Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1842-02-04

that the Chlvalr0uS Shareholders
might meet in solemn conclavc, and delib-
crate upon the measures which the exigency
of the case required. They accordingly
met, the same evening, and the result was
that the next day resolution was offered in
the House, declaring that JONI Quincy
ADAMS in presenting this petition had Of
iered the deepest indigniy to the House, IN
suited the people Of the United States, and
disgraccd his country in the eyes of the
civilized world that for this act Mr.. AD-
ANS richly mcritcd expulsion from his seat
in the national councils, and that the House
deemed it an act of special grace and mercy
that they only inflicted upon him their Sc
rercst censure, turning him over for further
punishment TO his own conscience, and the
judgment of the people Of the U. Sta,es!
The conScicnccs of the Southern members
OF Congress appear to be mostly of the kind
described by Dickens as being put on and off
as occasion requires, like change of flannel.
The slaveholding DULLES, Rheu, Wise and
Bynum, have shouted again and again on the
floor Of the House, "Look out, or well dis
solve the Union," and no chivalrous South
crnor was found to start with horror and
shrek of "teason, "-''peUmy,"-"ins insult"
But let few citizens of little country
town in Massachusetts modcstly and peaca-
bly, petition Congress to take IA step which
| N thpir ,ho
require; and let venerable man who has
spent more than threescore years in the SER
vice of his country, and benefited il more
than any other living person, have the bold
ness TO present their petition, in the fulfil
ment of his duty,-and look for moment
at the confusion it creates. For RhcH and
Pickens to buster and threaten to dissolve
the Union was all very well but for JOHN
: Quincy ADAMS to present respectful Pc
tition to that effect, at the same time dccar-
ing himself opposed to the prayer of the
petition, smacks so strongly of perjury ant
treason, that he must consider it a specia
: favor to be only scourgcd with the scrcres
. As to the petition itself, We have Away
:, supposed it to be settled, Except as far Il
> the Atherton gag and its fellows go,) tina
, citizens Of the United States have IA right /
5, petition their Representatives in Congress
> assembled for any measure they please, s.
long as their petitions are free from disrc
Ill 4
men must consider the prayer of the men G
Haverhill, no one can deny them the right c
+ entertaining their own opinions, and Of ask
IS ing Congress also TO entertain them.
r. presenting the petition, Mr.. ADAMS undoub,
s. edly followed the dictates Of his conscenc
II and of common sense. If any body of cit
1t zens requested him to present respectf
t. petition to the House of Representatives, /
IS considered it, as any honest man would has
al done, not merely his right, but his duty,
i comply with their request.
= In the manner in which the "chiralry
met this advance on the part of the abol
;, tionlsts, there was certainly not little ,
= the tarcicoL Their appearance when IL
- words of the petition first fell upon their ear
. rcscmblcd that Of the feathered inhabian
" of the iarm-yard when they hear at d
I lance the boding cry of the hen-hawk.
}! this case, however, they were most wofu
I deceived, for the terrible cry that so alarm
u ed them, was but the faint shrek ola pun
.l,,, ,I>:.
biddy. Their proceedings in relation to NJ
u ADAMS were marked by the good sense an
/ judgment which usually characterize II
= measures emanating from these Wustrio,
J. blackguards. To talk of erpelliag from II
House, the man who for years has been i
~ very salt TO preserve it from corruption, is
pretty fair specimen Of tic modest and ami
Bile disposition of Messrs. RheH, Wise, CT
mer d. Go. But to think of JOHN QUINc
800 ADAMS being CENsURED BY such men, r.
=, minds us Of the Eagle towering in his pri,
:. Of place" who twas by a housing owl
J.. hawked and killed." However, we still ha
80 hope that though the mousing owlets m;
- hawk at, they will not XIII, Mr.. ADAMS, al
=, that he may even survive the terrible co
. sequences Of having been SO judcious
49, handed over for further punishment, 20 |
81 own conscience, and the people of the U,
~ ted States. If for no other purpose,
should hope the venerable Ex-Presde
=. might live for the sake of giving Wise anot
on- or opportunity to ties, the virtues of that la
ne of winch the bully from Accomack has
ready had such "sveet experiences
70, In conclusion, we will simply ask our A
clifton friends to marx weU the division
to parties on the adoption of these resolutio,
ion The Northern Tories have already vot
asst twice with Southern Shareholders agair
en1i laying them on the table, while the Northe
Wings, headed by Mr.. ADAMS, have vot
Ir. unanimously in favor of it. We hope t
t,I 4 hol