Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13

place in the cabinet and had been chief
magistrate, yet he thought it no deroga-
ton of his honJr to accept seat in Con-
gress as the representative of the people
1t was just at the time the anti-slavery So
cieties of the north began to petition Con-
gresS for the abolition of slavery in the
District of Columbia. Slavery was an ever
recurring and continuous subject of asita-
tlon and in the early years there began
the struggle which finally resulted in the
civil war. and ended in the total abolition
OF slavery. Hardly had Mr.. Adams taken
ms seat Wh, he became engaged in the
nercest ana longest contested struggle that
ever look pace in the American Congress.
1t was over the right of the American
people 10 petition Congress on any subject
The struggle began in 1881, and was not
W WhoLy ended until ten years later. whea
maj and absolute victory perched upon
Mr.. Adams. 1t was a fight for a principle
Win Mr.. Adams. the champion of the rights
OF the people, who stood almost alone and
Iousht the hight with the whole slave power
aTrdyei against him. Such a cause could
nave found no better champion Euuipped
with q thorough knowledge of parliament
tary law and strategy, of dauntIess cour-
dse, p1sSesSei or an eloGuence almost I'M
equaled. ana learning almost universal
In IT'S range; with a tongue as bitter and
ScathinS as tina of a Randolph or a Cal
noun. he could meet logic with logic still
iuoIS convincing, clOQuencp with "A lOfIipr
eioquence, sarcasm with sarcasm more
DitlnS, scorn with deeper scOrn and denun-
Clatlon with Pronunciation absolutely fearful
In its sweep and intensity.
The Great Contest Begins
He was the Napoleon of debate, with re-
sources as ineXhaustible and unrivaIed as
his physical endurance was unapproacb
able. He stood in the hall OF the House as
Luther stood at the Diet Of Worms when he
declared: Here | stand; | can do no other
wise. God help me-" What the German
monk was 10 the reformation the Ameri-
can "old man eloquent was to the consti
trtlonal right OF the people to petition Con
sress for a reuress of grievances With
MN 1t was a matter of conscience and
from matter of conscience neither scorn
o5loquy nor threats of personal violence
could drive him an inch. The great strug-
gle FOR this right of the people took MA &c
in the old hall of the House whose walls
nad echoed the eloquence of Webster Clay.
Calhoun, McDuHi Wright and Grun1v
Dut never nal they responded to such elo-
quence az from 1881 to 1872
Only a few days after the opening of the
ses sion In 1851 Mr.. Adams presented fir
teen petitions from citizens of Massacbu-
sets asking for the abolition OF slavery
and the slave trade in the District of Co
lumbid, pTcf4cing his remarks with the
statement that he did not believe Congress
ought to interfere with slavery in the Dis
trict, but that the abolition of the slave
trade therein clearly came within the pur-
view of Congress The presentation of the
petitions raised a storm of objections from
the southern members. but il was only
a prelude to what was to come afterward
Similar petitions We're sent to Mr. Adams
from other sections of the country and he
kept presenting them for the considera-
ton OF the House, many efforts being made
to silence him, or at least to prevent the
presentation Of the petitions, but every
movement was in vain.
In L. e
appointed to consider what disposition
should be made Of petitions and memorial Is
of this nature, and after a prolonged con-
sideration of the subject reported that
Congress could not ConotitutiOnally inter
fere with slavery in any of the states:
that IL ought not to interfere with II in
the District of Columbia, and that all prop
Ositons papers or petitions on the sub
iect brought before Congress should be
laid upon the table. without reading or
the liberty OF debate. Against this report
Mr.. Adams protested in the strongest
terms. but II was adopted by the House by
very large majority. This attempt to
suppress the right of petition aroused great
Indignation throughout the north and me-
MORALS IN the. subject of slavery were sent
In with renewed viSor. Mir. Adams. with
unwaverins frmness, continued to present
them separately and TO call the attention
of the House TO each one, sometimes pre-
ser ting many as two hundred In day.
Threats of personal violence were freely
made against him, but he dcfied his enc
mics and declared that while he had life
and was {. member of the House he would
present all petitions sent to him, If couche
in respectful language. For some time he
cOntented himself with simply presenting
the petitions and calling attention to their
nature. but on the 9th of January, 1897,
he took another step and one that brought
on one of the most dramatic scenes the
old hall had ever witnessed, and scene
that must forever stand out in history as
one of the most remarkable. On that day
4 = f..I v.ff Of bur hrnI "A
| fifty women, whom he stated to be the
wives and daughters of his immediate con-
stitueHts. praying for the abolition OF slav-
| cry i'm the District of Columbia and moved
| that it be read.
An Exciting Scene.
motion was at once made to lay 1t upon
the table Mr. Adams remarked that, un-
de-standing that 1t was the motion to read
| that was laid upon the table. he gave notice
| that he would cal! up that motion for de-
| cislon every day so long d. the freedom OF
| SD aech was allowed him. He then presented
| another petition, and said that as a part OF
| the speech which he intended to make, he
| would take the liberty of reading the petit
| ton, and at once commenced reading. Then
| the storm burst in all its fury. He was In
| terrupted by cries of order. but he kept OF
reading amid the confusion. He was or
| dered by the Speaker to take his seat, but
| refused to obey, raising his voice to its
| highest pitch as he kept or reading. The
members crowded around him shouting and
| gesticulating in the widest manner but the
! old man was undaunted and fairly scr canned
| out the concluding words of the petition
| and then shook the paper in the face of his
| foes and defied them to suppress free
| speech
| A month later the storm burst forth with
| greater fury than ever. MIR. Adams had of.
| fered some two hundred petitions on the
| subject of slavery and was about to take
| his seat when his eye caught sight of a pa.
per lying on his desk. He picked It up and
| glanced ever 1t, and then, In a shrill tone
| said
MIR. Speaker. I have in my possession q
| petition of somewhat extraordinary charac.
| ter, and L wish to inquire of the chair II 1;
| be in order to present It,"
The Speaker replied that II he woull state
| the nature Of the petition the chair would
| probably be able to decide upon the subject
! He stated that 1t purported to be a retitior
| of eleven slaves from Culpeper, Va, and
| said that 1t had occurred to him that 1t wa
| not what II purported to be. but he would
send It to the chair. The Speaker was Mr.
James X. Polk, afterward President With
| considerable excitement Of manner, he said
| q petition from slaves was a novelty, and
| involved a question he did not feel called
| upon to decide. but would refer 1t TO the
| House.
Held the Floor for Hours.