The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-06-17
MR.. PIERCE AND THE ANT-sLAvERY MOVE
MENT

= tives, he had taken his seat rs Il member OF tn
United States Senate he voted to receive, il
the usual manner, a petition asking for tn
abolition of slavery in the District 81 Colnmlis
and sustained his vote by his voice. He tool
the same ground with Mr.. Adams ~ to tn
prOpriety of the abolition of slavery in the IBIS
trict but declared that he would give no vot,
which might be construed into denial OF tn,
right Of petition" That was time when the
influence of slavery WAS in the ascendant, wheI
il was the fashion 10 toss back such petitions
with contempt in the faces of those who pre-
sented them and it required some courage in
a politician Of the Democratic school to con
! front and defy the imperiOus demand of the
! South, that all memorials and applications Of
| this nature should be rigidly excluded from
the notice of Congress. The right to ask for
the extinction of slavery in the District of Co
lumbia is now admitted but Franklin Pierce
whatever be his opinions respecting the Com
promise, was one Of the earliest to assert it,
Nerc York Evening Post
Mr.. Pierce will be a. much surprised as
MIR. Orr Of South Carolina to learn that he
has ever stood opposed to any Of the impe
riOus demands of the South Our friends o.
the EVening Post have derived their informa
ton from very partial record as we shall
now show.
Mr. Pierce entered Congressin 1888 Monday
February I'd, 1885, the House ofRepresentatves
proceeded to the consideration of several petit
tions and memorials from sundry citizens OF
the State of New York, one of which was signed
by eight hundred ladies, praying the abolition
of slavery and the slave trade in the District OF
Columbia, presented by Mr. Dickson The
war on the right of petition was at this time
about commencing, but Mr. Dickson was al
lowed to speak in behalf of the passage of the
petition; and, mt the close of his remarks, he
moved to refer the papers to select commit
tee.
Mr. Chinn did not mean " to disturb the
deep sympathy or the tender mercies of the
gentleman from New. York !" she only moved
to 10y the whole subject on the table, and upon
that question he demanded the yeas and nays.
The friends of the right Of petition took the
ground that petitions should not only be re-
ceved, but considered and referred Their OPP
ponents while recognising it in form by receiv-
ing petitions, denied it in fact, by insisting
that they should be laid upon the table at once,
and without debate
The question was taken upon MIR. Chinn's
motion, and decided in the Acknowledgements
III, nays H. The South, aided by such men
as Wise, Pickcns, Peyton, Bynum, Pinckney,
and Glmer, with its Northern allies, voted
yea !, John Quincy Adams and his friends, nag
Among the affirmative votes is that of FRANK
LIN PIERCE*
Wednesday, December IS, 1885, Mr. Fair
field presented n petition from l72 women, for
the abolition of slavery and the slave trade in
this District, and moved it be laid upon the
table MIR. Slade moved that it be printed
The question was taken on the first motion,
and decided in the atfrmatiyc-yeas 1870, nays
3l-the South, with it's Northern allies, inclu-
ding FRANKLIN Pierce voting yea, John @
Adams and his friends, nag
Mr.. Vanderpoel moved to lay the motion to
print ON the table; and this motion prevailed
yeas 1863, nays 49-FRASKLIN PIERCE again
voting in the affirmative, with the Slavehold-
erst
Friday, December ls, 1885, n IrC,.actcd de.
bate sprung up in the House, ON the prcsenta-
ton Of petition by Mr. jackson of NlaSsachu-
setts praying the abolition of slavery in the
District.
Tho work of petitioning on the subject of
slavery had now fairly commenced. Up to this
time, the usual mode Of getting rid of the pc
titons had been by laying them upon the table
without debate. This prevented their consid-
GRAFTON, and excluded all agitation, But few
Southern men of extreme views, incensed by
what they regarded assaults upon the peculiar
institution, or determined to open the door for
sectional controversy, for the sake of embar-
raising the Administration or promoting Dis
cussion, determined upon more violent course
of procedure The presentation OF the petition
by Mr. Jackson was used rs an occasion. MIR.
Hammond of South Carolina moved that it be
rejected, MIR. Garland of Virginia, that it be
laid upon tho table A rambling conversation
followed upon points of order a last, for the
purpose Of getting at the question of rejection,
Mr.. Hammond and his friends agreed to have
the petition considered, and Mr.. Garland with
drew his motion to lay upon tho table. II was
Immediately renewed by Mr.. Bcardsley of New
York The House became again pcrploxed
with points of order, until Mr. Thomas of
Maryland, to relieve the members who had
voted for consideration from their difficult
ties, moved TO reconsider the motion Ivy which
the House had agreed to consider the petition
A most exciting debate followed. Some of tho
Southern members avowod that they desired
agitation for the purpose of being able to win
dictate their institutions; some deprecated agi-
tation all denounced il; and they were sus-
tanned by the Northern allies Of the Slave Power,
who abused the anti-slayory men, and were will
ling to go all lengths for the suppression Of agi-
tation, so that they might he spared the dan
gerous task of an undisguised denial of tho
right of petition. For himself Mr. Boards.
ley said he was ready 10 give direct vote upon
the petition, vote that should mark the opin-
ion of the House upon the character of such pc
titions by saying afirmatively that they would
not consider it, "If that would meet the ycws
of honorable gentlemen, he was willing to mod
ify his motion to lay on the table, and to move
that the House would not consider the petition,
or would reject its prayer; although laying it
ON the table, he thought, was equivalent to
either OF the notifications Indicated
Mr. Mason of Virginia hoped that the gen.
sdsles. A Sections Register, Vol ri, Part /, p
Il4l.
Gales A Seaton's Register, Vol xii, Part q p.
1905.