Litchfield enquirer., 1839-01-31
Csrrsspena.nes Of als Dszg scssraal.

The House was called gOr tne presentation
Of petitions u part OF which were as usual,
presented by various members.
Mr. Adams, being about 70 present some
petitions, said he hoped the courtesy of the
house would be so far extended to him as to
permit him to make statement to that body,
in explanation of his position upon certain
subjects connected with the Abolition of Sla-
| very in the District Of Columbia, &c. That
uosition was materially misunderstood in
proof of which he would advert to the fact that
| he is dailv receiving letters, some anonymous,
others signed by ostensibly real names, threat
ching him 10Th assassination, IN he persisted
| in presenting the saensOriGls on this subject,
which his constituents entrusted to him for
that purpose. 4 ss..s.e.e
Objection being made, Mr.. Grenneu moved
O suspension Of the rule, in order to enable
his colleague, Oar. Adams,) to offer the state
ment he had expressed desire TO make.
| Mr.. Griffin, of South Carolina, demanded
the yeas and nays, which were ordered.
I Mr.. Dr0Wggoole, of Virginia, asked if the
gentleman from Massachusetts intended to
predicate his statement on question Of priv
ilege! .s
Mr. Adsms said he should hereafter do 81,
| if the courtesy of the House were not extern
ded towards him, as now requested. 1t was
an appeal to their courtesy. .4
| The House then suspended the rules, in or
der to allow MIR. A. to make his proposed
statement, by a vote of LIT yeas, to 80 nays.
| (Requiring two thirds.) And Mr.. Adams
| went on. s ~ Ell IA. a.srr.s.
| He alluded to several letters Of threaten
ing character, some of them challenging him
to Eight duel, some dsnOuncing his life
soule signed by kaOsOn names, some obvious
Is uuizzes," as it is the modern fashion of this
! House to cali such forgeries and threats,-
and all Of them affording ground for motions
of privilege, had he seen fit to consume the
time of the House in raising such questions.
He alluded to his motives in presenting the
4 numerous petitions he had done. He had
even declared himself opposed to tue dit.
fferent gag resolutions which he had, from
time to time, presented to that House.
4 But he never had been, and was not now
prepared to vote in favor of the prayer
Of such Of those petitions as prayed for
the abolition Of slavery in the District of
Columbia. Aud If today vote were to
be taken on that subject, he should vote in the
negative. He would not grant the prayer:
and this he was DESTROYS and willing that
the Abolitionists Of the country should know.
But he would prefer that the seat of govern
ment were not in q slave district. q He would
like Ewere it constitutional, which he did not
II hold it to be,) that the seat of government
were removed hence, and the district receded
to Maryland and Virginia. He was now, and
4 ever had been, however, strongly in favor of
the utmost freedom Of debate, upon this,
\ fore he was strongly opposed to any resolu.
ton which wen. to abridge that right s,r
ia He did not hold his life as being in very
serious danger from these threats 1t was
easier 10 threaten mans life than to take it
j especially in the face of day. Perhaps
these were threats, intended to Brighten the
II object of them into holding his tongue, on
Il that floor. But, said Mr.. A. whether they are
so, or whether they are theNvaporings Of
bully, am not to be frightened from my
course. That can face bullies, they who
now hear me have had an opportunity of
learning full well, since have held seat
on this floor. And as to the anonymous
threats, they have no terrors for me. '.f}
~ Mr.. "A. said he had received a very large
number of petitions. not alone from his own
constituents, but from all parts Of the coun-
try, on these subjects; petitions strongly re-
commended by letters, and by the respecta-
BILE names thereupon. 1t would be very ca
sy to send these all in bunch to the Clerks
table. to be there but he certainly thought
it would be hardly decorous so TO bundle up
the petitions of the people. He could not,
and would not do it. He certainly intended
UO UbSICSVtCt 0I1 tslSSs W i've A1OUSCs xxS
was unwilling to incur such odium, MS men,
Der of that body. But he had simply done
his duty, as he understood II |; and SO he still
should act. a rl Asa5a 03'maiHs3
Mr.. Adams then recapitulNtcd those Incl
dents in his course upon that floor, which
went to prove that it had been what he had
described it. U}U mD a* Up uaL"
Mr.. Adams, among other things, justified
himself for having introduced the resolution
of inquiry into the O'ConneU and Stevenson
duelling correspondence. For this he had
been threatened with assassination. Mr.. A.
advertcd to the fact that the late President of
the United States had stricken from the rolls
q officers in the Navy, for doing nothing more
than what Mr.. Stevenson had declared him
self, in the letter alluded 10, ready and desi-
rous to do and he referred to the law Of Vir-
ginia, Mr.. Stevenson sown State, which made
that crime that had thus been done by that
Minister. Under these circumstances, 1t Ger
tainly could not be deemed strange that he
should have called the attention of the House
to the subject. eaooW 80L~-
Then there was the Hayti matter; and
MIR. Adams justified himself completely. in
relation to his course thereon. 1904 f
Mr.. A. adverted to the peculiar position
which he was made to occupy ON this SUBJ
iect. While the Anti-A boltiOnists believe
him to be leagued with the AbOlitionists. the
latter held him as any thing but q friend to
their designs. He had been opposed. in bis
own district by ticket, (gotten up under the
Boston Custom House influenced containing
the name of an out-and.out Aboiitionist,-
who got very large vote, as such.
| Mr.. Adams then proceeded to present some
thing rising of a hundred and fifty petitions
on these various topics.
i During the whole Of this statement, which
lasted about two hours, the House was quite
attentive to "the old man eloquent. "--and
his remarks were evidently received with
great favor 60 - .Al-...l. L.---,- !.