Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1837-06-20

House. nat oil Mr. lngersoll was, IN lis last
mutation, reduced to this shape:
AN inquiry having been made by an honor
able gentleman from Massachusetts, whether
a paper which he held in his hand, purporlng
to be petition from certain slaves, and decla-
ring themselves TO be slaves, came within the
order OF the House Of The 18th Of January, and
the said paper not having been received by the
Speaker, he stated that, ~ case SO cxtraordi- !
nary and novel, he would take the advice and
counsel Of the House.
Resolved, That this House cannot receive /
said petition without dsregarding its own dig 1
nny, the rights of a large class Of the citizens
OF the South and w est, and the Constitution /
OF the U. 81
You will remark, that while the preamble |
recitcs my inquiry OF the Speaker, as the rea-
son tor the resolutions, yet the resolution itself
evades answering my inquiry. My question
was whether the petition came within the or
der oil the 18th Of January. The answer is |
that the House cannot receiUe said petition, SC.
1t is no answer at all. The Speaker had al
ready decided that two petitions presented by
me and not receiued, were included in the or
der OF the lSth of January-and therefore the
fact that the petition from slaves had not been
received, afforded no reason for excluding it
from the operation Of the order of the 18th Of
January. | moved as an amendment 10 Mr..
|
of January should be inserted in it word for
word, followed by declai alton that the petit
ton from slaves was not within the order of
the House, and asked him TO accept this as n
modification Of his resolution, which he decl-
ned. lie said he would give his reasons for
declining, if desired, but he gave none. His
resolution was carried by the previous qnes-
ton, but if you will read his resolution, as it
would have read with the insertion of the order,
you will not need 10 inquire what his reason
was.
The resolution contains the averment of
three distinct propositions, declaring that the
House could not receive the petition, without
disrcgardng,
l. Its own dignity.
3. The rights Of large class OF the citizens
of the South and West, and
3. The Constitution of the U. S.
How the House could disregard its dignity
by receiving petition, is beyond my compre-
hension. The only reason assigned for it is
the condition of the petitioners, because they
are SLAVES. The sentiment, in the bosom of a
ny free American, that one sixth part of his
coun.rymen, are by the accident of their birth,
deprived even of the right Of prayer, is degra-
ding enough TO human nature; but that be-
cause in one portion of this Union the native
American, becomes by descent from African
an cestry, an outcast of human nature, classed
with the brute creation, within the boundaries
OF the State in which he was born, therefore, it
is beneath the dignity of the General Legisa-
tive Assembly of n nation. Coundinp its exis.
tence upon the natural and inalienable RIGHTS
of man, to listen TO his PRAYER. or even TO re-
ceive his petition. is an opinion to which I
trust YOUR INDICTMENTS will never assent. and
sentiment which YOUR hearts will reject with
DISGUST.
The rights of n LARGE class of the citizens of
the South and West.'-It is irnnossible that
the rights o! one man should be disrerardcd
by receiping the petition of another. II is the
yiqht of the House of Representatives TO ro-
/ ceive the petition of any human being. native
. or foreigncr. bond or free. The recent of n
petition is no earnest of the compliance with
r It's prayer In the present case the allegation
e that the House could not receiye the petititn
without disreoardinu the RIGHTS of n large class
o the citizens Of the South and West. was in
r every possible sense of the words untue-ror
{ had the petition been received. il would nv the
order OF the 18th of January have been laid on
C the table, without BEING read. or printed. or re-
s ferred, and without further action of the House
f upon it. How could that be construed into n
c disregard ofihe rights of the citizens of the
: South and West ? Yet more--hod the ne,;.
i ton been moi only received but read printed
n referred. there could have been in ali This mo
o disregard of the robts of the citizens Of the
: South and West, for the petition was not fol
c but against the abolition of slavery in the Dis.
. trict Of Columbia. It was The voice of slaves
s hugging their chains and PRAYING that they
s might not be broken. II was impossible thai
!, ana action of the House upon that petition
0 whether of compliance or refusal, could in any
e manner impair any rights of any citizen OF The
C South or West.
= Nor was Mr. Ingersoll more fortunate in hi.
: third avermeni that the house could not receip,
}. the petition without disregardine the consiitu.