Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-08-03
he enforcement of that rule, and stood up and

said:
"That the gentleman had been pronounced
out Of order in discussing slavery in the States
and the rule declared that when q member was
so pronounced by the Chair, he should take us
cent and If any one objected to his proceeding
AGAIN, he should not do so, unless by leave OF
the House. Mr.. Mckay did now object 10 the
n,ntlon,on from Vermont proceeding any
farther"
.ro,rJ If members rising and speaking at once
who eventually yielded to the resounding
blows of the Speakers hammer upon the lid
If his desk, and his apparent desire to read
something to the House, rs he held 4 book (re-
cognized to be that Of the rules in his hand.
Obtaining quiet, so rs TO enable himself to be
heard, he read the rule referred to by Mr.. Nc
Kay; and said that, as objection had now, Tor
the first time, been made under that rule to the
gentleman's resulning his speech, the CHAR
decided that he could not do so without the
leave of the House. Mr.. Slade attempted 10 20
on: The Speaker directed him to take his scat
until the question Of leave should be put
Then, Mr.. Slade, still keeping on his feet, 'skcu
leave to proceed as in order, saying he would
not discuss slavery in Virginia. On that qucS,
ton Mr.. Allen, Of Vermont, asked the ayes anu
nays. Mr.. Renchcr, of North Carolina, moved
an adjournment. Mr.. Adams and many
others demanded the yeas and nays on TINS
motion, which were ordered, and resulted IN
log yeas, and GO ~nays-some 90 or bu mem
bers having Withdrawn. THIS opposition 10
adjournment uaS one Of the uorst features OF
that unhappy days work-thc only effect OF
keeping the House together being to increase
irritation and multiply the chances Tor an out
break. From the beginning Southern members
had been in favor of it, and cssaycd to accom-
plish it, but were prevented ny the tenac!ty
with which Mr.. Slade kept possession Of the
floor; and now. at last, when it was time to
adjourn any way-when the House was IN a
condition in which no good could be expected,
and great harm might pc apprehended, there
were sixty-three members, being nearly one
third of the House, willing 10 continue 1t IN
scssion.-They were:
Messrs. Adams, Alexander, II. Allen, j. ".
Allen, Aycrigg, BELL, Biddle, Bond, Borden,
Briggs, Vim. 3. Calhoun, Coffin, Corwin, Gran
ston, Curtis, Cushing, Darlington, Davies, Dunn,
Evans, Everett, Ewing, I. Fletcher, Fillmore,
Goode, Grennell, Haley, Hall, Hastings, Henry,
Herod, Hoffman, Lincoln, Marvin, 5. Mason.
Maxwell. Mckennan, Milligan, NJ. Morris, I.
Morris, Naylor, Noycs, Ogle, parmcnter, Patter-
son. Peck, Phillips, Potts, Potter, Raridcn, Kan
dolph, Reed, Ridgway, Russell, Shelter, Slhley,
Sladc, Stratton, Tillinghnst, Toland, \. ). White,
J. White, E. WhittlcScy-GS.
The House then stood adjourped; and as the
adjournment was being pronounced, Mr..
Campbell, of South Carolina, stood up on a
chair, and calling for the attention OF members,
said:
"IIc had been appointed, as one of the
Southern delegation, TO announce that all those
gentlemen who represented slaveholding States
we're invited to attend the meeting now being
held in the District committee room"
Members from the slaveholding States had
repaired in large numbers to the room in the
basement, where they were invited to meet
Various passions agitatel them-somc violent.
Extreme propositions were suggested, OF which
Mr.. Rhett, Of South Carolina, in 4 letter TO his
constituents, gave . full account Of his own
thus:
in a private and friendly letter to the edit
tor of the Charleston Mercury, amongst other
events accompanying the memorable seccs.
sion of the Southern members from the hall OF
the House of Representatives, stated to him
that | had prepared two resolutions, drawn as
amendments to the motion of the member from
Vermont, whilst he WIS discussing the institu-
ton of slavery in the South, declaring that the
Constitution having failed to protect the South
in the peaccable possession and enjoyment Of
their rights and peculiar institutions, 1t was
ezpcdient that the Union should be dissolved;
and the other, appointing a committee Of two
members from each State to report upon the best
means of peaccably dissolviDg it. They were in
tended as amendments to a motion to refer
with instructions to report = bill aboliShing
slavery in the District Of Columbia. | expect
ed them to share the fate which inevitably
awaited the original motion SO soon as the floor
could have been obtained, viz to be laid upon
the table. My design in presenting them was
to place before Congress and the people what,
in my opinion, was the true issue upon this
great and vital question and to point out the
course OF policy by which it should be met 10y
the Southern States"
But extreme ~couusels did not prevail.
There were members present who well consi-
dcred that although the pro. ~ocation was great,
and the number voting for such 4 tirebrand
motion was deplorably large, yet it was bnt lit.
tie more than the onc.fourth Of the House, a;d
decidedly less than one-halfofthc members from
the free States so that, even il left 10 the free
State vote alone, the motion would have been
rejected. But the motion itself, and the man
ner in which it was supported, was most repre-
hensible-neccssarily leading to disorder in the
House, the destruction Of its harmony and ca.
pacity for useful legislation, tending TO a sec
tional segregation of the members, the aliena-
ton Of feeling between the North and the
South, and alarm to all the slareholding States.
The evil required Il remedy, but not the rene
dy of breaking up the Union; but one which
might prevent the like in future, while admin
istering a rebuke upon the past. That remedy
was found in adopting 4 proposition to be Of
fered to the House, which, If agrced to, would
close the door against any discussion upon abo-
lition petitions in future, and aSsimilatc the
proceedings Of the House, in that particular, to
those Of the Senate. This proposition was put
into the hands Of Mr.. Patton, Of Virginia, to be
offered as an amendment 10 the rules ut the
opening Of the House the next morning.
1t was in these words:
"Resolvcd, That all petitions, memorials and
papers touching the abolition Of slavery, or the
buying, selling or transferring Of slaves in any
State, District or Territory Of the United
States, be laid on the table withou! betty acba.
ted, printed, read or referred, and that no further
action whatever shall! be had thereon"
Accordingly, at the opening Of the House
Mr.. Patton asked leave to submit the rcsolu-
ton, which was read for information. Nj.
Adams objected to the grant Of leave. Mr..
Patton then moved a suspension Of the rules
which motion required two-thirds to sustain
it; and unless it obtained this ~salutary remedy
for an alarming evil, (Which was already in
force in the Senate,) could not be offered. 1t
was a test motion, and on which the opponents
of abolition agitation in the House required all
their strength; for. unless two to one, they
were defeated. Happily, the two TO one were
ready, and on taking the yeas and nays, de-
manded by an Abolition member, ito keep his
friends to the track, and to hold the free State
anti-Abolitionists to their responsibility ut
home,) the result stood, 135 yeas to 60 nays
the full two-thir0s, aud fifteen over.
The yeas on this important motion were:
Messrs. Hugh j. Anderson, John 7. An
drews, Charles G. Atherton, William Beatty,