Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-02-11
WI1lR PBBSS
co G. Il S;
iHUHFSDNYI JHh Z|
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,

= HTuUC 4 TfUsI T1TTnfHUTG dnV TCCTIl!
speech. The day has been occupied with so man,
long and interesting speeches, in fact, that I canuo
uiueitaNG, within The compass of this letter, to giv'
your readers even an abstract of them. A slight cur
s)ry description Of eac', must suffice.
Mr. Underwood began by saying that he was 4
STAKEHOLDER, educated by Shareholders, lived among
tsc'n; AMI knew them. And he dill not believe tn :,
me- Louise would Judge partially, at Ieas! he hoped
cupied seats there. Still they might, even as the
gentleman from Massachusetts had said they would
no: were he put on his trial before them.
nnt he had always been opposed to this kind Of
proceeding in that body. lie had always protested
against il, aul he alluded to many cases in which
such a tonr e as was now advised had turned ont
worse than useless. No good ever came Oft, wheth-
or the member accused were charged with offences
On tho itoOr, or out of doors.
tie considered this assumption by the House of pri-
Niegc dangerous 10 liberty. lie shovel that il inter-
Tered with the province of the civil coir.e g, and this
part of his speech was characterized by great legal
ehd judicial acunien. He demonstrated that it pre-
Jiidiced the accused, AMI put him twice in peril. The
apsurdty OF this kind of procedure in tho particular
case now before The House was ably exposed. First
accusing a man Of being accessory TO a crime, and
then repriInsndirg HIM, let him 20 free to associate
with the members Of that body again How absurd :
ncsljes, th,s vas IN the nature of an er post .facto
proceeding. No rule of the House touches the case.
Asst to the offence sctually committed bv Mr.. Adams
Mr. Underwood was very able and instructive.
lhore was no overt act; this proceeding goes upon
M allegation of motives. Now can this be presumedl
All there knew how devoted to the defence of the rinht
OF petitlsn The gentleman from Massachusetts had
ever been; TO what an extent he had ever carried il.
'ao latitude he had taken in this matter, upon prin.
cifie. And here he ingeniously showed how con.
slsten' this act Of his was with all his former conduct
He(Mr.'A.) deemed the right of petition coextensivo
with liberty II speech. Mr.. u. deemed those opin.
nns "Hrh. The only remedy for this error was, in
hS oplnlon, and has ever been, to take up the exciting
peutiofs now barred out by the 2lsi rule, and show
to the people Of the country what the true meaning of
TINS right of petition IS. He had eve, gone cgainstthc
2lst rule, and u>on his principle. He then went on
TO show the extreme injustice OF that odious rule.
Thea he defined what, in his opinion, the rirht of
petition VA. and was not. People had no right to
pray Tor what the power prayed 10 cannot grant.
re was Tor taxing the question on receiving the nett
ton offered 'y Adam. He conceded the right Of the
P?nplrt r. pray for the abolition of slavery ia this dis.
tr,rt, IL is existence can he shown in any way 10
afrct their rights. Iebaivej that eternal arito,i "a"
was the motto of many Interested men, in connection
VITA ths subJe't.-somo for selfish purposes. And
= said he was not afraid of discussion on this subject
If orr positloa- said he, cannot C talked about. it
cannot and ought not to stand. Butt could bear in.
yesiigation and discussion. and h. invited il. But Ic
Ttiiteio know precisely how hose who object 10
slavery stand. He wanted to zee their hand. lie
was ready to meet them in fair argument.
Mr.. Underwood depicted the great danger Of his
own state, m relation to slavery, in the event Of dis
union. lis propinquity TO the flee states would make
me IA ter me receptacle fthe es'aping slaves. Dis.
solution OF the states would prove the dissolution of
slavery, III Kcniuckv, Maryland, and Virginia. at
least. He carried cut his exposition very forcibly.
And he mall a most touching feeling, pathetic an.
penl to the owe Of Union IN that portion of the House
ana OF the country IN which the institution of slavery
existed not. He believed there was good sense enourl
among them, 4 only addressed nationally, and reas-
oned with kindly, to save the union from every peril
TO wlich t~i2irrnzy of sona and the designs of others ,
subjected II. lie knew there was among them a
d'op-rootod love Of the Union; they were passionatcly
attached to 1t; what could they do wi hou, it? How
cohl' they consent 10 a dissolution Of the fraternal
bones, c;c,mcnled by the blood of their fathers, and
i1livGNl bV 80 manu- fhronrtn, 700 Ill.,. L |
possible! Unnatural!
