens and Mr.. Wise.
do not suppose your peole will hearken to any
advice on this matte. but, if they will look a,
the facts and read the debates, they will perceive
that good purpose is or can be answered. by
sending here any more Of these petitions. A fix
ed majority of the House have indicated deter
mined plan to have them laid on the table, and so
far as they can to suppress debate in reference to
them. This may be regarded as the Interchangeable
resolution of about two thirds of the House. To
what useful end, then, ask OF your members TO
present such petitions Members from Maine
Massachusetts, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and it may
be New York, and other Northern States, already
have number of these petitions in their hands
which, in obedience to their duty to their constitu-
ents and to preserve the constitutional right OF
petition unimpaired, they say they shall present
but they express a conviction, at the same time
that nothing is gained by it that it exposes them
selves personally to msconstruction and odium,
that 1t keeps alive pernlcous agitation, and that
it incidentally prewdcial to the best interests Of
the Union.
There is curious question, recently started
here, in reference to rail -roads as connected with
the mail. The Post Master General has cndeav-
ored, during the last season. to make arrangements
for the continuous transportation of the mail from
Washington to Boston by rail road and steam boat,
His plan is to have the mail 60 in forty or fifty
hours from city to the other. stopping only for
assortment in Baltimore Philadelphia and New
Nor Ruf his pla har hoap Jofo al L., A.
nigh price demanded by the rail road Companies
Several of these carry the mail as sub.ooi,ractors
at rate which gives profit TO the contractors :;
but they will not make any contract directly with
the Department on satisfactory terms.
The question then, is--Whether Congress have
power to take and use rail road just they have
any other road They have power, by the Cen
stl,uton, TO establish post roads. As practically
construed, this means, to select county or
state road river, turnpike, bridge other denom-
ination of highway, as the way, by or on which
the mail shall be conveyedl Have rail roads any
excurive privilege in this particulars Can they
say to the United States, you shall not convey the
mail on our road except you give our price Or
can the United States say 10 a rail road corpora
ton, we take your road in spite Of you, and estsb
lish it as post road, and upon it we run a mail
locomotive and mail car ct our own hours -
These are the two extremes. Which is the true
view of the subject, cannot presume to decide
1t is to be hoped there may be some way to recon-
clle the rights aud interests of both parties; for
the public convenience requires that the mail
should have the benefit of the accelerated speed
of rail roads. Amy collision between the United
States and the rail road companies is very much
to be deprecated for it would give tenfold force to
the cry of monopoly, which already has had, and
threatens for the future TO have, such a mischiey-
Gus effect on the prosperity of trade and industry
in the Northern and Middle States.
Gov. McDufhe in his late Message to the Leg
islature of Carolina, thus alludes to the affairs