Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1839-05-16

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people of this Union say if the precedent'
should be resortcd TO for That purpose lie
them seriously think of it. For il the Brl'isl
precedenis are OF any authority, it is to tina
point alone; and il the refusals ofthe British
House Of Commons TO receive petitions a
II galnst the stamp act and the tea tax are au
ihoriles to either House Of Congress io
refusing to receive petitions tor the abolition
OF slavery aud the slave trade, they are mncl
more authoritative to warrant The refusal Il
receive petitions against any tax bill which
may at any time hereafter be introduced into
Congress. Neither house Of the British
H Parliament ever refused to receive petitions
for the abe .tion Of slavery or the slava-trade
nor could they refuse to receive them with
out flying in the face Of those principles so
explicitly and So emphatically laid down il
The above passage from lIatsell. They re-
ccived them by thousands, and after many
and many year of persevering resistance
against their prayer, they finally granted il tc
The full extent Of their power, made the
s'ove-tradc piracy, ond emancipated theiI
slaves by millions.
/ Reflect upon the solemn caution in this
passage of Hatsell to the British House of
Commons against rrLnding their rule for
fatal and inevitable Consequence of adopting
any rule for refusing to receire, or to hear, or
To consider petitions upon any one subject OF
great public interest. IT is that which have
most earnestly pressed whenever | have
been permitted, even incidentally, to remark
in the House upon these proscriptye exclu-
sions of abolition petitions. I'y this rccur-
renee to the practice OF the British House OF
II [ 'umm rafuainn IN N =
against tax bills, as authority for refusing to
receive petitions for the abolition of slavery,
the rule is, in effect, extended to petitions
upon every subject whatever. The rule in
the House Of Commons itself is restricted to
the single subject of tax bills before the
House. 1t is adducc1 us authority here, with
out any limitation.
or The encroaching character of The rule
We have already had melancholy experience.
The rule being once settled Of refusing to
hear a class of petitions forming the major
part of all those presented to the House, the
members Of the mnj,rty in the House. cx.
tended the practice Ivy separate motions to
lay OH the table every petition which they
were pleased 10 consider as affecting the
same interest. During the time when the
acquisition of Texas was darling project of
Wv b'huiNuo "Hu buhu'C'S
of petitions against that measure were thus
land on the table without allowing word Of
discussion upon them. AT the recent session
OF Congress all the petitions against II were
laid on the table, because the formal applica-
ton OF that republic 10 be annexed to the
United States had been withdrawn, but still
more because the ruling party in the House,
still painting for that ilcgitmate union, were
4 m xv tn I,av tho 10, rf tba;r
poiD,ment appear on the journals or docu.
mcn's ot the House. All the petitions and
resolutions Of the state Legislatures, con.
demnng the gag resolutions, and demanding
that they should be rcsclnded, were disposed
OF IN the same manner.
In the order of business originally prcscri
bed by the rules of the House Of Rcpresen.
tatIves, the first business of the House every
morning, after reading of the journal, was
the call by the Speaker on the members from
all the states and territories in succession for
PETITIONS and this may serve to show thct,
IN the Punitive constitution and practice OF
the House, the first duty Of the House, in
the transaction of business, was the consid.
Grafton Of petitions. For the first 30 days of
the session, it was the business of every day;
and, alter that, the special business OF the
first day Oft the Houses sitting in every week.
Shortly after the introduction of these rules
for laying on tho table, unheard and unread,
all anii-slavery petitions, Il new rule was es-
tablislr d, by which every alternate Monday
was dev' ted TO the presentation OF resolutions
by nen b-rs Of the House, and thus the days
for the rec epi IN Of petitions were reduced to
two in every month; and, at the recent ses.
sion, even those days were SO reduced, by
special motions to suspend the rules for the
reception Of petitions, that of the first thirty
days, upon every one Of which, by the stand.
ing rules Of the House, the states should have
been called for petitions, there was but one
single day upon which they were called,
and that was Thursday, the Goth December,
when presented 73 petitions, the list OF
which was published in the National intclli-
gcnccr of the 9th Of that month. That the
only days in the month of January when pc.
ti,ons were received, were Monday, the 9Th,
when presented W, and Monday the 2lst,
when presented l76.
The lists Of these are published in the Ma.
tonal Intelligenccr Of the llth and 23d of
January. That the only day after this upon
which petitions were called for was the 4th
of February, when had two hundred on
hand TO present, but the call Of the states did
not TeaCH Ma5shCnUScttS, anu was put OH
to the 18th of February, the next semi
monthly duy-and when that came, the rule
of the House requiring the Speaker to call
the States for petitions was suspended, and
an order was passed authorising the mem
bers to hand in their petitions at the clerks
table, but Of course no order Of the House
was taken upon any OF them. On that day,
| did deliver at the clerks table Ais petitions
several Of which were upon subjects having
no relation whatever with slavery or the
slave trade. The list of them is in the Ma
lional lntelligencer OF the 18th OF March
aud on the last day of the session | delivered
~ more, which, with l6 received after the
close of the session, are in the Intclligencer
Of this day. The result is, that upward of
$50 petitions which received in the course
OF the session, there were only three days
upon which was permitted to present any
one of them.
Another recent innovation upon the rules
Of the House, apparently founded upon the
broad principle OF equality among the mem
bcrs of this conicderocy, produced ot this
SC, sion result directly the reverse. The
original rule Of the liouse was in these
words.
"As soon as the Journal is read, the Speak
or shall call for petitions from the members
Of each state, beginning ,rih Maine /; aud If
on any day the whole OF the States and ter
ritor,ps sIull MT bc called tho Sncnkpr shall