Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-05-18


III stion on the Nebraska bill.
f0s Mr.. DOUGLAS said:
Mr.. President: have been charged with |
the presentation Of remonstrance, purporting
IN he sgned. and have no doubt the names
were appended, by authority, of large nuni-
her OF the clergymen OF the northwestern
States, against the passage Of the Nebraska
bill. have not counted the names; but there
is memorandum at the foot of the remon
STRANGE stating that it is signed by FIVE hun
dred and four. This protest is q copy of the
one presented some time ago from New Eng
land, with the exception that the words lin the
name Of Almighty God" are stricken out, and
the words .as citizens" as well as ministers Of
the Gospel, are inserted in their place. APP
pended TO the protest is letter to authenticate
the paper. All the names seem TO be in the
handwriting of one man, and the letter is ar
pended for the purpose of showing that the
document is genuine.
| will read the letter:
CHICAGO, April 90, 1854.
u certify that this is correct copy of protest
of twenty-five cergymen OF Chicago, adopted at
meeting held March 81, 1854, TO be addressed 10
the Senate and House of Representatives. A com
mittee was appointed al said meeting, OF which
] was made chairman. to receive and engross the
names Of other ministers in this region wishing 70
sign the protest The names attached, over hve
Z
here transmit them. They are still daily coming
in As similar protests are, however, being CIR
culated in various parts OF the northwest, already
as we understand, embracing hundreds OF sigma,
lures, il is thought best not to detain this docut
ment longer. We send the protest, dear sir, 10
YOU and respectfully ask you to present II 10 the
Senate at your earliest convenience.
A. M. STEWART, Chairman"
1t may appear little remarkable at first
view, that it should be deemed necessary or
important to certify that the paper now pre-
scented, is precisely the same as the one adopt
ed by the meeting of twenty-five clergymen at
Chicago when this purports to come from five
hundred and four clergymen OF the various
northwestern States. The real point of that
memorandum which is to go upon our files, IS
this: | replied, in a letter which some senators
NAV have seen, to the proceedings of those
twenty-five clergymen. In my letter set out
their protest, word for word, as l had received
it through the mail. By close comparison,
find that there is material variance between
the protest now presented and the one copied
into my letter. The variance was this: In the
first the signers protest in the name of al
mighty God" while in the latter, they protest
in their own names, as ''ctizens and as minis
tiers of the Gospel" If l should now present
this modified protest, together with the certih-
cato of the chairman of the meeting that 1t was
identical In terms with the other, without any
explanation or statement of the facts, it would
enable those who felt so disposed to fasten
upon me the charge, which has been elsewhere
made, Of having falsi6ed the proceedings OF
that meeting. For this reason, sir, deem it
my duty, in order to acquit myself of the
charge, to call the attention OF the Senate to
the facts.
In myregular mail l received printed slip in
letter envelope from Chicago, containing the
proceedings of the meeting referred to, attested
and authenticated by the names of thechairman
and secretary. The material proceedings con-
sisted of protest against the Nebraska bill,
and four resolutions. The protest bore the sig
natures of twenty-five clergymen, most of whom
knew to be ministers OF the Gospel in the
city of Chicago; and the whole was at ested by
the names of the chairman and secretary an
their official capacity as such, both of whom
were also clergymen. Under these crcum-
stances, had | any reason to doubt but what
these proceedings were authentic and truly
stated? Besides, in the same mail, l received
several of the daily papers of Chicago, and
among them the Tribune and Democratic Press,
which / now present to the Senate, containing
the same proceedings and authenticated in the
same manner. The proceedings were received
by me in the same mode in which all other me-
MORALS and petitions are usually transmitted
They were published in the daily papers where
the meeting was held, and where nearly all the
sgners resided. They purported to be anthem
tic and official
now present 10 the Senate copy of the
Chicago Daily Tribune, of the 29th Of March,
and of the Chicago Daily Democratic Press, OF
the same date, both antNebraska papers, and
each containing the protest in precisely the
same language in which it is set forth in my
printed letter in reply. l ask each senator to
compare the two, and satisfy himself on this
point, in order that it may be made clearly and
conclusively to appear that whatever change or
modification has been made In that paper was
made at Chicago and not IN Washington, and
that there is no excuse or pretext for charging
the variance on me. l will now read the pro-
test and the four resolutions from one of those
papers, Of the 18th of March, sent TO me:
TO the honorable Senate and House of REPRESENTA-
tires .fthe limited STATE, IN Congress assembled:
The undersigned, cergymen Of different reigi-
ous denominations in The northwestern States, as
citizens and as ministers OF the Gospel OF Jesus
Christ hereby IN the name of Almighty God, and
in his presence, do soemnly protest against the
nassage Of what is known as the /" Nebraska bill, .
or any repeal modification OF existing legal pro-
hibitons OF slavery in that part OF our national do.
man which il is proposed 10 organize into the Ter
ritories of Nebraska and Kansas.
We protest against II as great moral wrong
as breach of faith emnently injurious 10 the
moral prime pies of the community, and snbyersive
of all confidence in national engagements; as a
measure full OF danger TO the peace and even ex-
istence OF our beloved Union, and exposure of the
righteous judgments of the Almighty.
Aad your protestants, as in duty bound, will
pray
A. NJ Stewart, /. NJ. Weed,
Henry Klamer, j. Sinclair,
A. Kenyon, L NJ. Cannon,
James L. Wilson, John C. Holbrook
c. Wentz, N. H. Eggieston,
George l.. Muhneer Paul Andersen,
Thompson Gnyer Harvey Custis
r. n. Richardson, John Clark,
S Bolles, r F. Shinn,
T. " Watson, Luther Stone,
w. A. Nicholas, A. w. Henderson,
Joseph H. Leonard, - Fitch.
J. McNamara.
Then the paper continues:
The following resolutions were adopted ex-
pressive Of the sentiment entertained by the ind-