Richmond palladium., 1839-04-06

blow, driven, destroyed, and trodden under the
! feet Of slavery. The old bIiwarks Of our Federal
and State Constitutions seem utterly to have
been forgotten, which declare, 'tliat the freedom
Of speech and the press shall no, be abridged
nor the righ. Of the people peaceably to assetnbic
and petitioa for the redress OF their grievances
These, sir. are the sentiments winch make 40
oli,ionists formidable. and set at nnughi all voul
councils for their overthrow. The honorable Sen
aior not only admits that Abolifinnists are forEt
fabie, bni that they consist o three classes. lht
frionls OF oihunlnity and jtstice, those actnatef
bv those principles, compose one class. These
form il very Numerous class, and the ackn1wiecg
rnent Of the Senator proves the ininitable prin
clpIes upna which opposition to slavery rests
| Men nre opposed to 1t from principles of human
ity and iistIcc--uen are Aboitionlsts, he admits
! On that account We thank the Senator for teach
ing us that word: we intend 10 improve II. The
next class of Aboiionists, the Senator says, are
81, apparently, for the purpose OF advocating tht
right Of petition. What Hc To understand
from this? Who has denied this right, or who has
attempted TO abriige it? The slavehodng pow
cr, that power which avoids open discussion, anc
the free exercise OF opinion; 1t Is that power "a
lone which reuders the advocacy of the right o
petition necessary, having seized upon all tho
powers Of the Government 1t is fast uniting
together those opposed to It's iron ruieno matter Il
what political party they have heretofore belong
ed they united with the first class, act IRON
prime pies of humanity and justice; and IT the
mis,s and shades of slavery were not The atinos
phere in which gentlemen were enveloped, they
would constant and increasing numbers OF our
most worthy and intelligent citizens attaching
themselves TO the two classes mentioned and raj
! living under the banners Of AbolIuonism. They
are compelled to 60 there If the gentleman VIII
have it So in order to defend and perpetuate the
liberties of the country. The hopes OF the OPP
pressed spring up afresh from this discussion OF
the gentleman.
The third class the Senator says are those
who, to accomplish their ends, act without regard
TO consequences. To them, all the rights OF pro-
pertv, of the States, of the Union, the Senator
says, nothing. tie says they ann at other
objects than those they profess--emancIpato IN
the District of Columbia. No, says the Senator,
their object is universal emancipation, not only in
the District, but in the Territories and IN the
States. Their obec, is to set free three millions
of negro slaves. Who made the Senator, IN his
place here, the censor of his feiIow-citzcns? Who
authorized him to charge them with other objects
than those they professed? How long is it since
the Senator himself, on this floor, denounced sia-
very as an evil? What other inducements or OBJ
iects had he then in view? Suppose universal
emancipation to be the object of these petitions;
is it not noble and praseworthy object; worthy
of the Christian, the phiIanthropis, the states
man. and the cilizen9 But the Senator says,
they (the petitioners aim to excite one portion
of the country against another. deny, sir, this
charge. aud call for the proof; 1t Is gratn!tous,
uncalIcd for, and uni Just towards my feiow-citI-
zens This is the language of stricken CON
science, seeking for the palation OF It's own acts
by charging guitupon others It's the language
Of those who, failing in argument, endeavor TO
cast suspicion upon the character of their oppo-
nents, order to draw public attention from them
selves. 1t is the language of disguise and con
and not that of fair and honorable in-
vestigation, the object of which IS truth. n
gain put in broad denial to this charge, that any
porto of these petitioners, whom | represent,
seek to excite one portion of the country against
another; and without proof, ! cannot admit that
the assertion Of the honorable Senator establishes
the fact. 1t is but opinion, and naked asser-
ton only. The Senator complains that the means
and views of the abotionIsts are not confined to
securing the right of petition only; no, they re-
sort TO other means, he afiirms, to the BALLOT
BOX: and if that fail, says the Senator their
next appeal will be to the bayonet. Sir, no man
who is an American in feeling and in heart, but
ought to repel this charge instantly, and without
anv reservation whatever. that II they tail at |
the ballot box, they will resort to the bayonot.
If such n fratracidal course should ever be
thought of in our country, it will no, be by those
who seek redress Of wrongs, by exercising the
right of petition, but by those only who DENY
that right of others, and seek to usurp the whole
power of the Government If the ballotboX
fail them, the bavonet may be their resort. as
mObS and violence no" are Does me cctihiOt I
believe that anv portion of the honest veoman
rv of the country entertain such thoughts!
hope he does not. If thoughts of this kind ex-
ist, thew are to be found in the hearts of aspi- +
rants to office, and their adherens, and none 9th
ers Who. sir, is making this question pollti-
cal affair? Not the petitioners. 1t was the
slaveholdng power which first made this move
have nouc ed for sometime past that many OF
the public prints in this city, we'll as elsewhere
have been filled with ESSAYS against aboitionists
for exercising the rights of freen!en
Both political parties, however, have courted
them in private and denounced them IN public. I
and both have equally deceived them. And
W no shall dare AboItionist has no right
10 carry his principles to the ballot bor. Who
fears the ballot bora The honest in heart, the |
lover oc our country and its institutions! No, (
sir! I, is feared by the tyrani; he who usurps .
power, and seizes upon the liberty of others; he,
for one, fears the baiIo, box. Where is the slave
to party in this country, who is SO lost to his
own dignity or SD corrupted by interest or power,
that he does not, will not, carry his principles
md his iudgmen; into the ballot box? Such an
one ought 10 have the mark of Cain in his fore
head. and DO sent to labor among the negro
slaves of the South. The honorable Senator
seems anxious TO take under his the ballot
box as he has the slave system of the country.
md direct who shall, who shall not use If for
the redress of what they deem political