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VOL, XV.
THE mm JMVKISONMN.
IS F.YF.RV THBItSHAV MORNING
BY WILLIAM CLINE,
At Two Dollars ard Fifiy’Cents fee? aft
num. or Two Dollars peidtin advance.
A sre irirr''<! nt ONE
DOT.T.AH norsdiinrr, (or Ihr first i tiar r: mtv, nnd
FIFTY CEBITS per square, for encli insertion
J hr rentier.
A reaso'r .* rlefhicitoit will be made to those
who adver jhvMteyea*.
All not cvtbewise ordered, will
he cor* .rd till I'.irliiH.
Jr"? <A T.F.S OF LANDS hv Administrators,
Kr*r dors or flnardi'.ins are required hv law to he
tield mi the first Tu*diy ir. the month, between
the hours o’ ten in the loreuonn and three in the
sOernoon, at the Ourt-Unue, in the eounty in
wlii.'h the land is situated. Notice of these sale,
luost he eiren in a nnhlic sazetie FORTY DAY S
Hr"tnn ’•> (tie i-'av of sale.
‘HRS OF NEGROES must he mtn'e a* p.
i r mtc'to'i on the first Tuesday *d the month,
’ vrer-o the .i*tt:il hours of sr.'e, a’ the jdnre ot put
lie sales in the county where the lettirs Test:
•wnt.v’v, of Administr ..tion of Gtiardtansl if rn
hnvs heVw “ranted; first iftvinjr FORTY DA)
notice tluneofin one ofllie, public gazelles ot t!
Sat .ands! the court house whe e such s:ear‘t
to h* held.
*e'tjt : a:” for the sa'r of Personal Property nuts!
e:.’,-n in like manner FORTY DAYS previous
> iue daV l Mile.
N it ice to Oidttors so-l Creditor* es an estate
itnai he p't'dished FORTY />.9YS.
Notice t'!?,t application wtil he made to the Court
O r dtnarv fr !,f.*vr to rm, la.no must ho pith
inked Co- TWO MONTHS,
No'.re tor t.rxrr. m sei t. nf.okofs must he
pn , Vvd TWO MONTH S before any order !>-
'n'e shall he nir. to thereon hv tlv’ Court,
CITATIONS for Lett-rs of Ain initraion
snst he pnh! shed thirty pay=; for Dismission
Imin its?ration, montih.y sir months; lor
Ots.,ii<j.~>n fro o GnaHiunship. ynr.TY dat\
Ru!e< far the hTwevlosurc of Mortgage must he
miMis'ind month Y for foch months, estuh
js!r:iw W paper• lor the full --pare of t-U’.f.k
months; for enm.ieliin” titles irnni li-lecutor nts
Atfm.•-**, w'lnr a DonH l. I>cai> i’ky^rt 1 *
• WtviciM? the In*! 9 1 rv T\*\\rr ‘ U ’ K ’
IN SENATE
Tve-pat, March 14, 1854.
DEB A” E
On the memorial presented by Mr. Ever
ett, from sotne three thousand and fifty j
■ ere’ men, of all denominations and sects, j
in the different States in New England, j
remonstrating against the passage of :
the Nebraska bill
Toe memorial, on the motion of Mr.
Everett, bavins; been laid upon the table. ]
Vc. DOUGLAS subsequently rose and’
said: A memorial has been ordered to lie
on the table, which was presented a few
minutes ago by the honorable Senator
from Massachusetts, [Mr. Everett.] I de-!
sire to submit a word or two of comment
-upon it, and therefore I wish to have it
read. I think it is not respectful to the j
Senate.
1 lie PRESIDENT. The Senator from!
Illinois moves to take up the memorial i
which was ordered to lie on the table
‘! he motion was agreed to.
Mr. DOUGL AS J would now like to
have the memorial read.
It was read, as follows.
To the Honorable the Senate anil Home o” Represent
atives in Congress assembled:
The tnUersigncd, clergymen ol different refi- :
gioil denommatl.ins in New Cng and, hereby, in !
the ntne of Almighty G.id, and in l:L p tweiice,]
Uo solemnly pro cat against tite passage ofwha! it :
I; nmvn ns the Nt hr.iska hill, or any rcpphl or mod j
tli-a'ion of the existing legal prohibitions of slavery i
til tint pi rt of our national <lom>in which it is t>rc
pof ‘t to organiz” into ths Territories of Nebraska |
and Kansas. VVe protest against it as n great j
moral wrong, a- a breach of In it It > loincntiv unjust !
to the moral principles of lilt: community, um] 1
subversive of all coiifi toner in na ion .l engage-j
ments.as* measure full ol danger to the peace j
and even the existence of our beloved Union, and .
exposing it'to the righteous j idgincnls nt” the Al- j
mighty; and your prott slant s, as in duty bound,’
vll ever pm v,
C>-vos , Massachusetts, March 1, 1804.
