Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1861-08-21

a petition was tantamount 10 favorng the object
asked for. During the debate. Mr.. DoUeLAs ex-
pressed these sentiments:
/ recognize the right of the people to petition
10 the fullest extent. have given no vote which
invades or restrains the doctrine of the right of
petition. / hold, however, that the right to petit
ton only extends so far as the right exists to
grant the prayer of the petitioner. IL every mOn
has the right to petition on every subject, he must
direct his petition TO that tribunal which has COM
petent jurisdiction over the subject. Sir,
is this Senate under obligatione to receive with
respect and consider propositions to dissolve the
American Union? | hold not sir. First, we
have no power under the Constitution to grant
the prayer of the petition; secondly, if we had
the power, it is moral treason to give countenance
and encouragement to the prayer of such petit
ton.
Gen. CAss, in the same debate, remarked-and
the sentiments were cordially Endorsed by Nh.
WEBsrKR
This petition asks us to dissolve this Union. /
shall vote for rejecting il; and if there were any
other mode by which our indignation at such
wicked and foolish proposition could be more
powerfully expressed, / should adopt it with
pleasure The constitutional object Of the
right of petition is declared to be the redress of
grievances lnste ID of valuable right, an APP
pication to Congress to do what it canno: do, re-
duces it TO farce, and is calculated to bring the
right itself into contempt. If wehave no power
to grant the prayer of the petition, why should
such petition be receivedG
At the conclusion of Gen. CAss' speech, Mr..
WEBSTER, after indorsihg the sentiments of the
Senator from Michigan, said:
/ am quite sorry that my friend from New
-
this, and shall be quite surprised if there be any
votes in the Senate for receiving it, 1t would be
on our part an assumption of pOwer;i il would look
as If BY possibility we could do something to the
effect and with the tendency which this, will
say, presumptious petition, from whatever source
1t comes, calls upon us to do. | think the sub
stance of this petition is such that, 10 be appro-
pirate, it should have had preamble in these
words:
Gentlemen, members of Congress: Whereas
Mt the commencement of this session, you and
each of you, took your solemn oaths, in the pres
ence of God, and on the Holy Evangelists that
you would support the Constitution of the United
States; now, therefore, we pray YOU to take i'm
mediate steps To break up the Union and over
throw the Constitution of the United States as
soon as YOU Aud, as in duty bound, we will
ever pray"
erefer to the communication of "Justice,"
not so much to substantiate the fact that WEB
srER did make the speech. as above quoted, and
which our correspondent denies, but to show that
from an early day that SEWARD and CHASE, now
members of Mr.. LIycoLN's Cabinet and HALE, a
leading Republican Senator, were willing, under
the circumstances We have named, to receive and
consider petition asking for the dissolution of
/ tho ITniop To In th;S -o>itinp Of tbo-a Pc
publican leaders more significant, we quote the
prayer of the Peiition-as stated by Mr.. HALE:
! They believe that the Federal Constitution, in
giving its support to slavery, violates the Divine
/ (Higher) law and makes upon human rights,
and is inconsistent with Republican principles;
/ and that the attempt to unite slavery and freedom
in one body polite has already brought upon the
country great and manifold evils, and has fully
/ proved that no such union can exist but by the
sacrifice of freedom to the supremacy of slavery.
They respectfully ask Congress to propose with
out delay some plan for the immediate and peace
full dissolution of the American Union.
Out of fifty -four Senators, only three could be
found, and those three now the main props of
Mr.. LINcoLN's Administration, who would be
proposition. The whitening rebuke of WEBSTER
could not kindle spark of patriotism in their
breasts or shame them to reject the "presumptu
Gus petition" No; CHASE, HALE, and SEWARD
were for respectfully entertaining petition for
the dissolution of the Union, and giving reasons
why the Uuion should be dissolved. As Gen.
Cas- Indignantly remarked
Would you receive petition asking Congress
to declare that there no God and to pass law
prohibiting the people of the United States from
assembling for the purposes of religious wOrshipi
| Would you refer such pettion--as Mr.. Seward
proposes to refer this-with grave instructions to
report the proofs OF the existence of God, and
to add their feeble evidence to the testimony
upon that subject which is found equally in the
Book of Nature and in the Book of Revelation,
and which is with US and around US from the
cradle to the gravel
True is it that factions speak louder than
words" The facts we have elected show the
origin of our present difficulties. They spring
from the disregard Of constitutional rights,
which such men as CHASE, HALE and SEWARD,
and the parties they have represented, encour-
aged, until it has eliminated in a civil war which
threatens not only the dissolution of the Union
but the overthrow of those free institutions which
have been the basis of our nations prosperity
happiness and greatness, and which, if perpetu-
ated, promised good to all mankind.
| Is Justice" satisfied?