Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1849-02-01
Hon. John ?. Hale.

We give our readers the speech of Mr..
Hale delivered Jan. 10th on the right of Pc
titlon touching the subject of slavery in
answer to some remarks made by Mr.. I'm
derwood Of Kentucky. Also the speech of
Mr.. Douglass of Illinois. We ask our read
ers to look at the position of those two SEN
ators, One, the bold fearless advocate of
Freedom battling for the right of petition
uudaunted amid the slaveocrats in the
Senate The other base panderer to the
slave power, or to his own slave Interest,"
What beautiful spectacle 10 see man who
originated from Vermont stand up in -
overseer style and tell the North to mind
her own business, and charge all the dis
cord and confusion that has been witnessed
in our halls of legislation to her ianatlcism.
Is Mr.. Douglass one of the degenerate
sons of the Green Mountain State? Hear
the language of this prince Of dOaghfdceS !
"Sir have voted to keep abolition petit
tons out of these halls Let US rctrocede
the District to Maryland, and when you
have done this, the abolitionists will become
extinct" Comment is unnecessary:
Mr.. PRESIDENT Il rise for the purpose
of expressing my grateful acknowledgements
to the honorable Senator from Kentucky,
: who first addressed the Chair for the mag
unanimous and liberal course he has pursued
in regard to the petition which lpresented
to the Senate yesterday. Indeed, nothing
else was to be expected from him. But,
while do this, beg leave to give my un'
qualified dissent to the limitations which
that Senator has laid down to the right Of
t petition. With the restrictions which the
Senator puts upon it, and which am sure
: he would not have done if he had brought
his usual keenness of perception to beal
upon the subject, the right of petition would
: be utterly destroyed. If | understand the
! Senator's limitations, they are these First
the petition must be addressed to a body
having the power to grant the prayer of the
e petition; and, secondly, that it must no
9 pray for measures which are to affect 9th
ers than the petitioners Now, what is thu
: right Of petition worth thus limited, thus
Q hampered, thus fettered Why, the yer!
If question is, whether Congress has power t.
do what the petitioners ask They com
: and ask you to institute certain measures
l. to pursue certain course, and if you sa
u at the outset you have not power to do il
N you Just as etfectually destroy the right O
70 petition as if you had said, we will not d
it for any other reason. 1t as efectual
lie destroys the right Of petition as any othe
course which human ingenuity can devise
n One of the limitations declared by the Sen
Vi ator is, that the petition must not pray f(
" measures which are to affect others tina
those who petition. Why, read the othc
ms day correspondence between the govern
~ ment of the United States and that of Gre
he Britain relative to some American either
Oh said TO be detained in prison in Great Br
10 tain, and | read with very high satIsfactc
NJ the letters of the Secretary Of State-tht
are very much to his credt--urging up,
mt, our minister at the Court of St. James tn
On. he should interpose his offices, not only
behalf of American citizens, but in fay
re- Of that whole class Of persons who had fl
- VI len under the dspleasure of the Cover
or ment for the attempts-mistaken attemp
lu- perhaps-that had been made to reform
to revolutionze Ireland. What would
sed our fate if the right to pray the bestowal
OF any good should be confined to the indl
u.s. dual praying, unless the privilege of ask
blessings for others, as well as oursely
:. be recognized! What is the whole ter
The and scope of the religion we profess
or it not the duty of our Christian minist'
Pc and all who profess christianity to ma
eu- prayer and intercession for all men? A
lu- is it to be asserted here to-day that this 7
Us vlege is to be narrowed, that the circle
,ns human charity is to be circumscribed, a
lge that we have no right to pray for othel
use And is the right of petition TO be so
md stricted ! understand from the Sena
ion from Kentucky that these are the restr
nit tons that he would impose upon those "
address the Senate Of the United States.
eks | shall trespass but moment longer
on the patience Of the Senate. must