Mr. DOUGLAS. My only object is]
to call the attention of the Senate to the
memorial. It is presented, after the final
vote of the Senate, as a protest against
our action—against the action in which
largely more than two thirds of this body
concurred. It protests against our action
as being a breach of faith, as involving a 1
moral wrong, as destructive of nil confi
dence, and as subjecting us to the right
eous judgment of the Almighty It is pre-,
settled, too, by a denomination of men
calling themselves preachers of the Gos-!
pel Sir. it has bee t demonstrated in de i
bate that there is not a particle of truth
in the allegation of a breach of faith or
a breach of confidence. It has been de
monstrated so clearly, that there is no ex
cuse for any man in the community for be
lieving it any longer. Yet, here Ve find
that a large b dy of preachers, perhaps
time thousand, following the lead of a
circular, which was issued by the Aboli
tion confederates in this body, calculated
to deceive aud mislead the publ c, have
here come forward, with an atrocious false”
food and an atrocious calumny against
this Senate, desecrated the pulpit, and
prostituted the sacred desk to the misera
ble and corrupting influence of party poll
lies. It matters not whether tite descrip
tion is confined to narrow limits, or wheth
er it extends to all the clergymen of New
England. It matters not whether the
misrepresentation has taken a broad scop*,
or been confined to a few; I hold it as onr
duty to expose tho conduct of men, who,
under the cloak of religion, either from
ignorance or wiilfnl misrepresentation, w.ll
avail themselves of their sacred calling to
arraign the conduct of -Senators here in
the discharge of our duties. Sir, I hold
tnal this Seua'c is as capable of judging
whether our action involves moral turpi
tude, whether it involves the subversion of
morals, whether it subjects us to the judg
ment of the Almighty, as are these politi
cal preachers, whose protest proves them
to bo without any reliable information up
on this subject. It is evident, sir, that
these men know not what they arc talking
about. It is evident that they ought to
be re puked, and required to eonfiue them
fiCives to their vocation, instead of ueglect
ing I heir (locks, and bringing our holy re
ligion into disrepute by violating its sacred
principles, and disregarding the obligations
of truth aud honor, by presenting here a
document which is bo offensive that no
gentleman can endorse it without violating
all the rules of courtesy, of propriety, anil
of honor.
Sir, there seems to be an attempt to
pile upon our table offensive document af
ter offensive document, slander after. slan
der, libel after libel, in order that t-hev Abo-
lition press may copy it as coming fro:p
the records of the Senate, add go imek
and give it credit in the country. They
are smuggling in here, the offensive matter
concealed from our knowledge until we
happen to look into them and see what
they are, and then these gentlemen expect
to carry on a pcliticdl campaign by quo
ting from our own records that we are
traitors to God, aud traitors to humanity.
I think it is time that this miserable sys
tem of electioneering by violating the yules
and courtesies of the Senate, to get an in-*
dorsement of libels, which men ought to
to be ashamed to adopt, should be expo
sed and rebuked. lam not willing that
they should be permitted to pile up slan
der of that kind, insult of that kind, upon
| our table, and let it then be used for such
j a purpose. Y ou know, sir, that that me
i morial is not intended to affect the action
of the Senate. We have n.i such bill be
fore us. Our action is passed. It is not
for the purpose of influencing onr official
conduct. Why is it brought here? There
can be no other object in presenting
it here now than simply to furnish capital
for organizing a great sectional party, and
trying to draw the whole religious commu
nity into their schemas of political aggran
dizement. I think that men ought to be
able tc rely upon argument, and upon
honesty, and upon truth, anil upon rea
1 son, instead of resorting to these things
for the purpose of stimulating excitement
for political ends. I bare no motion to
submit, but I felt it to be mr duty to call
the attention of the Senate to’the memo
rial.
Mr HOUSTON. I think that a peti
tion of this kind ought to be received, and
that it is not subject to tho charge brought
against it by the Senator from IHinoiv. It
does not arraign our action by being drawn
up a r ter that action was had. The Ne
braska bill passed this body on the night
of the 3d, or rather on tire morning of tie
4th Instant. The memorial appears to be
dated on the Ist of March. I cannot think
that it meant any indignity to the Senate.
There is nothing expressive ol any such
feeling in it. It is a right that all indi
viduals in the community have, if thsir
terms are respectful, to memorialize the
Senate of the United States upon any nub
ject. Whether there is any ulterior object
in this i know not; but from the date of
the memorial, aud from the number of the
signers, I am induced to believe that the
memorialists thought there was something
wrong in that bill; uni if they believed
that its passage would be a breach of faith
on the part of the Government, they had
a right to say so. I taok the liberty of
making the same charge here. There
were more questions than that of nonin
tervention involved in this bill. It invol
ved an infraction of faith with the Indians,
of pledges giran to them un ier all the
solemn forms, yet mockery, of treaties
That was one point involved; and I char
ged that the passage of the bill would be
a violation of plighted faith in that partic
ular. Was it a violation of faith to dis
regard the Missouri compromise, which
was of so much antiquity and utility to
the country? That is a matter of discus
sion. I have not arraigned the action of
pny gentlemen since the passage of the
bill, but anterior to it I gav# my opinions
in relation to its character, as a disregard
of treaties, and as a flagrant violation of
the plighted faith of the nation towards
the Indians. With respect to the Mis
souri compromise I believe its repeal to be
as flagrant a breach of faith as the viola
tion of treaties made with th Indians.
