Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1858-08-27

opinion as to the details. Before this diiie-
renee had been developed, and when it was
supposed a majority report would be made,
the minority prepared an able report against.
the measure. That minority consisted of
Hiland Hall of Vermont and Geo. n. Briggs
of Massachusetts Mr.. Hall drew the report,
which was published in the National lnteli-
gence of A ril 10, 1896, and republshcd in
our columns shortly afterwards. Thus it
will be seen that Mr. Halls position was not
only right, but he was hdder in the right.
At the same session arose the question OF
the admission of Arkansas, when John |
Quincy Adams offered II protest against an
article in the Constitution respecting slavery.
Mr.. Hall voted for that protest, and also
against the bill. There were but few who
dared thus to avow themselves against sla-
very. As a specimen of those times. we
give the notice of this question in the Senate
from the Waterman of April 10, 1886
ARKANSAS.
The bill for the admission of Arkansas into the
" Union has been passed by the Senate, ayes 81
"nocs, Mcssrs. Clay, Knight, Porter, Prontiss,
Robinson, Swift, c. One objection to receiving
d" Arkansas that its constitution provided for
| the perpe'udy Of slavery"
As in the Senate both of Vermonts Sena-
tors were found among the faithful and fear
less few, SO was Mr.. Hall found in the House.
In March, 1912, in the House of Represent
tatives, occurred the most violent outrage by
the slavocracy Of those days, cxcelled but in
| these last times by like outrages on larger
scale-depriving a whole people, as in Kan
sas, of their most sacred and political rights
Joshua X. Giddings of Ohio had offered the
following resolution, to wit:
Resoiced, That prior to the adopton Of our Fed
eral Constitution, each of the several States COM
H,,II Al,
risdiction the subject of Slavery within its
own territory, and possessed full power to continue
| or abolish it at pleasure.
Resoired That by adopting the Constitution, no
part of the aforesaid powers delegated to the
Federal Government, but reserved by, and
still pertain TO, each of the several States
Resoiued, That by the sth section of the LIST ar
tcle of the Constitution, each Of the several States
surrendered to the Federal Government all juris-
diction over the subjects of Commerce and Naviga-
ton upon the high
| ReS0iued, That Slavery, being abrdgment of
the natural rights Of man, exist only by force
| of positive municipal law and is necessarily con-
fined to the territorial jurisdiction of the power
creating it.
Resolrcd, That when ship belonging to the cit
liens of any State of this Union leaves the waters
and Territory of such State, and enters upon the
high seas, the persons on board to be subject
to the Slave laws Of such State, and thenceforth
governed in their relations with each other by, and
amenable to, tho laws Of the United States.
, Resoiued That when the brig Creole, on her late
passage for New Orleans left the territorial uris
dction Of Virginia, the slave laws Of that State
ceased to have jurisdiction the persons on
board said brig and such persons became amenable
only to the laws Of tho United States.
ResOlUed, That the persons board said ship
in rcsuming their natural ght of personal liberty
= violated no law Of the United States, incurred nc
legal penalty, and are justly liable to punishment
Resolved, That all attempts to regain possession
of, or to reenslave said persons, are unauthorized
by the Constitution the laws Of the United States
and are incompatible with our national honor.
S Resolved, That all attempts to exert our nationa
, influence in favor Of the coastwise slave trade,
to place this nation in the attitude of maintaining
" commerce in human beings" are subversive o
the rights and injurious to the feelings and the in
terests of the free States; unauthorized by tn
r Constitution, and prcjudicia to national char
| acter.
y For this exercise of his privilege as rep
resentative in Congress, Mr.. Giddings wa
. at once most ferociousy assailed in hamin,
g preamble, offered by John NJ Bolts of Vir
ginia, declaring him to be guilty Of interior
= ing against his own government in a dclicat
r question with Great Britain-of " efforts t.
: create excitement, dissatisfaction and divis
ion among the people of the United States.
a and of justifying and approving "mutiny an
- murder, " in terms shocking to all sense q
7 law, order and humanity This preambl
wac lOllOWcu ny u IcsDlullOu, Ill tutsc WUTuS
I. RESOLVED, That this House hold the conduct
the said member as altogether unwarranted an
= unwarrantable, and deserving the severe conden
nation Of the People of this country, and of th
4 body in particular.
>. Mr.. Bolts failed Of getting two third
vote to suspend the rules, SO as to admit thi
attack upon brother member but final
le Mr.. Weller of Ohio, democratic doughfac
. and a colleague of Mr. Giddings, adopted tn
Bolts proposition us his own the gag of III
81 previous question was applied to cut off d,
t. bate, and the resolution was adopted---aye
" 1875, noes 60. Mr.. Hall, with all the Ven
's mont delegation, except Mr.. Slade cabs m
80 on account of sickness, voted in the negative
ie Mr.. Giddings at once resigned, and appeale
Of to the people Of his District, who mmcd
ately reelected him by triumphant majo
ity-two to one. This transaction create
- great excitement throughout the country
. particularly in the North and the origin,
l. mover of the vote of ccnsurc (Botts,) te
@ called upon to make defence of the major
If ty. The gag had been applied to Gliding
:, and his friends in the House, and it woul
. hardly do for Bolts to attempt to renew til
% assault in the House, m deGatc, since il
re could hardly hope to escape reply. II
a therefore rosorted to the National IlteHge,
-, Ger, a paper which, we are glad to say ha
Tue outrage upon VT. hluulnrs
lie The Intelligencer admitted the plea for til
majority. Then it necessary for til
minority to spcak-to speak for the frcedul
of speech and equal rights of the represer
tatives of the freemcn of the North on tn
y floor of the House. This task was perform
L cd by Inland Hall, and ably and etfectuall
'r performed, in II reply to Mr.. Bolts, whic
to was published in the Int ligcncer of April /.
l. 1912. Thus again was Mr. Hall in leadin
or position among the friends Of Freedom an
s. we happen to know that, for this honorabl
10 and effective service, he received from Nj
!, Giddings the thanks of his constituents, a
well as his personal gratitude, and upo
grounds broader than any considerations c
70 personal friendship it was for Mr.. Hall
l. defence OF TIE RIGHTS OF REPRESENTATIVE
IT 1t was not until near the close of MI
E. Halls service in Congress, that the Texd
1t question doomed up as the first open and III
lie distinguished attempt to prostitute the Fed,
10 raj Government for tic ertcnaon of Niarer,
l. y few Northern members saw the comm
'e danger, appreciated it, and warned tho cour
II try against it, in an address t. the People
Ie and among those cl2lr-si GIFTED and tearles
Is men. such as John Quincy Adams and hi
ii ass ,clates Inland Hall was again ranked
'e among the foremost men to avert the wron
and defend the right In word, Mr.. Ha
y was, all through his course, counted anon
ID the faithful, fearless and true Represents
N tiyes of North, as well as one of the ablest q
1t them ; and now We know of no man anon
e, us more worthy of the generous confidence
d the frcemen of Vermont, and of all the hone
h to be derived from an election to the highe,
n office of the State, by the largest maiort
1t Vermont has ever cast. Republicans Of Vel
& mont let us not forget the faithful servant
II who trnp IN niles yban the
It were questionable when too few, alas c
5: public men of the country had the sagacit
?, to see, or the courage to pursue, the rugge
lr RI of duty