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IMIBIOAH DEMOCRAT.
ihe m«>t perfect Government would be that which, emanating directly from the People, Governs least—l’osts least—Dispenses Justice to all, and confers Privileges on None.—BENTHAM.
VOL. I.| DR. WH. GREEN - EDITOR.
African dehocrii
PUBLISHED WEEKLY,
IN THE REAR OF J. BARNES' BOOKSTORE.
COTTON AVENUE, MACON, GA.
AT TWO DOLLARS PSR ANNUM.
IN ADVANCE. -CU
Rates of Advertising, &c.
One square, of 100 words, or less, in small type, 75 cents
,r the first inscrtior., and 50 cents for each subsequent inser
ion.
Ml Advertisements containing more than 100 and less than
f words, will be charged as two squares.
Cos Yearly Advertisers, a liberal deduction wilt be made.
EES- N. U Sales of I.AND, by Administrators, Executors.
tGuardians, are required, by law, to be held ou the first j
I'iiesday in tits month, between the hours of 10 in the fore
noon, and 0 in the afternoon, at the Court-House in the Coun- j
vin which the property is situacl. Nonce of these must 1
e ajveu in a public (Jazotic, SIXTY DAYS, previous to the
day of saie.
Salsa of PERSON Al. PROPERTY, must be advertised in !
the same manner, FORTY DAYS previous to the day of sale- j
Notice to Debtors and Ciedimrs of an Estate, must be pub- ,
isbed FORTY Days.
Notice that application will be made to the Court of Ordi
tary, for leave to sell LAND, must be published FOUR
MONTHS.
Sales of NEGROES, must be made at public auction, on
the first Tuesday of the month, between the local hours of
ale at the place of public sales in the county where the let
era testamentary, of Administration or Guardianship, shall
have been granted, SIXTY DAYS notice being previously
"tven in one of the public gazettes of this State, anl at the door
of the Couit llousc, where such sales arc to be held.
Notice for leave to sell NEGROES, must be published for
FOUR MONTHS, before any order absolute shall be made
thereon by the Court.
All business of this nature, will receive prompt attention, a 1
the Office of the AMERICAN DEMOCR AT.
REMITTANCES UY MAIL.—“A Postmaster may cn
c ;ue money in a letter to the publisher of a newspaper, to
pay the subscription of a third person, and frank the letter, if
written by himself.”—»Anise KavUtU, P. M G.
COMMUNICATIONS addressed to the EmTon Post
Paid.
H . &. J. COWLES,
HAVE nowon hand at the Store formerly occupi
ed by Messrs. J. R. ROSS <fc Cos. a grcnerol as
sortment of planters’ supplies,
—CONSISTING OF —
Gi • oceries ,
STAPLE m coops,
sssobb* &and.
Macon, Nov. 22, 1313. 27
WILLIAM L. CLARK ,
WHOLESALE DUALKft IN
STAPLE AM) FANCY
D II Y LOOSES,
NO. 37 LIBERTY STREET,
(.Vear .Vnssatt.)
nsw-yoee,
Oct. 13, 1943. 22 ts.
iaTiSW* 'SO DXrSa
At.i/tr' J K.rrro.
ARE receiving mill opening n large amt tlesirahle ,
assortment tit* seasonable FOREIGN anti A
MEBICAN Ftricy and Staple
Drt? GSootW*
The entire sto< k is n«*w and very complete, nnd wil
be sold at Wholesale or Retail, at 'he very lowest pri
ces. Purchasers are invito! to call and examine lor
themselves Nov 8. 25
.Vcip W»7/ tio'ttl .«*, Sl.tt and
K2SOS-: STOKE.
at Baldwin’s corner, cotton avenue, macon, ga.
IrPHCl r PHC subscri'ocre are sow receiving u genera! stock
X oi new staple nnd fancy
Dry Goods, Shoes, Boots mid Iltits,
Also Calf Skins, Sole Leather, Hog Skin*, Boot Mo
rocco, Boot und Saddle idling.-, Snue Thread, Peggs
and Lasts.
Snperior Anchor Brand Bolting Clolhs.
Paper Hangings and Bordering.
Crockery-ware.
PAINTS AND OILS.
Pure White -Lead ground in Oil,
Extra and No. 1 und 2 ground in Oil,
Colored Paints,
Best quality Linseed, Tanncts and Lamp Oil,
Class, I’to tv. &c
All of which will be sold low for Cash
A. J. & D. W. ORR.
Oct. 25, 1313 2 3 3m.
