The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-02-20

| 9Th. Congress 10 bound wot 10 rsc.iss petition
which si1iea,y and dangerously attack the saia'
pcpsii
right Of petition but they rights and duties OF
legislative proceedings, which belong To Congress,
wholly independent of and uneoDnected with, any
| right of petition whatever.
Admitting and granting all this; yet. those whose
rights are sought to be invaded told that many III
the free States, who Mt abcliiiousts are made
TO espuuse the OF their agitation this ground
OF the right Of petition alone and that the tendency
Of the rule IN question Is 10 make abolition fanatics
aud incendiaries II tins he 30, Il rs poor encourage
meDt that the rights sought 10 be protected by this
rule will be in any event respected. And this
for abolishIng this rule, is not quite consistent with
that character for information and intelligence which
the people OF the free States so justly have acquired
and is not quite complimentary to their character for
good faith, or good WILL in preserving the sacred and
| solemn guarantees Of the federal constitution. They
are virtuous, thinking, and reasoning people they
understand the institutions Of their country, and
fully capable OF drawing all the distinctions which
are 30 clearly insisted on in the argument and euci
dalton OF Tins momenous question. IL they do com
prchend these distinctions, aud will yet adhere to the
determination Of admitting the agitation Of forbidden
subjects Of discord into the halls of Congress- they
| must be bent on mischcf and tho sooner they
met on the very frontier Of the debatable grounds,
| the better. II they do not comprehend Them they
are the dangerous for ignorance and fanalieisn
are incapable OF being reasoned with and numcri-
cal majority Of such had better be kept out OF these
halls altogether, rather than within them to make the
| vain attempt 10 reason with them, II they know
no aud cannot be persuaded where the right Of pc
iition ends, and where the right Of legislation be-
| gins, they will certainly be incapable Of Judging
where, short Of the maddest exirem,s legislation shall
stop when II once Goa meDces ON this delicate theme
| 40 fraugh with everything malign and misGhevous
TO this republic that is noii me iangers" TO
of wifdom and patriotism, whilst il IN The frebrsnj
plaything of women, and children, AMI knaves, aud
fanatics. No! the minority will not believe that the
oriy Of this nation are ci' her bad Of purpose
that hey are badly fitted for self government,
TO rely for moment, reason like this, for yield
ing the very outer PREDICTION Of their lights and for
admitting foe past the frontier posts of resistance,
into the very interior of the subjects they would
wade. The jurisdiction Of Congress the aboli-
lion Of slavery never be yielded to a weakness,
or folly, or II crime, like this.
But the minority of the nation on this subject is
again assured that is the best policy to asy this
agitation by quietly receiving these petitions and
pectfully buryng them in The tomb Of some Capuet-
committee, that will never give them the life of
resurrection. The time is past for This mode of
mody. The aboitionists too int lgent, rich nu-
merous, and powerful, to be thus cajoed by the sha
dow for the substance and, above all the siavshold-
ing States too weak in political power for this
course of defence 10 be safe reliance. But yester-
day when the slave States in the ascendency of
power and pr.fermcnt they might have safely
united abolition petitions to sleep in their innocence,
J"tmen IN this iree protestant country. But the
minority now, was The majority then; the case, and
care Of the case were in their keeping ,hen hot
now the slave States are dwarfed in the Union
by the lat, census the Missouri compromise no
longer permits another State, after Florida to enter
he Union with slavery in its limits: they cannot
progress, as long Texas is independent and unan-
neIed to the United States, in the southwest pari
pdssu 9TH the non-slavehoding S a,es in the north
vest, in admitting States INTO the Union After
Florida and Wisconsin admitted, the equilibrium
Of power in the Senate will be DESTROYED as well as
In the House. And does any one i'm CINE thai VIII. n
that day cones-as Come ii will shortly-the e.action
viii not be made Of Notwithstanding members in
both Houses TO do all majon may or may not do
To abolsh slavery beyond the bounds of the ursdc-
ton admitted by the minority All that he minor iy
now has To rely on are the written fundamental Ia W.
and the strength OF their constitutional rghis and how
these rights are 10 be offended ty welding iurisdic-
ton TO majority where there is no jurisdiction il
Is hard to conceive. The question is how long will
the minority permit the agitation To 60 on without
an open rupture, which constantly and aggray atinyy
harasses 1t wi h The issue whether the property OF
Shareholders shall be their property or noti How
long VIII any people, not cravens and slaves them
selves, consent TO abide agitation against a solemn
compact that they shall Ice disturbed IN their pro
perry, Oh an issue whether they shall in fact have
certain description of property allowed by their ow
State laws
9sitation, at present, is the only lever Of power
which The aboii'ions,s desire 10 employ They know
no reports TO be premsturey made in Congress, 10
bring their aims 10 an issue Just al this time The
time Is moi yet come They know that the attraction
OF cohesion of the rock Of slavery Is to be bestowed
mol oy one, bui by repeated blows-that no one will
know by which blow IT was des royed but that eve
ry stroke, however slight, II shock its particle il,
atom ~ ils place ano that, in the cour.e of time
The mere Pecking oil Pigmes will rend asuDder the
huge granite, as The drippngs OF water will perlorae
the solid marble. IL is SAID that they are fcu
Doubtless those who so lind
c'sm, as TO be for striking great blow immediate
", either al slavery IA the District of Columbia or
esewhere are lev bot their leaders, and many who
VIII not IRON policy, own their names or confess
their designs, more profound in their policy wound
not abolish slavery and the slave in the District
OF Columbia for then the lever Of agjtation The
bone OF contention, the fucrum Of power for ul,cr,or
movements, The real aims Of abolition 10 the States
would De gone Those who say they are not for the
abolition OF slavery In this DIstric-thst thew are ma,
sboitonisis and rcver were and that thew are NOV |
denounced by tbem-and who at The same time ayo,,
opinions far more dangerous and destructive and
whose policy ieLds to hold back all immediate minor
efforts, until sgtaton-ag ation-continuaI git.,;on |
upon ueDa'abe grounds (such as slavery in the Die
trlot OF Columba) shall have prepared the elements
OF revolution ior one mighty hroe which shall effect
all-aboliton OF slavery ia the States and aboIiion
0, slavery everywhere as well as here those whose
nuns are mus eloahed and whose policy is thus more
cunningy devised, are more to be dreaded and
more 10 be guarded against than are the blind and |
furious zealois OF fsnscism who would rush at once
into excuses which would check and correct Them.
selves The demon hypocri,e OF abolition would
mo-, reig'ou'iy sb'aln from violating the RICH,
Of peti ion TO violate the right Of private nron,s
and he would coil his serpcns away until ali The 10
RES could be let loose for certain havoc of all he
aims, and The most precious he aims to DESTROY
ms IS perfectly understo, by tie minority And
WHIST 'hey know that they have many good and faith
iuy sincere friends in the free States they are no,
80 unPhiiosophca as 10 suppose possible for those
friends long to sustain themselves, in communities
"hefe there are no ties no associations of slavery IN
correct or modify public opinion, which is daily in.
nueaced oy the prss, by The pulpit by the school, by