I have not charged Senators with cor
rupt motives, nor have I charged them
with any thing selfish; but l certainly can
see no more improp iety in ministers of
the Gospel, in their vocation, memorializing
Congress, than politicians, or other indi
viduals. Ido not beliere that these min
isters hare sent this memorial here to I
manufacture political capital, to have it I
entered on the record* of the Senate, so
that it might be taken back, and dissemi-j
nated through the]coantry. Sir, it comes !
from the country. I told you that there i
wou and be agitation; but it was denied up
on this floor. Is not this agitation? Three
thousand ministers of the living God upon
eart.h—his vicegerents—send a memorial
here upon this subject; and yet, you tell
me, that there is no excitement in the coun
try! Sir, yon realize what I anticipated.
The country has to bear the infliction.
Sir, the coup d'tlal was not successful.
1 he bill did not pass before the communi
ty was awakened to it, not alone in New
England, for I have seen letters from the
South aud W est stating that it was there
regarded as a breach of faith; and I can
see no wrong in ministers expressing their
opinion in regard to it. This protest does
not attack the reputation of Senators. It
does not displace them from their positions
here. It docs not impair their capabilities
tor the discharge of th high functions
which the Constitution has devolved upon
them. I see nothing wrong in all this.—
! Ministers have a right to remonstrate.—
j l hey *tie like other men. Because they
j are ministers of the Gospel they are not
] disfranchised of political rights and privi
leges; and if their language is respectful to
] t,lc Senate, in anticipation of the passage
of a bill which was obnoxious to them,
j tney have a right to spread their opinions
on the records of the nation. The great
national heart throbs under this measure;
its pulse beats high; and is it surprising
we should observe the effects of it? I
trust, sir, that the nation may yet again
see the blessed tranquility that prevailed
over the whole country when this ‘ heal
ing measure” was introduced into the Sen
ate. The nation’s position was enviable
It was unagitated ‘I here was not, in my
recollection, a time so tranquil, and a com
munity more happy. A nation more pros
perous existed not upon the earth. Sir, I
trust that there will be no continuance of
agitation; but the way to end it is not to
make war upon memorialists. Let them
memorialize if they think it necessary. If
they state what is incorrect, let the sub
ject be referred to committees, and let the
committees give an exposition of the truth,
and lay it, in reports, before the public,
and the intelligence of the nation will de
termine as to what is right, and what con
sideration qught to be given to it. I
would not take away the liberty to indulge
in the freest expression of opinion, or the
exercise of the rights and privileges which
THE GEORGIA JEFFERSONIAN.
GRIFFIN, (GA.) THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 30, 1854
belong to any portion of this country; yet
] I would discourage agitation'. I may hold
; the contents of this protest, to some ex-
I tent, heretical; yet they are not expressed
j in such offensive language as would justify
j a denial of their right to niemorialize. If
it had been intended to impugn our mo
tives or our actions, either as corrupt or
immorai, we conld bear it. The people sure
ly have a right to think and speak upon
our action. We are not placed in a posi
tion so high that we are elevated above
the questioning power of the people. They
have the right to look into our action, and
investigate onr conduct; and, if they do
not approve of it. to express their opinions
in relation to it I shall never make war
upon them oil that account'; yet, I trust,
that, whatever disposition may be made of
the bill which we hav* passed, the agitation
has already reached its acme; and that,
from this point it may decline, until the
country is again restored to peace aud
happiness.
Mr. M\S IN. That it is the rijfht of
the citizens of the United States to peti
tion Congress, or either House of it, upon
any subject that may be presented to them,
is never denied, never should be denied;
and such petition upou any subject of pub
lic interest should be received and treated
with the respect which is due to citizsns.
I trust I shall never Bee the day when the
Sanate of the United States will treat the
authors of such petitions, upon any subject
proper for legislation pending before the
body, coming from the people of the Uni
ted States, with naught but respect. But
I understand this petition to come from a
class who style themselves in the petitim i
ministers of the Gospel, and not citizens j
They come before us —I have not under
stood the petition wrong, I believe—as ]
ministers of the Gospel, not citizens, and j
denounce prospectively the action of the
Senate, in their language as a moral wrong; j
and they have the temerity, in the presence
of the citizens of the United States, to in
voke the vengeance of the Almighty, whom
they profess to serve, against us. Sir, min
isters of the Gospel are unknown to this
Government, and God forbid the day
should ever come when they shall be known
to it. ‘Fhe great effort of the American
people has been, by every form of defen
sive measures, to keep that class away
from the Government; to deny to them
any access to it as a class, or any inter
ference in its proceedings. The best illus
tration of the wisdom of that measure in
onr Government is to be found in this,—
Ministers of the Gospel, I repeat-, arc un
known to the Government Tha mission
upon earth is unknown to the Government.
Os all others, they are the most encroach
ing, and, as a body, arrogant class of men.
