Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-02-07
DISSOLUTION OF THE UNION
TO THE CONGRESS- OF THE D. s

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE us.
lhe Undersigned eliizens of HdverAsAfxEFE%
Commonwealth Of Massachusetts, pray ts,1s sbu
will Immediately udolt measures peaceabls 10 dis
solve the Union of these States s.
flrs': Because no union can be agreeable or
permanent which does not present prospects OF
reciprocal benefits.
Second; Because vast proportion of the re-
sources OF one section of Tho Union is annually
drained to sustain the views and course of ano,h.
er section without any adequate return.
Third: Because Judging from the history of
past nalions) that Union, if persisted in in tho
present course OF things, will certainly overwhrIm
The whole nation i'll utter deslructiou.
This petition is signed by Benjamin Emerson
and forty five others.
Mr. Adams moved its reference 10 n select com.
mitlee, with instructions to report M answer to
the petitioners, she" wing the reasons why the
prayer OF il ought not to he granted.
resolution 10 censure Mr.. Adams followed,
and on that resolution sprang up n debate which
was not closed up to Saturday the 29ih. Mr. Adj
ans insisted that The right of the people to make
such petition was indubilnbe under the Decla.
ration OF Independence that it was his right aud
his duty TO present the petition; aud that if cen
sured at all it would he simply for presenting pc
Hion, inasnurh ms, IN presenting it, he had iinme
dnlely moved for report against the prayer there
Of On the Other hand it was insisted tia, the pc
tition invited treason and perjury, and was there
fore contempt offered to the Hnnse ; and that
Mr. Adams deserves expulsion, but II mere cen
sure is proposed as an act of grace aud mercy
Al this point, Mr. Adams okjecls to the Jurisdiction
of The House; only the courts can Try fur such
.fE,n 1, ;S
sc. Ihe discussion takes lar wider range, Of
course, and much of i, is personal, sectional, hit
ter, dissraceiul hut it is not "r purpose 10 par
cularize further; let the reader refer 10 the alb
sruct under the congressional head, which we
have gathered from the n. Y. Tribune AMI Bos-
Ton Atlas. The full report in the National Intel
ligencer would fill five six nuubets of-Jur pa
per-
John Quincy Adams is right. There is, we hold
no limit the right Of petition; il is MS illimiiabc
rs is the power of The human mind to decide on
its own grievances. Tie constitution puts no lin.
il short Of this. II Is nothing TO shy iln petitions
must be respectful: on that ground Congress could
exclude every Thing which did not tally precisely
with its own notions. II is nothing, even, TO say
that petitions must he limited To objccs within he
1 po,otr Of Congress, that body being the Judge for
it may deny lis own powers. II is nothing, even
to say that the people may not petition for n de-
strucon Of the government; for the government
is theirs, The constitution recognizes no such
doctrines. Government-ours at least-cnn ex
ercise only the powers granted to il by the people
and when and where did the people gipe up, or a.
bale one jo or title, Of The right Of praying New
emo where but, with especia! care, they dit
particularly forbid Congress, in the Constitution it,
SELF from abridging this their right. The peopl,
may pray for the redress of any and every lhinl
which they think grievance, and they must be
heard. Congress has the power, the right, Of re-
fnsing TO answer their prayers, and decent re
specl. for the people requires them to assign rea
sons when that course is taken, We say, then
that Mr.. Adams is clearly right; and IL one fee
BILE voice from the mids, of the Green Mountain
could be heard in the Congressional Babel,