Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1858-02-26
To Rev. DR.. KeAnard.
Good Congressional "Reminiscences.

To ReU. Or. keAHdrG
Good Congressional "Reminiscences.
Ga the 18th of Jan'y, 1887, the House
adopted rule to lay Anti-Slavery petitions
ON the table; this being denominated the
"Atherton Gag" On Monday, 9th Feb,
JOHN QCINcY ADAMS having occupied an
hour or g. III exhausting his pile Of Anti
Slavery memorials, paused, and looking
significantly q: Mr.. Polk, said, 81 hold
in my hand a paper purporting to be a Pc
tition from certain slaves. If | should
present it to the House, would it 90 on
the table under the order Of the 18th Of
January" The Speaker seemed bewil-
dered, and had just time to stammer out
something about the gravity of the ques-
ton, when the entire PrO-Slavery side Of
the chamber exploded with the most in
tense wrath "Lot hIm be expelled y
screamed q score Of voices" d" Let him
be expelled p shouted Dixon II. Lewis,
whose huge body, weighing FIVE hundred
avordupois, came waddling and Wheeling
towards the Clerks desk The whole
corps of Oligarchs were on their feet,
screaming, swearing, and gesticularing like
demons. Polk piled his gavel and called
to order in vain, while the spectators in
the overhanging galleries caught the spi-
rit Of the scene and were going wild with
excitement Quick as thought, resolu-
tions were prepared for the expulsion of
Mr.. adams, based on the assumption that
he had presented petition from Slaves
for The -Ado9,tion Of .Slarery. Ere they
were fairly before the House, they were
offered in a modified form by Waddy
Thompson, now demanding the severest
ceusure rather than expulsion. Thereup-
thrss tE ss days, Thompson, Dromgoole, wise
and Underwood leading off for the Slave
ocracy, while Lincoln, Gushing, Philips,
Granger and others defended Adams.
During the height Of the tempest, the ro-
tunda, the galleries, aud passages of the
Capitol being filed with an excited 'hrong,
the colleagues and friends of Mr.. Adams
felt great anxiety, not only for his fate
in the House, but for his personal safety.
Meantime, resolutions were going through
various modification, all tending to soften
their terms and mitigate their conclusions.
All this time, the Roman sat unmoved
in his place, the calmest man in the
chamber, with the incendiary petition.
safely locked up in his desk. At length,
it began to leak out that the paper was not
exactly such document as the slavehold-
ers in their hot haste had imagined 1t to
be. Whcreupon, Dromgoole of Virginia
still further modified the resolutions, by
setting forth that the member from Mas
sachusetts "had giren color to the idea
that slaves had right to petition" etc.
Finally, the pro slavery side of the House
began to suspect that they were pursuing
the negro in the wrong direction; that if
there was a colored individual in the case
at all, he was more likely to be found in
the paling than in the petition, and SO
they stopped to take breath.
Then, Mr. Adams arose to address the
House. With great do.iberation, his
voice pitched upon shrill key, that pen
etrated to the corner Of the galleries, and
with frail bit of paper rustliug in his
aged hand, he called the Speakers atten-
tion to the question he had put him three
days ago, which still remained unanswer-
ed, viz: "Whether paper, purporting to
be a petition from slaves, would, II he
,rere to present 1t, go on the table, under
the order of the 18th Of January Look.
ing around with mingled expression Of
sarcastic cunning and lofty scorn which
Lord Chatham would have envied, he
cried in voice not Of thunder, but in a
sharp, Kissing tone, such as lightning
might be supposed to employ, if it spoke
at all, "Aad am Ito be erpelled from this
l6quacious, baJJling House, for simply ask
ing question:"
For the first time, the thought flashed
Oh friend and foe, that Mr.. Adams had
neither presented the paper, nor proposed
to present it. Everybody felt queer, while
some grave men looked like lank sheep
suddenly denuded of their feeces. 1t had
now got wind that the paper was tho work