Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-08-03

presents prti,ion nlia5ing that TOT services 'e
dered by him to the Government under lawful con-
tract the Government was indebted 10 him Sl0,000,
and the proper officers would not audit pay his cian,
and PRAYING relief that would be case, if true, OF
grevanc which Congress might redress, and would
be proper to receive aud refer the petition for the pur
pose nf investigation and action Bat if Old Marpiot
should present petition saying, that by describing
people he had been curaed oha his fair proportion as
President, and asking that Mr. Tyler might hp put out,
and the petitioner put iii for four years say that the pc.
ton should once be rejected because, lfevery word
be true, there is grievance and power tn grant
relief. But according to the argument, which alone y
sufficient TO confer I" national reputation" the reii
ton of Old Marplo must be received and referred tor,
the of the Abollons,s is not better than Mar
plots. When the Abolltionst of Boston presents
petition stating, that the people Of the District OF Co
umba Virginia own slaves and asking that the IL
tie of the may be abolished and the slave eman-
cipaed, he presents naked as Old Marpol ;,
aud not quite 50 grievous, and his petition snouiu DC
rejected. TO escape this conclusion, two or ihfee an
swers have been essayed One is, that II my pos'.ioh
be true then Congress admits, whenever It receives
and refers petition, that it presents case OF grievance
to he rcdrcssed In srctness Of right and law mat
true but il il known not to be in practice because
there are so many pretenders TO "hgh moral courage
who think it constutonaly wise 10 receive ano reier
petitions over which they have no power TO act except
| 10 reject them in some form or oher.-Another answer
is BY an illustration from the Bank of the IT, 5 The TWO
subjects of the Bank and Abolition 81 dssimlar,
i IL ia
there was anv clparness precision, should canddy
Lken them-tbe one being at the worst doubtful
case the other expressly embraced By the very
terms Of the Constitution, and petition destroy II,
heinz therefore petition 10 destroy the Constitution
But in truth, Congress has authority 10 consider oil
the proprety of Bank by universal concession, be
cause has exclusive control OF the finances, and has
therefore the right and power TO consider Of and eAa-
mine every scheme and proposition by which that con-
troll may be exercised in order 10 obtain the BEST reject
nr in the end of course, such should be thought I'M
constitutional. The case OF proceeding in court has
been supposed also. Let that analogy be tcd and Will
abide it, If sutton presents bill declaration, which,
taking every word in II to be true, presents
for relief demurrer is offered by the defendant which
admitting all the plaintiff alleges, denies his right TO
come into Court, and the Court sustaining the drmur
rer, dismisscs the plaintiff without proof enquiry
IT, on the other hand, the plaintiff states in his bill
declaration, case, which, if true, entities him 10
lief lie is entertained and trial had Apply the
rule To the Aboonisis, and ! am content. The de-
murrer the motion TO reject-and what is the mis-
chief which would result from the adoption Of this
principle: | answer cmphatically, none. But the
contrary, good would result from it, by throwing out
Of Congress- without delay applications which 1t had
no power TO grant, instead of receiving and referring
them to come up again and consume, as many Of them
do much of the time of Congress, and money of the
people, and be al last rejected and in other poets
lie results would be the same because the of
the petition always first stated by him who offers
4 a
Congress, and majority who, knowing lis contents
believed they had constitutional power act upon
it. To the petitioner is not this the this
same majority mad received and referred The petit
ton and then rejected IT, IL is at first and at last
a rejection Of the prayer of the petition by Con-
gress differing in this only, that it is rejection in
form to time and money, and prevent discus
sons woundng to the Just sens,btes of a large por.
ton of the Union, and of themselves weakening the
bonds Of Tic Uuon. Suppose Congress to receive and
refer petition asking, that the President be deposed
because he will not sign Bank Bill, and Dictator
appointed: and then, By solemn resnlntion after argu
mem, to determine that it had constitutional power
To Gepose the President or appoint Dictator, and
therefore reject the prayer the petition, and the
day Old Marplot should present another petition for
! the object, would any man say that Congress
bound to receive that petition and again consider
the question SO recently decided Yet this is precise
ly what has been done the of the Abotonists-
for Congress has received and referred their petitions,
had report and debate upon them, and soemnly, by
an overwhelming majority, decided that il had no
power to abolish slavery-and again come the pc
,itons, from the Old Marplot, and are told
they must be received the right of petition violated
But il is urged, that if the South denies the right
receive Abolition Petitions, The North may deny may
make pretext to deny, the right Of the South to
petition for redress Of the grievance under which 1t
abors The refusal of the North 10 surrender fugi
tves from Justice or labor. THIS illustration comes
from Southern member, and is striking. 1t is evi.
dence Of the utter ncapacity OF the man, who offers it
to discuss the questIOn-or it is evidence that he has
reason To apprehend, that such result make take
place. if the Abolitinnists rejected pass II
as specimen of logic, by which il is attempted to in
duce party TO do what II thinks wrong by the
sumption, that, fiji does not the opposing party may
will do what IL knorS to be wrong; for, there not
in Congress who is not outandout Aboltionst, who
will not admit that under the Constitution Congress
is bound pass the necessary laws 10 the
render of fugltives But how is il possible, that the
rights of the South, in this respect, can be denied,
if the Abolition petitions rejected for The majority
which is strong enough, and sound enough, TO reject
the petitions will be also strong enough TO do full JUS
tee TO the South, unless indeed it can be supposed Tint
with majority strong enough and sound enough to
reject the petitions, there could be found co-exsting
ma ory, who would violate the Constitution by refus
ing pass laws 10 opprehend fgtves; unless the
majority, which was strong enough to receive Adolf
ton petitions, also hardy and reckless enough TO
violate the Constitution and deny the just rights Of the
South, although the petitions were received, and that
fact would prove nothing in this discussion to aid the
advocate of the Aboltlonss. But is there any ground
for the suggestion, that ma joy can now be found IN
Congress- flor If il will be there next winters IT IS there
now,) which will deny the right Of the South TO sur
render Of It's fugtyes, If there be such majority in
| Congress, while at the same time the judicial func
tons of Sister State successfully appealed to, 10
justify the plumber of one of our citizens and egaze
rapIne, may well be doubted whether il patriotic
wise longer 10 oppose the non-inercourse bill OF the
idst "ihteI nay, "HetnsT hot S"iHhnhu Us
even 10 add strength to it's enactents, and appeal at
once to The law OF efdelence.
II is said, however, that The right Of petition must be
separated from Abolition 10 party.-Ihe right
ofPeton and Abolition ought 10 have been con-
neced. To connect them is mere trick The mean
ing practically of this cry is, "You must not offend The
Aboonlsts ! do not believe, that the fate of the
wing party depends upon the favor of the Abolition
lists; but if it does, and it is disposed 10 court them,
deeply as am devoted to it, say, let it sink. and will
hot 1Ea tho
fame, the institutions, the peace of the South, and
to prostitute her honor TO The service of power
But hosv Is the Wing party be injured by rejecting
the petitions of the Abo,ionsis' 1t is stronger now
at the North than it when the 2lst rule was
adopted, and if 1t is TO be injured by retaining the
2lst rule, then the Wings who have come in at he
late elections must have turned out Van Buren, men
who were opposed 10 Abolition petitions, and who
\ had the fiTmness and faith to maintain their OPT
Mons though they lost their elections Ii this be
true, then the Wing party of the North is the AboI
ton party, and The South has lost lis friends in The
conflict OF parties, and the triumph Of The Wings has