What do these ministers say? Do they
as citizens enter into a statement of the
facts of which they complain? Do they
recite what will be the political effects of
the measure of which they complain? No;
they inform us that they come here, thro’
their petition, in the presence of the Al
mighty, and invoke Ilis vengeance upon
, tho Senate o ! ’ the United States as about
to commit, in their judgment, a great mo
ral wronjri
Now, sir, l am perfectly wll.iagto let
any number of citizens protest against the
measure which has recently passed the Sen
ate They have a right to do so, in re
spectful language, such as become gentle
men in addressing each other. If thirty
thousand, or three hundred thousand citi
zens come from New England, let them
ba heard. It is respect due to them; but
when they come here, not as citizens, but
daclaring that they come ns ministers of
the Gospel, and, a* the honorable Senator
from Texas declared them to be, vice
gerents of the Almighty—*o I understood
him to declare, possibly he meant vice-re
nents to supervise and control the Legis
lation of this country—l say, when they
come here as a class unknown to the gov
ernment, a class that the government .does
not mean to know in any form or shape,
not to recommend or to remonstrate, but
to denounce our action as a great moral
wrong, because they claim to be the “vice
gerents” of the Almighty, we are bound
not from disrespect to them as citizens,
not from disrespect to the cloth which
they do not grace, but from respect to the
government, from respect to that sacred
public trust which has been committed to
us —to carry out the policy of the govern
ment and refuse to recognize them. Sir,
their object, as was well said by the Sen
ator from Illinois, has been agitation- agi
tation ; and I presume that their cloth and
their ministry will euable them to agitate
with some success. I say, then, Mr. Pres
ident, in my judgement it is due to the
government, to the public trust which we
are here to administer, that we should
carry out the policy of the government and
refuse to recognize these ministers of the
Gospel in coming here. 1 move, therefore,
that the petition be not received, as the
best evidence of the sense of the Senate of
its character.
Mr. BUTLER. It has been received,
I believe, and all that is left is to protest
against the protestants. 1 hav# great x*#
speer,, Mr. President, for the pulpit. I
have such a respect for it that I would
almost submit to a rebukq from a minister
of the Gospel, even in my official capacity;
but they lose a portion of my respect when
I see an organization, for, I believe, the
first time in the history of this government,
of clergymen within the limits of a local
precinct, within the limits of New England,
assuming to be, as the Senator from Tex
as said, the vicegerents of Heaven, coming
to the Senate of the United States, not as
citizens, as my friend from Virginia has
said, but as organs of GoJ—for they do
not come hero petitioning or presenting
their views under the sanction of the obli
gations and responsibilities of citizen# un
der the Constitution of tho United States,
but they have dared to quit the pulpit,
and step into the political arena, and
speak as the organ of Almighty God.—
&ir, they assume the foremen of the Jury
which is to pronounce the verdict and judg
ment of God upon the earth. They do
not protest as ordinary citizens do; bat
they mingle in their protest what they
would have us believe is the judgment of
the Almighty. When the elegy quit the
province which is assigned them, in which
they cau dispense the Gospel—that Gos
pel which as the lamb, not
as the tiger*or the lion—whetj they would
convert the Urnll Into the Uon, going about,
iri the form of agitators, seeking whom
they may devour, instead of the meek and.
lowly representatives of Christ, they direst
themselves of all inspect wliMi I can
give them. Sir, the ministers of tie- Gos
pel are the representative# of the lowly
and poor lamb—of < Frist; but when the
men who have signed that paper—l do
not know with what cidi; f do not sav a
word against them as individuals, for I
have no doubt they mod and respecta
ble and many of them C .ristiai"i-assume to
organize themselves as clergymen, to come
before the Country and protest against the
deliberations of the Senate of the United
States, they deserve, at least, the grave’
censure of the body.
Mr. ADAM'. During the discussion
of the Nebraska bill before the Senate i
•did not open my mouth; nor should I now i
but for the remarks which have fallen i
from the distinguished Senator front Tex- j
as, my old and familiar friend. He says!
there is agitation, and that the display j
upon your table is evidence of it. Sup- i
pose there is agitation; at whose
ought the fault to lie, if there is fault?— |
Wes the action of this body right or I
wrong? If we did what was right and!
proper, according to the republican instil
tutions of this country, and agitation!
arises out of it, the responsibility neither ;
rcst3 upon the distinguished Senator who J
introduced the bill nor those who voted j
for it. What was that action? This j
body, by its vote, removed a legislative I
•ensure upon the institutions of ths South ;
—a centure which has existed so? mors j
than thirty years,, and under which we!
had lived ribnrssively now for the sake of 1
peace. For tho first time hi thirty yean
when that censure could be repealed,
when the SoutheriFStates place themselves
as the Constitution places them, upon tn
equality with the northern States, we are
committing a very great outrage when
we simply say that the people of every
portion of this country within the limits
of our constitutionil authority shall be
governed by their own laws in their owu
war. This is the whole of it
I concur with my friend from S mth
Carolina in regtirO u' the petition which
has been presented and ordered to iie on j
‘he talde. It t•’ aJnrcsst-'d to ove Seoa’e •
and Houle of Bep:-;;st-■Dtati'vVs !.<y * body |
of individuals as ministers of th* G iso- 1 !
