Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1840-02-27
NEWS. POLITICS. &C.
Correspondence OF the Baltimore Patriot.
W~AsHixeroS, February 10, tg40,

"AshiSsIoN, FEBRUARY 10, tosU.
A debate Of extraordinary interest and
animation took place. in the Senate to-day /;
and although the matter which gave rise
10 Il was nothing more important than
the presentation OF a memorial for the d.
BOLTON OF slavery, the discussion took an
exceedingly wide range. and embraced a
great variety Of political and party topics,
having no connection whatever with The
question OF Abolition.
Mr.. CLAY, Of Kentucky, presented the
memorial. II came from a single iudivi.
dual, a member Of the Society Of Friends.
Mr.. CLAY, in conformity to his well known
opinions of tho inalmnable right of petit
lion, discharged his duty in complying
with the request Of the memorialist to pre-.
sent the paper; but left it 10 the Senate
to dispose Of it as might be though, pro-
per.
Mr.. Clay took occasion TO say that he
believed the crisis Of the Abolition excite.
meni had passed. When this session OF
Congress opened, the agitation which had
a, one time prevailed was dead and. il
movements had not been made to revive
it for political uses. we should have hoard
little Of Il.
Mr.. Cray said no could not forbear ex-
pressing the qualification he had derived
from reading two valuable works, calcu-
lated, in his opinion, 20 arrest the procce-
dings OF the Abolitionists, and to diffuse
Just and patriotic notions of their ends and
objects. He was happy to say that both
these books were written by Northern
men. la one Of them, a book of greut a.
bility and interest, the proposition was
presented with m force, that Two
communities OF distinct races could not
live together, without the one becoming
more or less in subj ction to the Other
Mr.. Clay had called the writer's aiten-
ton 10 the Illustration given to his nrgu.
ment by Lord Durham, in his Report on
the condition of Canada, submitted to the
British Government He expressed the
frmest conviction, that whoever would
read TINT Report would come to the same
conclusion which was arrived ut by the
author Of" Thoughts on Domestic Slave.
ny" Lord Durham states as his decided
opinion, utter much observation Of the
French aud British residents in Canada,
thnt they cannol live together harmoni.
ously. and that it is utterly impossl bic to
hope for peace and tranquility ia those
provinces, except by making n portion
of the inhabitants subordinate to the oin.
err.
When Mr.. CLAY sat down, Mr.. CAL
HoUN instantly rose, and gave an amusing
example Of his characteristic ego,ism by
claiming rs his thunder the propositions Of
the author to whom Mr.. CLAY had refer
red. That proposition he said was a So
Tenn truth, and he had long ago announ.
ced il in the Senate. Two distinct races
could not live together, but in the rela-
ton of master and slave, and therefore he
had always held the existence Of that re-
latIon in the South, ns an institution tend
ing to the common advantage OF both ra.
ces.
This truth being established, MIR. CAL
HouN proceeded to say he hoped the Sen.
ate would come soon to recognise anoth.
er great truth in regard to what is called
the right of petition. On that point, there
seemed TO hun to be a perfec, i~nfatuafion
in the minds Of many persons. This
right, he maintained, did not exist under
our republican system Of government. II
belongs to the despoiic system Of govern.
ment. is the last resort Of slapery -
Here it is superseded by the ballot box
by the free suffrage guarded by the Con-
stitution.
Did ever my one (he nsked) henr of
the right Of petition in the ancient Repub.
lies lin the free States Of Greece ,and
Romel Never! never!
Those who claim it The ~continued) in
regard to the question Of Abolition, do not
use it for their own defence or the redress
Of grievances (; but they employ it as a
sword wherewith to make an assault on
others.
He was amazed to hear sensible men
talk Of this right under our system. 1t
had no par: or lot in our Constitution
The idea Is borrowed from England.
Mr.. CALHOUN thanked Mr.. TArpAN,
Of Ohio, for the stand he had taken in re.
fuslng TO present these petitions !; and de.
clared that if all the members Of the Sem
ate would take the same course, there
would be no difficulty. He ~applauded
the decision taken by the House of Rep.
resentatives on the resolution Of Mr.. JoHN-
sos III Maryland, 10 refuse 10 receive A.
bolltion memorials. When he received
petliions which 'c did not Ike, he threw
them 10 the FIVE mud he believed that,
IN the progress OF truth, these iieDs so
prevalent about the right os petition would
be speedily abandoned.
MIR. CLAY noticed, in n strain of play-
ful rail!eFy, the %pretensions of Mr.. CAL-
HoUN to be thu original Inventor OF the
ldea respecting different races not being
able 10 live tremendously without the ,ne