BONN E T 8 .
THE subscriber has Just received a fresh supply
of Hue and fashionable
Florence, Tuscan, and Straw Bonnets.
Also, a few DRESS PATTERNS, rich Mouslin de
Lane ; an assortment of Elastic and Half long 1 Mins;
Rich and Fashionable Dress Silks at reduced prices;
Also one p:e ;c Turkey Satin.
G. L. WARREN,
One door above Geo. A. Kimberly’s Hat Store.
Macon, Nov. 1, 1343. 24-ts
KIMBERLY’S
{£THat Store sod)
CONSISTING OF GENTLEMENS’ LEGHORN
PANAMA, MANILLA, AND PALM
LEAF HATSi
All of which, will be sold as low as the lowest.
Muy 24. 8
Bag ging and Hope.
5 BAI.ES Gunny Cloth, 45 inch wide,.
100 Piecos Kentucky Hemp Bagging',
50 Coil Manilla Bale Rope.
For sale by CHARLES DAY & CO.
Macon, Nov. 15, 1843. 26 ts
Bagging and Hope.
(A/A/A PIECES heavy Gunnv Bagging,
t’vJu 100 “ Kentucky, do
50 “ Rosin, do
200 “ Coils Manilla Rope,
500 lbs. Bagging Twine.
For sale on reasonable terms, by
CHAS. CAMPBELL &. CO.
Aug. 23, 1843. 15
GROCERIES.
f IIHP. subscribers continue to keep on hand nt tin
JL old stand, opposite the Washington Hall, a good
assortinentof Groceries, Bagging,Saif, Iron, Ac., which
they will sell low for cash.
C. CAMPBELL A CO.
?sacon, June 7, 1813. 4 ts
DEMOCRATIC BANKER FREE TRADE; LOW DUTIES; NO DEBT; SEPARATION FRO NX BANES; ECONOMY; RETRENCHMENT
AND A STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE C. C.ILHOIW.
From the N. Y. Evening Post.
Rural Lite in Florida.
Our correspondent at Copper Creek,
who, our readers will see is a wit, has 1
sent us this second letter:
COPPER CREEK, E. FLORIDA.
Dec. 16th, 1843.
Already do some of us contemplate the
propriety of having a duty laid upon
tropical fruits, to encourage the growth
of our young sucklings. Let the Clay
whig tariffites ‘<chew that hitter almond.”
It is just as reasonable as any other part
of the protective jnolicy. The duty need
only be very high at first, while our
plants are in their infancy, asthe advices
I have heard from from Mr. Clay remark.
As the productiveness of our plantations
j increases* the tax upon the importation
of oranges, lemons, pines, tAe. from the
West Indies may be diminished, The
rising generation and all punch drinkers
will remember Mr. Clay, if this be done,
if the elections of 1844 forget him. If
the salt we use is taxed—when the very
fish themselves are leaping out of the
living water as though it were too fresh
—salt, a necessary of life, why should
not fruits—a luxury ? A prohibitory
duly ou ell fruits which caunol be ripen
ed with certainty north of Cape Canaveral
would give such an impulse to my two
hundred rows of pine apples, that they
would lie in danger of disengaging them
selves from their (adopted) mother earth,
in their struggles and rivalry. It may
1 lie urged that we can manufacture our
own salt in the latitude of Abaco. So
we can, but it is more refreshing to tend
j n springing verdure in Decemtxr than to
i evaporate sa’t water, and besides we have
other fish to fry. We make our own
; lime from oyster-shells, our own tar from
1 pitch pine, our own oil from sharks and
i saw fish, and tan our own hides—in
more senses than one—and yet cannot
obtain the cheap fabrics of Great Britain,
by way of the Bahamas, on account of
the anarch custom’s chain-the ‘damned
customs’ to encourage the growth of
northern manufactories. It is hard to
persuade tnyneiglibors of the ungenerous
nature of their anticipations in view of
the undoubted advantages that would
accrue to ourselves, were the price of an
orange twenty-five cents, and a pine a
dollar. Our cotfee plants too, it must
be remembered, may need some encour
agement, though we shall not ask for a
duty on that beverage until we have en
ough for our own boiling. By the bye,
a remark in my last, about “lecturing on
temperance,” may be misapprehended.