I trust I hav.- * regard for hs , !
vocation as nv other Individual, and s-J
much respect for the mioistevs <>f r%. f :
and good will ot earn .as any other i.nit- j
vnlual; hut when they de.nn root that; j
high v.tcatio i, and c >me down to mtri;pt 1
in tha tumid pools of p >!i icq I s-ouhlj
t.eat them just as I would all o .-c- oin \
zens, I would treat their memorials anil
remonstrances.precisely a* I would those ■
of other citizens. It is so unlike the spos-!
ties and the ministers ol Cnrist at an par
ly day, that it loses tite potency which
they suppose the styling themsj!ves min
isters of the Gospel would give to their
memorial. The early ministers of Christ
attended to thalr mission, one which was
given to them by their Master; and under
all circumstances, even when the Saviour
himself was upon the earth, and attempts
were made to induce him to give opinions
with reference to tlie municipal affairs of]
the government, he refused. These men
have descended from their high estate to!
assail the action of this body. !he Sen-1
ator from Massachusetts, in presenting’
the petition, ha# done what he considered |
to be hi# duty; but I would re n irk, how- j
ever, that with all the respect which be
long# to the high character of those indi ]
viduals as minister# of the Gospel, their!
petition #ho dd, under tho circumstance 7 ,!
receive no more respect from us then if it
came from any other private citizens. !
.Mr HOUSTON Mr. President, l|
have the misfortune again to differ fro n j
my friends in relation to this measure, but
that difference is not sufficient to induce
me to enter anew into the discussion of it.
I will, however, discuss the propriety of
this memorial The gentlemen misappre
hend its character entirely I understood
the honorable Senator from Virginia—but
I may have been mistaken—to say that it
invoked the vengeance of Almighty God
upon the Senate.
Mr. MASON. In substance it does,
as I understand.
Mr. HOUSTON. There is no invoca-1
tion contained in the memorial It is a
respectful protest, stating their apprecia
tion of the measure then pending before
the Senate of the United States, and
not one word is contained in it deroga
tory to the Senate at the time it was;
drawn, and there is no invocation of wrath
or vengeance upon the members of this
body. It is a respectful protest, in the
name of Almighty’ God.
By the expression which I used when I
was up before, tlitot they were the vice
gerents of the Almighty, I merely intend
ed to say that they were harbingers of
peace to their fellow men; and if it was
a lapsu,i lingua, or improper expression,
it does not change the intention th it I
then entertained in my mind of express
ing a belief, that it was nothing o so than
an extraordinary emar -cncy that diverted
men from their ordinary pursuits in the
ministry of the Gospel to engage atal! in.
or to step even to the verge of, the politi
cal arena.
We are told, Mr. President, that this
was intended for the purpose of agitation.
It is certainly a manifestation of agitation, I
I but it could net have been intended to cre
ate agitation, for the thing was done,
and here is one of its devoiopoments and
consequences. Yet, sir, I cum see nothing
wrong in the memorial, so far as I am con
cerned. If ministers of the Gospel are
not recognized by the Constitution of the
United States, they arc recognized by the
moral and social constitution oi society.—
They arc recognized in the constitution of
Rian’s salvation. The great Uedeemer of
the world enjoined duties upon mankind;
and there is the moral constitution fro u
which we have derived all the excellent
principles upon which our government,
morally, socially, and religiously, is found
ed.
Then, sir, I ilo not think that there is
anything very derogatory to our institu
tions in the ministers of the Gospel express
ing their opiuions. They have a right to
do it. No man can be a irrinister without
first being- a man. tie tr.s pc’tiica! right.t,’
he has also t,he rirrht of a missionary of
thi Sarionr, and he is not disfranchised
bv hia vocation. Certain political restric
tions may he laid on hi::!, he may be dis
qualified from serving in the Legislatures
of the State, but that does not. discharge j
him from political and civil Obligations to i
Ins country. Tie has a right to contribute,
as fa ; he thinks nSce-sary, to the sus
tcntatioii of its institutions Ho hag a
F*ht to in ter nose his voice as one of it#
citizens against the adoption of any mea
sure which he believes will injure the nation.
