The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-01-19
Vermont laid on the Table.

Vermont laid on the Table.
During the past year communications were adj
dressed to the Governor of this state from the Elk
ecutives of Alabama, Georgia, Ohio, and Rhode
Island, covering reports and resolutions OF the Lee
gislatures of those states with the usual request
to lay the same before the General Assembly,
The paper from Alabama consists Of lengthy
preamble and resolutions in favor of the annexa-
ton of Texas to the United States that from
Georgia, joint report and resolutions, predicated
on the refusal on the part of the Governor of Maine
to deliver up, on the demand of the Governor of
Georgia, two fugitives, named Philbrook and Kel-
eran and the reports and resolutions from Ohio
and Rhode Island are both in opposition to the
annexation of Texas to the United States. These
papers were severally laid before the Legislature
of this state at the last session, and were SUISSE
quently referred to select joint committee of the
Senate and House of Representatives. To the
same committee were also referred large num-
Der of petitions relating to Texas the Infringement
of the right fpetition by Congress, the abolition
suppression of the interstate slave trade The
committee reported a series of resolutions, which,
after undergoing some slight modification, were
adopted by the Senate, and concurred in by the
House almost by reclamation, as follows:
RESOLVED 6st the Senate and House of Represea-
tasives, That our Senators in Congress be nstruc-
ted, and our Representatives be requested to use
their utmost efforts to prevent the annexation of
Texas to the United States, and to procure the
abolition of slavery and the slave trade in the Dis
trct of Columbia and the territories of the United
States, and the slave trade between the several
States and Territories of the Uniea
RESOLVED, That the adoption, by the House of
Representatives of the United States on the 21st
of December last of the resolution by which "all
petitions, memorials and papers, touching the abb
clifton of slavery, or the buying, selling or trans
ferrng Of slaves, in any state, district or territory
of the United States" were " laid upon the table,
without being debated, printed, read.or referred,
was daring Infringement of the right of the peo-
pie to petition, and fragrant violation of the con-
stitution of the United States: and we do, in the
name of the people of Vermont, protest against the
passage of the same, or any similar resolution by
the present or any future Congress of the United
States.
Resolved That our Senators in Congress be in
structed, and our Representatives requested to pre-
sent the foregoing resolutions to theirI respective
houses, and use their influence to carry the same
into effect
ReSozued That the Governor be requested to
transmit copy of the foregoing resolutions to the
President of the United States, and to each of our
Senators and Representatives in Congress-
In pursuance of the last resolution, copies were
transmitted to the delegation in Congress from
this State. In the >SsaRges JAM 8, Mr.. Prentss
presented them, and in doing So made the usual
motion to print This gave rise to warm de-
bate, in which Messrs Prentss, Calhoun, King
of Ala. and Lumpkin of Ga. participated. The
remarks of the slaveholding Senators, as reported
in the Globe are quite literally spiced with me,
mace and bluster-one threatening to leave the Sen
ate hall with his friends, if the motion to print
should prevail-another talking largely about
splitting this Union asunder, and all that sort of
thing. The motion to print was lost, Yeas g.
Nays 9. So the sovereign State of Vermont is
laid on the Senate's table, and the abolition ques-
ton is postponed tilt comes up again. We
will publish the debate next week.