Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1860-08-18
NR. BELLS RECORD.

unsound on the question Of slavery.
but until Col. Singleton came
around and sounded the key notes
from Washington, we could get
nothing out Of him. Since Col
SingIeton's speech on Saturday
night, it has reproduced the charges
be made against Mr.. Bell. W.
inteld to note these frivolous asser-
tons ser10t1na.
First, it charges that MI. Bell
was opposed to the annexation OF
Texas. Well, so was Mr.. Clay,
and Mr.. Clay carried, on that
issue, when he was a candidate for
the Presidency, a majority Of the
Southern States, and a large ma
iority Of the Southern votes.
Second, it charges that Mr.. Bell
was in favor Of the reception Of
Abolition petitions. There is more
demagogueing on this question than
on any other ever discussed by the
Southern Secessionists. The rght
Of petition is plainly guaranteed in
the Constitution, and Congress has
no more right to refuse to receive a
petition from Abo'itionists than
from Southerners. Mr.. Bell de-
clared repeatedly-and everybody
who knows anything about his re-
cord knows it, and thos, who don't
know it ought not to dabble in
things they don't understandings
he did not believe Congress had
the power to grant the prayer Of
the petitioners. MI. Bell, however,
did not always vote to receive such
petitions. The political complexion
Of the House Of 1887 was shown
by the vote for speaker, which
stood-Jas. K. Polk, Adm, 10;
John Bell, Opp, 81. Yet; this
House always voted to receive abb
clifton petitions-Mr. Bell always
voting no, while all the Northern
Democrats and a number OF South
ern ones voted to receive them.
One Of these votes was taken on
the 9th Of January, 1887, when
Mr.. Adams presented a petition
praying for the abolition of slavery
and the slave trade in the District
Of Columbia, and The question Of
reception was raised.
The House voted to receipe the
petition-yeas 1877, nays "A. John
Quincy Adams, VIM. Slade, Caleb
Gushing, and all the abolitionists in
the House, voted to receive, and
were allied in the vote with such
Northern Democrats as E1ldnkz5;n
Pierce and Isaac ZouceJ, and
with such Southern ones as Grant
land and Owens, of Georgia, Cave
johnson, Of Tennessee, and others.
John Bell voted with Glasscbck, Of
Georgia, Dixon I'll. Lewis, Of 4 la
hama, Pickens and Pinckney, Of
oouth Carolina, and the majority
OF Southern members, against re-.
ceiving the petition. The petition
hauing been received, Mr.. Bell
voted to lay it on the table, which
was carried by the union Of the en-
tire South with some of the North-
ern members-the abolitionists, j.
Q. Adams, .Caze1 Cus4sny, etc,
voting against laying It on the
table.
subsequentlyshoweve MI. Bell
discovered that, under Democratic
managemenJ these petitions began
to increase instead Of diminishing.
and seeing that it was useless to try
to procure a rejection of the petit
tions, came to the conclusion that
the best mode Of dealing with the
question was to let the petitions be
received and referred to a commit
tee, with instructions to report
against their prayer.
The South was always divided as
to the proper policy to be pursued
towards abolition petitions, and
John Bells views on the subject
we're the same entertained by Hen
nv A. Wise and John Y. Mason, of
Virginia, Pinckney, Of South Car
DINA, and others from the South ;
while such Northern Democrats as
Franklin Pierce and James Buch-
anan always voted for their recep-
ton. Do we understand the Sun
to charge them with abolitionism
- Vaicksburg Wing.