These individuals have done no more.—
They have not denounced the Senate, but
timy have protested, in the capacity of
ministers, against what I and other Sena
tor?; on this floor protested. They hare
the right to do it, and Wc cannot take
that right-from thorn. T hey will exercise j
it. ihe peonle have the right to think,
and they will excercise that right. They
have .the right of memorializing, and they |
w.ll exercise that right. They have the
right- to express their opinion.!, and they
will exercise that right. They will exer
cise their rights ii reprobation or commen
dation at the ballot box, too; and preach
ers, i believe, vote. They have the right
to do so. They are not very formidable
numer cally, but they have the right to
do this as ministers oMlio Gospel, as well
as we Senators have the right to Tote for
the adoption of a measure; and if it is not
in accordance with their opinions they
have a right to condemn it. They have
the right to think it is morally wrong,
politically wrong, civilly wrong, and soci
ally wrong, if they do not interfere with
t v *e vested rights of others in the entertain
mint of those ?pinions,
l understood my honorable frieud from
Mississippi to say, that the South had
been fora long time under this
oppressive measure. The South, air, are
a spirited people, and how they could
h\ve submitted for more than a third of
a century to this indignity, this wrong,
this a'-t of agg r ession, which hasground
h#nn and jwi in their prosperity and devel
opment, an I never lnve said a wor 1 about
il until this auspicious moment arrived,
and that, too, when political subjects
have been agitated at the North and
South, that it should have been reserved
f >r the action of the present Congress, af
ter all others had glided by without com
plain’, rebuke, remonstrance, orsugges
h>n of appeal, is a m >st exlr.iordteary
‘hfo". Mv friend does not apprehend it;
out there wa# rro evcitemen’ out of thi#
Ca pit >), or out of the city of Washington
It-orisinated tier*. This was the grand
!••Pooitory of political action and political
machinery. Toe object wa to mature
h > measure here, ft id infl cl ip by a coup
d'el'tl, upon the nation, and thru radiate j
it to every point of the country. Tnepo
■on d'*e no* react pleasai'lv. There is
a response, hut how do s it go down?
Not wrlb Fhe physic, work*; it work*
baUv; it works upward.
lam ‘vi'F'.ig to receive anv memorials
ths ari> pre'siehled f ’> this body which are
respectable in terms, whether they come ‘
from preachers, po'i’.icMijs, civilians, or ■
from the beggars that congregate about ]
your cities, and 1 will re it them with re- j
spect and kindness. Vs long as they are j
respectful in terms to this body, though j
they ex pi ess their apprehension of a ca
lamity about to fall o t tha country, it j
brands no man; and if they denounce a ]
measur.e in adv tnce. it if. what they have ■
a ri.;hl to uo. We hsve a more eligible!
p. si'io itre to a.lvoca'e our opinions
than itvlividoa's have in social life to
maintain their p notions.- We have nil]
the panoply of’ po ver nnd Stale Bove- I
reign ty ih-o.vn around ihe members of this \
ho<Sy t< guard and shield then against i
attacks;‘but tilv ire thro vn in the midst
of the ro nmuoi.y without any shield, ex
cept it is the slrai l of m traloy and pro
priety of conduct w iieb gives protection
to their pars.) >. While thev express
themselves respectfully I shall.nerer treat
ftniii disrespect pseachers or any other
indivi luais who come before this ho ly to
give as thvir up io >s upon political sub
jec s.
Mr. EVERE Fib Mr. P,evident, as
this ir.esmo’ iai was presented by me, 1
ih'nk if m v duly t<> say a few words to ,
the Senate Ik way of explaining ray re
lation to it. Just after the Senve cam
to order tiiis morning, I was called from
trtv sett to the floor of the Senate Clam
ber, and there roqueste 1 to take charge
of it, this memorial. iho gentleman it)
whose hands it was, with whom I had
not the pleasure of a previous pergonal
acquaintance, was introduced to mo, as I
h ive no doubt he is, as a most respecta
ble me vber of the clerical profession;
and I was requested by him to take charge
of the memorial, and present it to the
Senate Seeing that it was a very volu
miuous document, an 1 one which l could
not carr}* with me to my seat, and there
hand it, in the usual manner, to the at
tendants of the Senate, I directed one ot
them near me at the door to take it im
meliately to the table of the secretary,
so that 1 have had ne opportunity what
ever of inspecting i*. 1 presented it to
die Senate hut a m >ment or two after it
was placed in my charge, and, in point of
fact, I had not ran 1 a word ofit before- 1
cast my eye over it and a f?W ol the signa
tures at the head of it, in conjunction with
the:-Senator from Illinois, the Chairmin
of the Committee on the Territories, as
we were standing together at the Secre
tary’s table. I think it due to myself, as
it matter of fact, that these circumstance#
should he stated, because tho Sena
tor from Illinois has objected to ths lan
guage of the memorial, as disrespectful
to tne Senate, and as personally offensive
to him, in common with the other mem
bers f the bo iy who supported the bill.
1 am aware of the reserve which is im
posed by tbe rules of the Senate on the
presentation of memorial#; aud I deem it,
therefore, no more than justice to myself
that the Senate should understand pre
cisely the circumstances under which
this memorial war offered by nve.
I think, however, sir, that loughttO'go
funher, au 1 ( - inasmuch as the time of its
preien.la.ion is objected to, express, in
justice to the m-emoTiaftsls,. the opinion
that this memorial was signed by proba
bly every individual whose name is sub
• c.-rihed io it the fiaal action ol m# ;
Senate on the Nebraska bill. Il is proba
ble, in collecting together the separated
papers which had b* en circulated for sig
natures, and in preparing the memorial
j to be transmitted, in the copy of the eap
; tion which was made for the purpose,
i the date of the first of March was append
ed to it, without considering that many
of the memorialists, probably ail, must
h* it signed it before that day It ought
not, therefore, ro (> considered, as has
been complained of, a< a protest directed
agtins: a measure which so large a ma
jority of the Senate had previously sanc
tioned, hut as the expression of the opin
ion entertained try those who signed it
of a measure still pending before the Sen
ate.
j ido not undertake to vouch that this is
j the i*rt| but I ptesume that Senators will
j themselves, on reflection, consider tint it
mii.o he so; and that the nvmurial must
have been signed by a majority, if uot ty
( every individual whose name is there,
wiule the meat-fire was in its progress, and
not alter it had received the approbation
of a great majority of this body.
