The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1838-12-22
: heard althe bar OF this House

be granted
The SPEAKER decided that this petition was in.
cluded In the resolution adopted by the House and
must, therefore, be laid upon the table.
Mr. ADAMS. wish to have my motion entered
upon the Journal appeal from the decision of the
Cnair and ask for the yeas and nays / say that
ms Is totally different thing from petition for
lhe apoon Of slavery al least that part Of il which
asks 10 De heard at the bar Of the House. Ii is
request TO be heard in support of the abolition Of
slavery. This do not understand 10 be included
IN Inc resolution, and the Speaker maintains the
opinion that II is shall ieel myself under the me-
cessily o. asking The solemn decision ofthis House
by yeas and nays. This isa stretch OF power which
has not yet been attempted. There never has been
formal decision Of this House that thew will NOT
hear petitioners. There has, TO be sure, been reso
luton that they will not act upon petitions Of this
nature and that such petitions shall be laid upon he
table, without action OF any kind but there has been
nothing which imports refusal 10 hear petitioners
at the bar the House in support of the object Of
their petition. And as believe this to be very
essential part Of the right OF petition, which has moi
yet been denied, say wish to have the formal de-
csion of the House
The SPEAKER having stated more generally
the grounds OF his decision that the motion of he
gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr ApAMs) was
within the resolution adopted by the House, and
must, therefore, be laid upon the table
Mr.. ADAMS took an appeal from the decision,
and proceeded in his remarks as follows:
to my mind, whatever may be the opinion Of any
body else, that this part OF the right Of petition has
not yet been formally denied-I mean the claim to
be heard. That claim may be allowed even al
though the petition itself be laid upon the table, and
by way of precedent in support of my motion, ] re-
fer to case which occurred here yesterday, in
which petition containing all the same prayers in
relation 10 abolition contained also another prayer
10 wit, for the recognition Of the Republic Of Hayti
and. BY the action OF the House and the decision Of
the Speaker the latter portion of the petition
laid upon the table, although the other parts were
maintain that this precedent authorizes the grant
ing OF this part Of the prayer Of the petitioners
is simply prayer 10 be heard that The House will
listen and hear what the petitioners have 10 say
and say that If she House refuse grant this it
a further stretch OF power towards the suppression
Of the right of petition, and of the freedom ofspeech
and of debate in this House, than has yet occurred
This, repeat is a totally different question it is
different prayer; il is different right The right
of petition is thing; the right of being heard at
the bar before acommitiee othis House in support
OF the petition sanoher and there is not one OF the
this right And although do not expect that shall
be able to carry with me majority here, yet feel
it due TO the petitioners that the formal decision of
this House should be taken by yeas and nays, that
they may see whether this House will sanction, 10
all future time the determination, no, only that
they will reject the petition but that they will refuse
to hear it, @@
The yeas and nays having been then ordered,
MT CUSdMAN moved 10 lay Inc mOtlOn OF Inc
gentleman from Massachusetts Mr.. Adams) on the
table but withdrew the motion, saying he would
not press it, if the debate was not likely to be pro-
tracted.
Mr. MERCER said he would state his views in
half dozen sentences The resolution adopted BY
the House declared thai no debate should be INDUCED
in reference 10 any memorial on the subject ofslave
ry. Under that resolution therefore, no member
could speak this class OF petitions, and yet the
gentleman from Massachusetts Mr.. Adams con-
tended that the House. in deciding that there should
be no debate, had not decided that no petitioner
should have leave to be heard. Did the gentleman
mean to say that the House denied or impaired the
right Of petition, in reserving to itself the power TO
refuse ii it pleased, individuals who came 10 the
door of the House and asked to consume its time, BY
addressing arguments to il in favor OF their petitions!
Leave to be heard at the bar was rarely granted to
any one In the history Of Congress there had been
only about dozen cases in which persons had been
heard at the bar of the House. In the Legislature
OF his State, of which he was for many years mem
ber only two such instances had occurred IN seven
years. If this memorial was before the House at
all, il was now laid the table, ii had been pre-
scented and received and was now on The unee
praying that these petitioners be heard. He could
say no more .,
Mr.. GARLAND, of Virginia, inquired of the
gentleman from Massachusetts whether the petition
did not ask that the petitioners should to the
bar of the House and advocate the abolition Of
slavery in the District of Columbia, as set forth in
'0f MI. e ADAMS. Yes.
And thequesion, Shall the decision of the Chair
stand, by the Judgment of the House ~ was then
taken, and decided in the afirmative-Yeas 50,
nays 8. Mr. Wise having refused to vote
So the House affirmed the decision Of the Chair.
And the petition was laid on the table accordingly.
Mr.. ADAMS made similar motions in reference
to- other petitions Of similar character; all Of
which motions he desired might be entered on the
Journal ....
Mr.. ADAMS presented petition praying for
the recognition of the Republic of Hayti; and he
moved that ii be referred to the Committee on Fo-
reign Affairs, with instructions to consider and re-
port upon ii. ..+
Mr.. DROMGOoLE asked division of the
question that is TO say, first on the reference, and,
secondly, on the instructions.
Mr.. ADAMS said he would state, briefly the
reasons why he had moved these instructions. ms
motives for SO doing were two. The first was, lhat
1t had been stated by the chairman of the Commit
lar petition had been presented yesterday or the day
before, that there had been heretofore Similar pe-
tons presented to that committee and that that was
the last that was heard Of them.
The SPEAKER here nterposed and said that this
petition if it gave rise to debate must by the rule,
lie over one day. .... ....
Mr.. ADAMS. l am not going to debate it, sir !;
not at all am only stating the reasons why NOV
ed the instructions to the Committee Foreign Az
fairs-not for the purpose of entering into debate
for otherwise should content myself with simple
motion Of reference. But, sir, move the insrnc-
tons in consequence of the notice given by the
chairman OF the Committee on Foreign Affairs that
these petitions were never heard Of again, which |
knew to be the fact. And in the next place, we had
sor, Of pledge from him that we never shall hear
Mr.. CUSHMAN was understood to say (across
the desks) no nsinuations."
Mr.. ADAMS, Cunning TO MIR. CO. Sir shall
make what insinuatoDs please | now make the
direct and positive assertion that the Chairman OF
the Committee on Foreign Affairs gave pledge that
if the House would
Mr.. HAYNES rose to point of order He would