Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-03-15

The gentleman argued upon a question /
entirely different from that put by the
Speaker to the House, and which / vet
hope the House will answer, whether,
under aHy circumstances, they will re-
ceive a petition from slaves
Ibeg leave to explain my views of the
argument on the right of petition. One
Of my colleagues, (Mr. Cushing) has
Justly said, that the right of petition is not
a right derived from the Constitution, but
pre-existing right of man, secured by a
direct prohibition in the Constitution to
Congress to pass any law to impair or
abridge it. Sir, the trainers of the Con-
stitutlon would have repudiated the idea,
that they were giving to the people the
right Of petition. No, sir. That right
God gave to the whole human race, when
he made them men,-the right Of prayer,
by asking favor of another. My doc
trine is, that this right belongs to human
ity.-that the right of petition is the right
Of prayer, not depending on the condition
Of the petitioner and l say, if you at
tempt to fix any limit to it, you lay the
foundation for restriction to any extent
that the madness Of party spirit may car
ryh. This is my belief, and if the House
decide that the paper l have described
comes within the Resolution, will pre-
sent it, and in so doing, shall feel that
am performing a solemn duty.
What sir, place the right Of petition on
the character and condition of the petion-
er, or base 1t upon a mere political priv
lege2 Such decision would present
this country to all the civilized world as
more despotic than the worst of barbarian
nations. The Sultan Of Turkey cannot
walk the streets of ConstantinoPle and re-
fuse to receive petition from the vilcst
slave, who stands to meet him as he passes
by. The right of petition contests nc
power 1t admits the power. 1t is sup,
plication; it is prayer. 1t is the cry Of
distress, asking for relief; and, Sir, sad
will be the day when it is entered on the
Journal of this House, that we will, under
no circumstances, receive the petition O.
slaves. When you begin to limit the right
where shall it stop? The gentleman or
my left, (Mr. Patton of Va objected to an
other petition, which l did present. from
women of Fredericksburg, because i
came from free colored people That wa:
giving color TO an idea with a vengeance.
But the gentleman went further, and made
the objection that | had presented peti
ton from women of Infamous character
prostitutes, think he called them.
tMr. Patton rose to explain. 1t wa.
not so. When the gentleman presented
that petition which l knew came from
Mulattoes in slave State, meant to con
fine my objection to petitions of mulattoe
or free negroes in the Southern States
| meant to rescue the ladies of Freder
, icksburg from the stigma of having signe,
such petition. Sir no lady in Fredel
icksburg would sign such petition.l
Mr.. Adams With respect to the ques
: ton what female is entitled to the charac
ter Of lady and what not, l should b
: sorry to enter into discussion here
, have never made it condition of my pre-
: senting petition here, from females, tina
they should all be ladies, though, Sir,
have presented petitions for the abolito
: of slavery in the District, from ladies, a
1 eminently entitled to be called such, as tn
I highest aristocrats in the land. When
have presented these petitions, have usr
ally said they were from ,0omcn, and tina
to my heart, is dearer appellation tina
e ladies.
But, sir, l recur to my first position
e that when you establish the doctrine thu
' a slave shall not petition because he is
slave, that he shall not be permitted I
u raise the cry for mercy, you let in a prir
d ciple subversive Of every foundation {
e liberty, and you cannot tell where it wi
stop. TAe next step will be that the chal
acter and not the claims of petitioners wi
be the matter to be discussed on this foo
u and whenever, as in the case Of the gel
tleman from Virginia, (Mr Pahon) an
: member finds name on petition whic
J belongs to person whom he says b
: knows to be of bad character, a motto
v will be made not to receive the petition, c
q to return it to the member who offered j
! The gentleman from Va. (Mr. Patton
says he knows these women, and that the
: are Infamous Horo does the gentlema
: know it2 IA laugh.l
IMr. Patton did not say that I kne,
the women, personally. l knew fror
lothers that the character of one of ther
:. was VIGOROUSLY badl
= Mr. Adams. 1 am glad the gentlema
now says he does not know these womer
!. for if he had not disclaimed that know
edge, might have asked aoAo it was tn;
: made these women infamous,-whethe
il was those Of their own color or the
masters. Ihave understood that there al
!. those among the colored population
j slave holding states, who bear the imag
4 of their masters. [Great sensational
Il