My own opinion in relation to pre-ent
iog memorials t the Senate in reference
to measures that have pissed from our
control would tie. that :t is, generally
speaking, not expedient. In a single in
stance of a memori and against the N ebras
k i (till, sent to tne sin e the n ensure lefi
this body, I have, at the suggestion of
the person who sent it, instead of present
ing it here, put it into the hands of the
member of the other llotse who repre
sent. the district where the memorialists
live. That was done at the request of
the person who forwarded the memorial.
Ob serving however, that other Senators
around me, in many cases, did- present
memorials which had reached them since
the bill passed through the Senate, and
contemplating the possibili'y that it
might again come before us, after having
undergone amendment in the other
i Mouse, and that there was therefore stiii
a propiiety in its being considered, to a
qualified extent, in our possession, 1 have
thought thfie was no irregularity in that
point of view, in presenting any memo
rial to which there was no objection on
other grounds On this principle I have
acted in reference to several memorials
against the Nebraska trill which have
been sent to me during the past week.
In reference to the objections taken to
the language of the memorial, and the con- .
ccrted movement in which it has origina-’
ted, I must say to the Senator from Illi-!
uois, that I do not believe there is any
thing in it intended for political effect. I !
have no belief that these three thousand !
j clergymen from all parts of New England,
!in preparing and signing this memorial,
have intended, in the smallest degree, to
step from their sacred profession into the
arena of party polities. lam confident it
would be found, if it were possible to make
the inquiry, that the memorial is signed
by, individuals ol'all political parties; that
I those who differ on every political question,
|in the common acceptation of the term,
j Will be found to have united on this oeca
sion; that this paper really expresses the
sincere conviction of men who look at this
subject strictly in a moral and religious
aspect, and that, so far from designing to
take any part in the agitations that trouble
the land, they hare regarded the question
solely in the - other point of view in which
, it is natural it should present itself to their
| minis.
| Tiiis has from time immemorial, been
i the custom of the members of that prefer
! iion, in that part of the country, although
I not confined to it. They have been in the
! habit, in reference to the public questions
j which have strongly appealed to the sen
sibilities of the community,-and which they
regarded as having momentous moral and
religious bearings, of expressing their opin
ions in this- way; and 1 ain quite sure, as I
said before, that on this occasion, they
have not intended to lay aside —they have
not thought they were laying aside - their
sacred character for the sake of joining in
j political agitation, or affecting the result
of any political controversy. And, sir, I
, think, I need not say, that a body of over
J three thousand cLrgyinen, comprehending
j more than three fourths of the clerical pro
fessron of New England, of all denomina
tions, is a very respectable body; that it
must faithfully represent the public opinion
of a very large and most intelligent por
tion of the community, and that it is enti
tled to the ino3t respectful consideration
on the part of this body. Ido not wish,
as a citizen myself of that part of the U
nioti, to say any thing that would be tlio’t
extravagant, or dictated by local partiali
ty on that point, but I must say that 1 do
not think it would be possible to find any
body of men of the same number ernbra
cing a greater amount of personal or m >r
al worth than these three thousand and
fifty individuals. The greater portion of
them are necessarily men of education
They are persons whose lives are conse
crated, with very little reward in what are
called this world’s goods, to the highest
objects to which the life and labors of a
man can ba devoted. Os course, in such
a large number of men, there may be in
divicinal exceptions, but I do think that.,
in general, it may bo very fairly said they
are as exemplary, as intelligent, aud as re
spectable a body of men as any other in
tiie country, not to say in the world; and
I must repeat my conviction, that on this
occasion they wore animated by no des ; re
to embark in the strife and agitation of
the world of politics; but that feeling they
were performing a duty that devolved up
on them, they have expressed their honest
ami sincere conviction of the character of
the measure in question, contemplated in
a nnral and religious point of view.
1 regret that the presentation of this
memorial, which, uuder the circumstauces,
I could regard in no other light than as a
duty to a large number of my own imme
diate constituents, should have awakened
any feeling on the part of any member of
the Senate. It is but three or so rdayia i e
my frieud from New York [\lr. Fish],. pre
sented a similar memorial—! mean similar
in its object, for 1 have had uo opportuni
ty of comparing the terms iu wliiok it is
couched—subscribed by almost every cler
gyman in the city of New Tort. It was
headed by the distinguished bishop of the
ensbo” ’ tl:oc23f> o-?'that- State: and it was
represented to be signed by a large tut
| jority of the clergy of that city. No ex
j ception was taken in tfie senate to that
memorial; none to its terms; none to the
I facts of the presentation. It was received
| in the usual form, and ordered to lie'upon
! the talile in the usual manner That, if
I recollect right, was since the passage of
I the bill; and it took the course, which oth
|er numerous memorials have taken which
have also been presented since its passage.
