Litchfield enquirer., 1850-08-22
No. IS. WHOLE No. l267.

tTlct Ot OolumDia why snoulu GoutiI' lc,;: men endure here what they will not tolerate in rn.:;r own States The peo-- pie of the District are utterly opposed to 1t, and earnestly desire it's abr6gation. - produced petition signed by the May, or of Washington and all the men c..~ 'i the city councils in this city some tins since.
 | This petition was drawn up by < trier.d of mine at my instance, and, hay IIny been signed, was handed to he. !
 took 1t to the House, and put it into the
 hands of Major Gaines, of Kentucky, q member of the Committee for the Dis. trict of Columbia, who presented it to the body; it was referred, and in due season bill was reported in conformity to the prayer thereof, two members from the slave States. to wit, Eaior Gaines and Gov. Brown, from Mississippi, concurring,) which failed, as believe, solely for want of time. ltseems to nas that this subject should create no irrita tion at the South; on the contrary, that the members from that section should come forward as one man, and coso operate to relieve the country from this reprcach. am right glad the Select Committee ef Thirteen recognise the importance ofthis duty.
 5. On the abolition Of slavery itself in this District. Many petitions have been presented seeking this object since have been in Congress but have no recollection that any northern member has seriousl ly entertained the project un. til the last session of the 3Oth Congress, when Mr. Palfrey, of Massachusetts, ask ed leave to bring in bill to that end, which was refused. Both the honorable Senator from New York, (Mr. Seward, and the honorable Senaler from New Hampshire, (Mr. Hale,) declared them selves tie other day in favor of abolition Tn tbls District, but neither of them in- formed the Senate what the measure must be to command their support; whether immediate ab Hilton without compensation, orabolition with that prin- ciple, and with the assent of owners, or q measure applicable only to the post nah, which last was the method adopt. ed n New England I mover have been able to see. how either of the last methods could justly give offence to tue South, because both acknowledge the right of property; but as to immediate abolition without the consent of the owners, and without compensation, Twas early taught by Mr. Adams that it WIS inadmissiole. Iquote from a speeclIof his in the House of Representatives, 27ttr Congress
 l" He said, further, this was no new thing to thls House and this country. Hc had now be .l ten years successively Representative oi u portion of the people Of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and, within the very first week ol hls holding seat in this House, he had pre- senled flitsen petitions for the abolition of slave. ry Tn the District of Columbia; and at that tune he gave notice to tho House, the petitioners. a. 1 anu the whole country, and his constituents among them, that il they sent their petitions t, fitIi tO be presented beca use they expected him h;. sE support them, they must uuderstand from nm that they were mistaken. Fms was nos an irresponsible act oi hlsi for in his district ae that t;nie these were perhaps more Abolltionists than now. It was not then so odious thing t, be an Aboiionist. The inhabitants of his lis = trict had presented petitions for tha same nsav CT, which were referred to committee anda n st respectable report made on them. He had repeated that same sentiment lime after lime \, lhs House, and hs repealsd It now. He sa,r i, sDiii efe 10 be brought into thls House for the aoollIlon oi slavery m the District of Columbia to-morroW ne would vote against it."--tCon. 2O2I Ssissf' P
 The remarks made by Mr. Adams. in the House, ]" within the very first week" after he took his seat. may be found in Gales S Seaton's Register of Debates. vol. 8, part v, p. l426, when, on occa- sion Jf presenting some petitions for the abolition of the slave trade and slavery itself in this District, he is repor.ed to have said:
 As to the other prayer ,hc petitioners The abolition by Congress of slavery m ,he Die ,me. ,,,. o So'unp.aIt had occurred 10 hun tha, tnep jtitloi aiight hlve been cointl e,i tD his charge under an expectation that il would receive his countenanee and snppoFt He ,.ee,nctI i, h;s duty, therefore to delcare tha. 1t would ,ot Whatever might be his opinion of sayery in the abstract, Of ct slavery in the District oi Coluin. b.a, !, was asubjeet which he hoped would not be discussed in that House. f il should, ho might perhaps assign the reasons why he coull give It no c0un.enance or support tt present.
 He would only say 10 the Heuse, ana to the l WVtWy Cluzoua WuU Had CUUt Httteu Li0f pott-
 ti0ns 10 his charge, that the most salutary me,li
 ciaes unduiiy administered were the m ,st dead | y roisons.
 It is very obvious that the orly effect of entertaining bill here for such pur- 1 pose. with prospect of it's passing, would be to transfer every sl,sc in t6e District to Alexandria, and from thence to the cotton and rice fields and sugar plantations of the South. They would be taken from their quiet and desirable homes in this city, where they are con- paratiyely happy and contested, and hus. bands would or might be separated from wives. and children from parents. Not one of them would be liberated; llleir faic would be. cruel indeed. This is what understand Mir. Adams to have meant when he said. 'stlat the most sal utary medicines when unduly aImiais> tered were the most deadly poisons. I
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