The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1839-04-25

W htie lie aooitsiNAksts ssAtoA -
duty Of Congress 10 DO seEething mole
Ihsn merely hear their Pesinons Or saa'e-
nent Of their contents, they iefnlsh 10
standard lor measuring or de6ning ne en-
tent. They 10 not iaform % . whs'
stage Of proceedings il may be allowable
far Congress 10 exercise is discretion N
rejecting or rosspOning . petition. u
woUld seem reasonable that abe claims o.
petitioners IN tie attention of CoEgtets
should not be REGARDED IS Of . higher
character than those sPFeTlsinlng % iheif
Representative on he door. that The PM
vilese OF the constituent should not es-
ceed Ihal Of member in his place. hni
!, is notorious inst The ordinary proeesd'
ings If Congress are upon resolutions
offered by > member or reported ny
committee. Every member y eniiiisd
TO offer q resolution upon any suelse1 /;
ana j, is eeually certain that The house
possessss and exercises 81 pleasure, The
rich, Of refusing TO consider resolutions,
and Of posIpening or rejecting then with
out debate. The lips Of the member are
lheneclor,h sealed upon the subject thus
disposed af. Suppose. howeFeE, that
tie same subject is afterwards presented
in the form III petition from the peF'
sons oct Of doors perhaps BY the sane
member. anil that he House Is eonsiiiu-
Iionally honnd TO entertain AMI act upon
it beesuss il IS 8 petition. The action
mus. be upon resolutions, and these
must nf necessity conflict With The pre-
rious decision. and supersede The rules
that have been applied 10 resolutions On
the same snhiscl. Here. ihFn, the right
Of the House ~ regulate lie own PIE
eeeding is snnul!sd by the right Of Ps'i-
lion.
lie. Ibis doctrine be established, aud
there is no ysgaEy or ex'TsSagance which
IN assembl'gs Of petitioners may not con
cnei in,o the form Of a petition on which
Congress must act or violate the eonsH-
tuition. In the NorIh We may petition
for the abolition of slsTery in the United
States. The South may ask TO open the
slave trade. Que SET uf persons may pro-
pose 10 amend the Constitution by aeo!-
ishing The Executive, or the Senate, OF
the Judiciary: smother by making 1he
President eligible for life. There arc.
possible. some persons in the United
States WIN would prefer limited mnn-
archy 10 line exis.;ns government: Indeed
an endless variety Of projects over which
great majority nj The ilou'e may be
satisfied that Congress has no jurisd.e'
,ion-or on which their opinions arc fH'
ed, or which lhey deem it lnPoliIic. dan
seruus or premature in agila,s; and
whirh they would instantly suppress II
propounied ~ one Of ihrir own mem
bers-woula be forced upon their deli5e
ra,inns, because. foEsoolh, the right vi
ne.i,ion is sacred. Thus the control OF
its proceedings would be taken from con.
gress and transferred to any ard every
asspmblsge Of people convened n rctI-
ton for redress Of grievances. In fact
the right Of iai,istia, laws and compel.
ing Congress la act upon them would
thus be involved in the rish, Of petition.
and the business IL legislation, as con-
Quoted by every organized body at dele
gates from time immemorisl would Be.
come ihpraeticable.
Bat APART from tie merits Of this par
,icuIsr question. freely confess thai |
regard with dep eoaceru she il;rrsen-
lion Of onr state legislatures in any shape.
regarding the ab0liIion of slavery in the
South. II is nane Of our affair. We
can do nothing towards changing or a.
polishing thai condition, b", may do, as
we have done. very much towards az
eravaling lis evils. II slavery is a stain.
i, is one With which he Union was bofn.
and which cannot be remnyed by our ef-
forts, unless by cu,og OF the lin which
wears it. To Judge correctly on Ibis sub
jscG we must not only resort 10 The Fed
uyal Constitution. hnt ~ behind it, The
members Ut the fist Congress CAME from
The South with a consciousness Of the
pecuisr interest arising from their slave
holding tenure. From the North they
wrnt under the impression tina, all meu
are born tree" and would become ga
de Gqefo, whenever the colonies should
become independent Within my re.
mcmbrance. in lie year 70. the SoIun'
serr minute men parajed oar Streets with
metallic letters "mo slavery" On their
caps--w hicl,, thongh not intended peeu-
liafly To bear upon the condition at tic
African race Of tho Souih--pcinie4 10.
wards II. I, was nJi easy for the men
nj The North TO recnncile these darTiues
If universal liberty, with The same doc.
trlnes protested By the South. bu. quail.
feel. practically. by their holding slaves
N bonisg-. There was then no resource
bn, to leave the suhjec, at res. and to Sc.
care the confidence Of the South by leav.
log slavery to state JURISDICTION.
Il was in concession la the lealousies
fears, prelusliees. and habits, OF The South.
principally emanoiing from this one
cause. that Peyian Randolph was chos.