1 think it would he wise aud expedient
that this memorial also shotild beweceived
aud disposed of iu the usual way. lam
quite sure that it would be doing injustice
to the, individuals who have signed it* ms
■ny of whom are personally known to me,
as moil venerable for years, distinguished
for learning, and of the utmost purity of
life and character, to reject their memori
al as having liesn prompted by any desire
to kindle angry passions, or to engage iu
! political controversy; but that we ought
j to give them the ere tit for having expfes*-
jed honestly and sincerely the feelings
which they entertained of this measure as
j a n'lOfal and religious question.
I do not know, sir, that I have any
thing more to say on this subject. 1 felt
that it iras due to the relation in which,
without any previous intimation, I hare
been placed to the memoridists that 1
; should say this much.
j Mr. PEiTlih Mr. President, lam
i for the greatest liberty to the greatest
■ number, and i will not deny to any class
jof uiv fellow-citizens, uuder whatever
j name or denomination they may appear,
j the right to petition; and under the geue
i ral term “petition,” provided for in the
S Constitution, I am willing to regard me
j mortals and remonstrances, of whatever
j name, kind, or description, provided they
are always respectful to the Senate. lint
they should be viewed in another light,
ana that is as to the propriety of time.—
Then the first objection which 1 make to
this remonstrance is not to its term-, not
to it of itself, but to the time of its pre
sentation All inenorinlizing and all peti
j tioning is upon the bans or hypothesis
I that some good is to come oat of it; that
! there is something pending, or likely to
be pending, to which it may refer. In
that view, it is certainly too late nw to
present this memorial, though, as for that,
I care but little. The bill has passed
from us, never to return to us, in all prob
ability. YVc have done our deed, for good
or for evil, for weal or for woe. We are
to have, I suppose, the righteous judge
ments of the country anil of the Almighty
upon us for the doing of that deed. I
presume this memorial intends to convey
the i lea, although it does not say so dis
tinctly, that we subject ourselves to the
righ e msjudgme. fc >f tU \’mighty t judg
ments which are terrible and fearful, judg
ments of torment, of pain, and of misery.
I will not, however, so construe it, for my
own gratification at least. lam willing
to say that the righteous judgments of the
Almighty held in reserve for us are those
of approval aud reward. I doubt uot
that we shall receive, through the country,
through our fellow citizens, that judgnieri t
of reward and approval. The bill, how
ever, to which this remonstrance relate*,
Ins passed from us, not to return. It has
gone entirely to the other house, and 1
can see no propriety in piling upon our
table remonstrances against the passage
of the measure which we lnve already
passed.
But, sir, the Senator from Mississippi
[Mr. Ach|sw] says he liars great respect
and great reverence for the clergy, for the
ministers of the Gospel, as such, while
they keep their robes pure and unspotted;
but when they descend to the turbid pools
of politics and bedabble their garments all
over with the mad, and slime, and filth
which lie would make you believe is to
be found there, he loses all respect for
them. So should I, if 1 coaid be led to
believe that the waters of tho pool of poli
ties wove any more turbid or filthy than
the waters which flow through their con
tradictory streams of theology. Ido not
believe it, sir. I hold, on the contrary,
that the waters of the pools of polities
are infinitely more pellucid, and pure, and
cheering, and refreshing, than the pool
which surrounds their stagnant waters of
theology no two of them agreeing on any
proposition which can be presented l .
I anr, however, totally incompetent to
judge of this matter. These men, as has
been well said by the Senator from Vir
ginia, have not come to you as fellow citi
zens. The Constitution has secured to
the citizens of the United States the right
at all times to petition, aud they shall nev
er be denied that right by me, whether
they choose to use the name of citizens or
any other. But they have-not remonstra
ted in their own name as citizens, nor in
behalf of their fellow-citizens; bat they
have come, as they tell you, as the em
bassadors of a higher and omnipotent
power They use the language, of an em
bassador who says, “in the name of my
Government I declare to you this, that or
the other.” In the name of God, and in
the name of his violated law, they declare
this. They say that to them alone is giv
en the power to divulge or to divine that
law on earth. Sir, being totally incom
petent, avowing here my total incapacity
and ability to expound, divine, and illus
trate that law,. I shall leave it to a differ
ent forum and a different place.
These memorialists do not tell us that
the measure against which they protest
will iujuro the country, or that it is a
wrong to their fellow citizens; but that is
a violation of the law of Him, their Mas
ter, who, they claim has sent them. Tho
propriety of such a remonstrance may wall
be questioned; yet I will not undertake
to question it.
Sir, this then, is an ecclesiastical, not a
political question, they have withdrawn ,-it
from the political arena. They have said
that they arc sent by the Divine Creator,
the maker and enforcer of divine- law,
commissioned to*put forth and to* thunder
on our devoted heads, his anathemas and
his judgements in advance. Asa secular
body, we are entirely incompetent to jm'g *
of what that law is, or whether wo
have offended against, it or not. These
men say they are commisiourd to expound
it on oarth to un. We have, hoisgita*,
provided ourselves for all these contingou
.ce.v. When the people, in their politic j
No* 13.