Litchfield enquirer., 1837-01-19
ExGs.-zu.
WaaHrnaro1r. Jan. 0.

BCtlerallY known m OouBISSS, UT III u'S @AS.,70 , of Representatives, as petition day: The process of receiving petitions is' to Degin wii;, Maine and proceed through the several States in inc Union. Maine and New-lIamp- 6hire were passed to-day, when Mir. Adams wns seen to take the floor, as the first mem. her from Massachusetts. The countenauce of the Ex-President indicated his errand, and all present were prepared for n storm. Il coon came, and was visible to all, as Mr. Ad. ans announced, so ahdibiy hnd so distinctly as to be heard in every part of the House that he held in his hand c petition praying fo' tht Abolition T SldUeyy iH lhe DiSirici of Co IWWsbtd. This, however, was less than ths smallest cloud compared with the rcd anC lowering sky that soon spread itself over th' House. Mir. Adams was by no means satis fed with the mere presentation of the peti 9iOn, but immediately proposed that tke psti tiOn De read. It needed but this proposition or one like it to open the yes, ears and mouth of all present. Such was the prelude of the storm which for an hour ragged furiously among the members of the House, and par ticularly with the Speaker of the House. wAo was as much excited as in the mcSL otsI:oer- ly scenes of the last session. MF. Adams was called to order first, by one i11emoer.- AdamS.like, he needed not tbc call, though It came in loud voice and Clothed with author- {tv, tlc, more than he would heed the croak- 1nes of a frog. He was proceeding with his remarks. evidently designed to be saucy and take effect. when second call was made, and with the sane result. From one and two calls to order, the cry became general. The House was scene of uninterrupted turmoil. IOrder, order, ORDER, ORDER" was deman. ded by one part of the House, and cries of ~silence, silence," echoed back by the other side. The confusion was general, and re- minded me of the same scenes growing out or the same subject at the last session. MT. Ad- ams's foes demanded order, and the friends of Mr. Adams were no less loud in making the same demand. The members of the House, almost CD asGsse, were engaged in the very pretty farce of calling each other to or- der. and each party laboring to excel the other in the use and strength of its lungs The cries of order came from one, only to be immediately echoed back by another. The more vociferous the demand for order, the greater was the disorder which followed.
 In the mean time, MT. Adams was as angry as chained bear. Speak he would, and speak he did, first by proclaining in voice louder than the Stentorian lungs around him, that the petition was worthy to be read that 1t contained the sentiments of Liberty, and came from Freemen, and that to oppose 1t and him was an attack upon the liberty of speech. . I will read it myself" said he, and contain ing as the petition did, but two or three lines which expressed a continued determination on the part of the petitioners to send petitions to Congress year after year-he read t aloud, and it was distinctly heard in the galleries, above the screams and yells of the multi tude below.
 The Speaker in the mean time was in trouble, hallooing, begging, screaming, scold- ing, and threatening, and rapping his heavy hammer upon his desk. All for time was to no purpose. The Previous Question, how ever, in the course of an hour was put to the House, and sustained.
 "Shall the petition be received" was the question now before the House. and perhans one of the most important questions now be- fore Congress. The ayes and noes were de- termined, and the petition was received.- Ayes 137-noes 75; being the largest vote of the session. The petition by ayes and noes was then laid on the table. Mir. Adams. how ever, nothing daunted, followed with sec ond petition, and soon after with third. The whole question is therefore before the House Underwood of Ky, Reed of Mass, and By mum of North Carolina, have spoken upor the question.-N. Y Express.
 We annex the account of the scene relatct above as reported for the Courier & Enqui 1eT:-
 ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN D. c.
 MT. Adams presented the petition of l5 scomen, residents of his immediate district praying Congress to abolish slavery in tn, District of Columbia. MT. A. moved tho reading of the petition.
 Mr. Glascock, of Georgia. objected to its reception.
 MT. Adams expressed his conviction that it was the bounden duty of the House to re- ceive the petition.
 Mir. Boon asked, if under the rule, the pc- tition must not lie over.
 The Speaker said, that under decision made during the last Congress, the question of reception was debateable at the time the petition was presented.
 Mr. Adams expressed his surprise at tho objection made to the reception of the peti tion, because one of q similar character had already been presented by him and receired At the last session of Congress, it had been decided that petitions of this description should be received, and, by a special order, the House had pointed out the manner in which they should be disposed of. Under that precedent, he considered this petition should be received. The decision of the House at the last session had gone quite far enough towards suppressing the right of pcti. ton and the freedom of speech. But the proposition now was to go ono step further and to settle the question that petition oi this importance could not be presented or re. ceived. This was proposition directly a, variance with the Constitution of the U. s. and he hoped the citizens of this country would be spared the modification and injus. tlce which would be inflicted upon them by Its adoption. It was true that all freedom of speech, of discussion, and of the press on this