It is useless here, because We have not a
drop of intoxicating liquor on the whole
lagoon. lam vice president myselfof a
teetotal society two hundred miles long ;
and it is this, I may also observe, that
probably conduces to the perfect health
of the coast. There is not even the ex
cuse of keeping a little for medicine,
when doctors starve for want of patients.
Five have left us for more congenial lo
cations and three remaining ones have
turned their attention to the inocculation
of sour orange trees and other vegetative
settings.
No one, without experience, can im
agine the enjoyment attendant on our
fishing duties. No angling with pole
and line, but with the largest hooks and
strongest lines we literacy run the fish
ashore, and with difficulty stand upon
them until unhooked. They are some
times too strong for us in the deep, rapid
inlet. I have been pulled in up to my
knees in the water and yielding sand,
and when a comrade ran to my assistance
asthe last of the line was nearly out, it
parted like a string of lamp-wick.—
Throwing the castnet for mullet on the
flats, either from the bow ofaboat or wad
ing in the bright water andgolden sands,
is the most enticing. The cast net, you
know, is of a conical shape, with tucks
running from the lead line at the lase, i
through a hore at apex, to the hand line.
When thrown witha whirl, it expands
cen'rifugally and strikes the water flat,
the leads sinking immediately, and being i
drawn together by the hand lineattached
to the tucks, the leads come up to the
horn at the apex, and the whole forming
a circular bag, with its contents, is lilted ;
into the boat or carried on shore—then
with the right hand holding the upper
end of the tucks, the horn is lifted up by
the left hand, bringing the net to its |
original shape, and the fish drop out.
The net is then ready for another |
throw. Some are more expert with it j
than others, but any one can learn its |
use in a short time. A hawk was caught j
with one at Fort Pierce. Rarely is the
sport abandoned until the boat is over
loaded and nine-tenths of the cargo de
stined for manure. And these are fish,
that in size rival, in flavor equal, and in
r atness surpass your northern early shad,
and with roes that you know nothing
aliout. Were I inclined to exaggerate. I
could say that in jumping out of the wa
ter they knock the birds into it. I saw
it happen once with a flock of snipes,
though it may never happen again, and
l have seen a porpoise knock one out u!
the water and catch it in the air. The
transaction was seen too near my skiff to
make another desirable to witness, if it
MACON, WEDNESDY, JANUARY 24, 1844.
was usual, which 1 do not pretend to
aver. Their plan is to strike them lateral- j
ly with their horizontal tail, and catch
them in their trap-shaped mouth. At
night we rig a plank across tiie boat and
build a pitch pine fire at each end, about
two feet from the boat. Then all kinds
crowd around and the net is thrown at
random, covering mullet, sheep-head, '
drum, pompinos, sailor’s choice, bass,
trout, and catfish, large and small, in in
discriminate confusion. In the day time 1
a selection is made by meeting orlollow- J
ing the schools of large mullet.
A meditative naturalist with leisure—
and it may be indulged in during the
] most laborious occupations—would not
soon weary in these lagoons. lam no
philosopher; but have observed what I
have never read of; and which exempli
fies the ability of the vital principle to
| overcome the intractability of matter and
even the laws of matter. Every optician
knows the reason why an object—a
, bright picayune for instance; at the
; bottom of clear water, is well defined to
I the eye above the surface, when the best
: diver under water only sees a confused
and enlarged briliancj. The refraction
! of the rays of light on entering the outer
lens of the eye is not altered in the first
case, while the difference of density be
tween the water and the eye of the diver
—the convexity of the outer lens remain
ing stationary—is so much reduced that
the refraction is materially lessened, in
the other case. Now, I had heretofore
thought that the peculiar appearance of a
turtle’s eyes arose from its long exposure
to the air; but its eyes aro just the same
when first caught, or when it darts away
with the arrowy fleetness of a trout. Its
eyes have to be aeufely used in both ele
ments, and it is provided with an addi
tional flat lens outside, so that the angle
of refraction is not changed when above
or bcjow the water. A pair of nav;d
spectacles ! It is a different spectacle to
contemplate when done up into soup of
steaks at YVmdust’s or Florence’s, 1
know ; but it does seem to me that na
ture is more observant and active in
these latitudes than in the North, and
that she takes care of individuals as well
as of species. It is perhaps only that our
opportunities to observe are multiplied,
not her creative powers increased. Yet,
in several cases, successful copies from
one kingdom to another—from animal
to vegetable and from vegetable to ani-'
mal; but my limits are short, and I shall
get out of my depth,and if any think that
new races of animals are not continually
forming, or that creation has ceased, I do
not wish to disturb their tranquility not
to attract them from their frigid domains
to observe for themselves.