But I can 10 that part of Mr.. Under wood's speech
no measure of~ iustic,. 1t moved all around to tears.
md the gentleman himself was a, times ~inaudiblc
from the strength of his emotions. "No,'' he con.
e'uieSd, God 10 against it, reason ia against it, We
are all, al againstlt! 1t cannot be! Sir, it shall no,
he! And many members from all sides of the cham
her echoed him, and the excitement was intense.
Even Mr.. Wise, whose violent CO rise was 80 con-
spicuan, yesterday, was melted. and the scene was
beyond description striking and moving.
M. Underwood then said that if there were any !
ahol!'lonists on that floor, he had a word to say to
them in all kindness and in friendly counsel. lit
WAS there object + free the slaves Of the Sonth, and
70 ilSist UPON thloiF beng put upon an equality with
their INIT crs-if-
Mr.. GlddinGs, Of Ohio, here rose, and (bv leave)
responded to this appeal. lie was not an aholi,ionis.;
ne was free 10 make tins avowal, and was glad of the
opportunity. He sympathised with every word Of
the ssnIlemans touching appeal in favor of union,
and deemed it the ~happiest OF his life that h. could rise
upon that floor and say what an abol.tionist really Is.
10 deny that that party had any intention 10 dissolve
institution OF slavcry as II exists in the slave states.
or N any way Interfere with them. As the gentle
lnnn CMr. Underwood) had stood by Ohio, Ohio was
real 3, and he (Mr. ca was ready to stand by Ken
tgcky.
NJ. Gliding was asked by many what wero the
designs of the abo itionisls, if these were not. He
answered that he was ready, al n proper time, 10 90
the mater. lie had risen for explanation. Here
an attempt was made to have him 60 on and answer
this query.
The Chair said this could only be done by general
consen'.
NJ. Chapman, of Alabama, objected but with
Drew his obicc'lon at the request Of many members
Mr.. John Campbell, of South Carolina, then oh
jccted.
Mr.. Underwood proceeded. He would say to all
entertained he idea of slave liberation, of eGualt-
~ Of tine freed lacks with the whtos, and the Ike,
mat they sought to accomplish an Inposslbllty. 1t
could not he.
lie then demonstrated the lnapplicability Of this
mode Of proceeding to Mr.. Adam'scase. Allow the I'M
Of the petiiion-it was not Mr.. As petition.
He (NIr. Az Had expressly pronosed to instruct the
committee 10 report against it. lie had, in The Ian
Tnaye OF Mashington's egacy, $50 ostentatio sy read
BY Nj. W!se,) 'lrowned' upon this frs, ap-
proach to disunion.
Then he went on to depict the evil consequences
which must ensue from this mode OF procedure, if
carried out. The violation Of the rules Of the house
4 breach of the constitutional power-the effect upon
The country, especially on the Tree states already
Ius.ly Outraged by the twenty-iirst lule, excluding
petitions. All IN view a these considerations, he
warned the South to beware. He advised
them TO abstain from the course they were now be-
ginning. They had absttlncd III other cases-in
Bynum's Campbelrs, Graves aad Cillcy's, Bells,
&c. Let these be prccelents to guide their action
now.-Hc begged them no. to go father in this thing.
No good, but much harm, must flow from L.. lie
would pray them to go no farther with il.
Mr.. Bolts, of Virginia, next rose and made a brief
Ut eloquent and able speech, on the same side of the
question. | cannot give you any thing more than the
brleiest abstract Oft. Ii was a most convincing arg,-
Inent, an full OF interest in It's every sentence.
He reviewed the course Of this proceeding, and ex-
RmIned It's origin and tendency. What had Mr.. AS
What is his crimel What did he propose ?
These questions were answered ~iorclbly, and went to
entire acquittal of Mr.. Adams from any breach of
the rules Of the Housed or of decOrum. VAST because
the lea Of d solving the Union was held out in the
And was This the first time such an idea had
been heard in these halls? Here Mr.. Bolts took the
occasion to nllude to the famous letter ofa member of
that body (hr. Rhelt) 10 his constituents, in which,
abiding to the session of 1896, he said he haI for days
had in his desk, ready TO be presented TO the House,
a resolution declaring the Union dissolved And yet
that same member is now one Of those urging on this
proceeding against Mr.. Adams
This told home There was no resisting il; and
Mr.. Rhett was on his feet IN an instant.
He proceeded to read the part of his letter alluded
to, and tho resolution itself. VIII you believe me
when | saw tha, the terms of the resolutions are urn-