Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-01-12
On motion of MIR. Benton,
The Senate went into the consideration Of Executive
business; and, alter spending some time therein,
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,.
FOREIGN AUTHORS


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
FOREIGN AUTHORS.
Mr.. Adams inquired il there was any member OF ths
House who charged with petition from The "a Il
thors Of Great Britain The why he had made
the inquiry was that he bad received letter from very
by printed address and petition Of certain authors o
Great Britain ~ the Senate and House Of Representa-
tlvcs al the United States Of America. He thought ii
probable that some other gentleman might be charged
with similar peiton-the Chairman OF The Committee
Of Ways and alrals prrlaps-wlh The request tn pre-.
scnt II to the House. II so. he wnnid not present Inc
petition lac had received he not directly requested
To present it 10 the House.
Mr.. Cainb!r!rng SAID as the gentleman from Massa
chuSr!s had referred 10 him, il perhaps proper "f
Mr.. &. to state that he had received 40 such petition
aud none such was, had been, in his possession.
Ar. Adams then observed that he should not present
tie petition day but he should take occasion 10 90 ;"
on sumo other petition dav, next Monday perhaps.
ABOLITION OF SLAVERY IN D. c.
Mr.. Adams presented petition from one huhnIeu
ard fifty WOMEN. wives ard daughters OF ns i'hie"n'e
constituents praying for the abolition oil slavery III ''
District Of Columbia. .
ton. :, .
Mr. Adams did not expect tilnt any noJccu"n would
haze been made 10 The reception OF ms pst'oh' E'
petition entirely respectful IN TERMS ana came from
wr;n-n mothers and Gau. htcrs OF his immediate con
s.i,ucs \, The last session Of Congress- after mutI
debate. it was decided Hat petitions o! l!S kind should
be received but pro:Sion was made Tor dISposIng OF
n'n afterwards; and that precedent went so Tar "3 10
insure the reception Of those petitions. IL appeared to
him that the decision OF the House the last session
went quite far enough TO suppress the right of petition
the citizens of this country, and quite far enough 10
supprcsS The freedom of Speech Dut his motion went
ono step further 1t went TO settle The principle that Pc
tous upon subject interesting To The whole nation
as any o;!ier should not lie received; and that too,
directly in the face Of the constitution Itself lie hoped
the people of this country would not tamry submit to the
injustice aud wrong ch would be inflicted upon them
BIZ their Immediate representatives. III deciding that te'r
petitions should not be received lie amented deeply that
the freedom Of The press and the freedom OF speech on
this subject had been violently assa!ed for the last
twelve months. lie iainentcd deeply the decision ano
determination Of the House ut tic last session, so Tar as
ii went but this motion went step further; and he
hoped it would not be sanctioned by the House. IL was
always in the power OF the House to reject the prayer Of
petition; and the House had. at the last session. by an
overwhelming majority given decision IN advance VI
the disposition to be made Of petitions OF this KIND. ara
il was ready too ready, TO raise its voice against
these rt tons, and tie prayer of them lie c!i-
sidcrci that from the fact that this petition came from
women wives, mothers and daughters Of his constiiu-
cnts persons Of the greatest responsibility, it ought
to be received and treated with respect lie put the
case gencrnen suppose the petitions to hc from their
own plhrrs would they trca! it with contempt or dts
respect: He trusted not Then ms this petition was
from respectable citizens Of massachusetts, and address,
ed To the House in respectful language, he hoped 1t
would Lc received He did not consider That the House
had any thing fear from this petition of females, Ger
ninIy not insurrecton and blood and slaughter lie
hoped. therefore. that The Oh lection would be withdrawn.
and that the panic which had been gotten up would not
deter gentlemen from doing justice in regard to these
petitions.
Ar. Glascock remarked that Il was we'll known what
pcsiiion he occupied before that House and the county,
on this subject, the last session Of Congress- and ii
he were On the present occasion, 10 accre 10 the pro-
posilion of receiving petition Of this character would
be construed into abandonment of the principles he
then assumed. No had, could have, higher
regard Ger petitions cmunang from such quarter,
upon proper subjects, than HIMSELF but ii time
from the course and acted at the last session. that
those who believed they possessed the ri t not TO re
ceiyc those petitions should have the privilege which
they conceived secured 10 them by the rules OF The
House. and the Constitution Of The United States, to
have their votes recorded against petitions Of this cha
ractcr. This opportunity had been denied at The last
session.
IF his were new subject, subject upon which the
information Of this House had not been already sought
and upon which the opinions OF that House had not been
obtained cnianatIng from daughters and mothers, lie
would respond to ii as treingy and receive their petition
as irCcly the gentleman iroI Massachusetts, or any
other gentleman and vote also 10 lay on the table, with
out reading The gentleman himself said former
OCCASION send 10 sleep in the tomb Of the CaPuets-
il was true that this petition cmanaed from females; but
Mr. g. must lie permitted to remark that he had great
doubts whether all these petitions were not got up i"l
effect of some kind oher; and that an improper infu
had bson exercised them, By miscLrvous and
designing men. lie gentleman had appealed 10 those
who had mothers aud Gaughers 10 pay some regard 10
This prlitcn, and went TO contend that to ect il
would be to treat them with d<rcsprct.
Now, if Mir. g. had been situated as that venerable
gentleman had witnessed the many votes taken up
questions Of this kind. and had and witnessed
The excitement it always produced, his language his
mother and daughter would have been Of different cha
raclcr. lie would have tod them something to this eff:
feet Your prayers though they may be just, according
the views OF those who surround you, and in your
imuC dalr section Of the country, yet is impossible
they lie heard ct this tine; and the subject is
calculated 10 great excitement in the country
which il is desirable should be alaycd, let me. Il son
advise Jou least. to withheld them. Now, did the gen
llenan from Massachusetts presume that those from the
South ought TO have less sympathy for those who were
delicHtey situated upon The question he took upon
himself TO advocate, than the mothers and daughters
who had signed that petition: Need he tell the gentle
man that they Of the South had mothers and daughters
Need lie appeal 10 the mothers aud daughters OF The
North, that it they would spare many bitter pang and
many anxious feeling, they would withhold these pc
tt;ons: He would bcsrech them 10 do This is The
kind Of language he would hold out, not only 10 the
Tiers and daughters Of the East but tc every person in
This cnuury. Why should these memorials be intro.
Lucrd here, when possible good could result and
much evil was 10 be apprehcndcd; This brief re.
ply TO the appeal to him by the gentleman from Massa-
chusctls.
The gentleman had further thought proper to advise
MIR. G.. Tor tic honor Of his character and CT
tlzcn, withdraw his objection to the reception of the
petition were 10 Withdraw IL: nc would prove
recreant to his own feelings, and the known will OF the
thousands who had sent HIM there 1t position he
had assumed last session, position which had received
the almost unanimous appreciation Of his constituents,
and God forbid that he should be- found this time,
abandoning it, But he appealed 10 the gentleman him
self that, if he wished TO nay excitement, and pro-
ducc further agitation in that House. and throughout The
country to present no snch petitions here. There was
necessity for it, when good could possibly result
Mr.. G. repeated that his sole object was, to have an
opportunity of recording upon the journals the Of
those opposed to The reception Of these petitions 1t
was far from his wish to be the means Of producing any
embarrassment throwing any confusion into the
House, but that the simple question Of reception should
once be taken.
Mr.. G.. then went to show, from Jeiiersons Manu-
al, that the preliminary question of reception must first
be put the House before the petition could he consd-
cred in It's possession and ergo that Mr. Jefferson had
contemplated the question OF non.rcceplion. Want Of
,yrilnr Mr. & e ii