Yours, &c.
SEMPER IDEM.
l '
Spurting in.Mcvioo.
The annexed extract istaken fjrom that
new and interesting publication “Mexico
as it was and is,’* by Brantz Mayer, Sec
retary of Legation to that country.
“ After the shower had passed, we
again sallied forth, and, reaching the
marshy flats, amused ourselves With
watching the operations of Ignacio in
stead of making war ourselves upon the
birds. After wandering about for soma
time without starting game, Ignacio at
last perceived a flock alight a hundred
yards to the north of him. He dismoun
ted immediately—waved his hand to us
to remain quiet—crouched behind the
hull, and, putting the animal in motion,
in the direction of the birds, they both '
crept on together until within gun shot.
Hern, by a twitch at his fail, the beast
was stopped, .and began munching the
tasteless grass as eagerly as if gratifying
a relishing appetite. Ignacio then slow
ly raised his headtoalevel with thebull’s i
spine and surveyed the field of battle, I
while the birds paddled about the fens i
unconscious of danger. Although evi- '
dently within good shooting distance, j
tiie tiro discovered that he had not pre- i
cisely got a raking range ; and, therefore 1
again dodging behind his rampart, put !
the bull in motion for the required spot.
This attained he levelled his gun on the
animal’s back and fired—honest Sancho
never stirring his head from the grass ! |
Several birds fell, while the rest of the j
flock, seeing nothing butan unbeiigerent !
bull, scarcely flew more than a dozen
yards before they alighted again ; and
thus the conspiring beast and sportsman j
sneaked along, from shot to shot, until
nearly the whole flock were bagged.
Death of Madame Galitzine.
We announce, with deep regret, the
decease of this excellent lady, on the Bth
ultimo, at St. Michael, Louisiana.
Madame Galitzine was the cousin of
the Emperor Nicholas, and a princess of
the blood royal. She was born in Rus
sia in the year 1796, and educated in the
creed of the Greek Church. At the age
of eighteen she became a convert to the
Roman Catholic faith, and not long af
terwards, sacrificing all the splendor of
her elevated rank, and the luxuries of
wealth, she entered as an humble novice
in the Society of the Ladies of the Sa
cred Heart. This occurred in France,
in 1826. In 1828, having terminated
her noviciate, she repaired to Rome,
where she was employed in the office of
the superior general of the society Ten
years subsequently she was appointed as
sistant general ; and in 1840, she was
sent to America, in the capacity of supe
rior provincial. After visiting the bou
ses of the order previously established,
she founded three new ones, and return
ed to France in the spring of 1842. At
the earnest request of all the members of
the society in America, and with the ap
probation of the superior general, she re- 1
visited America in 1843. After spend
ing a short time at the various houses of
the order in Canada and the Northern
States, she arrived at St. Louis at the
commencement of the pres nt season ;
! and her health being somewhat impair
ed, and fearing the severity of a cold cli
; mate, she hastened to Louisiana, where
. she intended to spend the winter. She
I was soon attacked by the prevailing epi
' demic, and after a severe illness of nine
days, departed this life, regretted not on
| ly by the members of her order, but by
1 all who knew her.
; Our hasty notice of this distinguished
: woman might end here ; but Christians
of all denominations will feel sufficient
, interest in such a personage, to reouire
'some few additional details of her char
. acterand acquirements. When we thus
behold the most elevated rank and un
; bounded wealtli sacrificed by a lady,
1 without a sigh, for a profession attended
with unremitting labor, and almost none
j but spiritual consolations, whatever he
our religious belief, we must pause in ad
miration of her motives and conduct.—
But Madame Galitzine was not distin
guished by rank and sacrifices only.—
She was a woman of powerful mind,
and cultivated by varied learning, and
devoted to the elegant arts. She was an
excellent classical scholar, and Greek,
Latin, Italian, French, and English,
were almost as familiar to her as her na
tive Russian. She excelled as a painter
in oils, and used her pencil with great
freedom and rapidity. She has left be
hind her, scattered through Europe and
America, a number of paintings, some of
which arc of large size and of ennsidera
ble merit. One of them adorns the chap
ter of the convent of the Sacred Heart in
this city.
Her religious character was as much
distinguished by her fervid piety, as she
J was characterized in her official duties
: by intelligence, promptitude and energy.
| She has done much for the cause of fe
male education in this country, and giv
! en a powerful impulse to all the semina
j ries under the charge of the ladies of her
j society, to whom her loss will be indeed
irreparable.—*SV. Loris Arid.
The great Haarlem Organ.
I left Leyden with regret, and pursued j
my way to Haarlem by the Trecksclmyt.
The canal between the two towns tis
thought very fine. The greater part of
my stay in this town was spent in listen
ing to the famous organ. It is, indeed,
“ the sovereignest thing on earth,” and
seems made of the very soul and essence
of musical harmony. The variety of its
tones is astonishing; and its power in
imitating all instruments, whether single
or combined, can neither be conceived
by those who have not been in Haarlem,
nor described by those who have. Tiie
warlike flourish of the trumpet, tiie clear
note of the octavo, and the mellow tone
of the flute, are heard in succes
sion, when these appear to swell into a
thousand instruments, and the senses are
nearly overpowered by the united effect
of a most powerful and harmonious mili
tary band, which again sinks away into
those more gentle and impressive sounds
which an organ alone can produce.— !
The organist, whose name is Schumann,
played a very fine battle piece, in which
every imaginable sound of joy and sor
row—fear, courage, misery, and despair
—were combined with the roaring ofi
musketry, the thunderous sweep of can
non. and the loud and irresistible charge
of a thousand horses; and commingled
with these, during the dread intervals of
comparative silence, were the shouts of
the victors, the lamentations of the
wounded, and the groans of the dying.!
No painting could have presented so
clear and terrible a picture of two mighty
armies advancing in battle array, min
gling in the mortal conflict, and convert
ing the face of nature into one universal
scene of confusion, dismay, and death
Rarely does music produce an eflect on
the mind so permanent as cither poetry
or painting; but in my own case there
is, in this instance, an exception to the
general rule. I have listened “to the
notes angelical of many a harp,” but nev
er were my ears seized with such ravish
ment as on the evening I passed at Haar
lem. The organist afterwards took me
up to the organ loft, where I was favor- j
ed with a near inspection. I thought j
the appearance of the keys very’ diminu
tive, when contrasted with the sublime
effect produced by them. There are
about five thousand pipes belonging to
this organ. The largest is thirty-eight
feet long, and fifty inches in diameter.—
Blackwood:s Magazine.
In the great kissing case, in N. J., the
jury could not agree. Someof the jurors
were ungallant enough to disbelieve the
fair plaintiff herself, who solemnly avow
ed that she had been kissed.
A Friendly Visit.
In the little town of Dover, which is
situated on the Cumberland river, in
Middle Tennessee, there lived some
years ago, says the Picayune, an eccen
tric and intemperate old bachelor, by the
name of Kingston. On one occasion,
when prostrated on his bed by excess,
and suffering acutely from those stings
nnd horrors, peculiar to his situation, lie
sent for one of his old boon companions
to come and visit him. Shryack, for that
was the other’s name, came duly to
Kingston’s room.
“ What’s the matter, Kingston ?”
“ SJyrack, shut the door.”
“ Yes, my dear fellow.”
“ I lock it.”
“ Eh ?”
“ I .ock she door.”
“Certainly, my dear boy.”
“Shryack, I’m going to kill myself.”
“My dear fellow, let me entreat you
not to do it.”
“1 will.”
“ No, no—oblige me and don’t.”
“ Must do it.”
“ Don t it'il be the death of you!”
Shryack was quite cool and jocose,
little dreaming that so terrible an event
was actually going to take place.
Kingston had, as the last eccentric act
of his life, taken a chisel and mallet to
lied with him, and now, with desperate
resolve, he seized the extraordinary tools
of death, and in an instant drove the
blade of the chisel into his breast!
The hair rose upon Shryack’s head,
nnd fright spread like a sheet of snow over
his face.
“ Kingston ! Kingston ! my dear fel
low—you d—d rascal, Kingston !do you
want to have me hung ? Hold on ! don’t
you die till 1 call somebody !”
Shryack ran to the door, and called
like a madman to some people across the
street.
“ Hallo ! here ! say, you Mister! all
you stupid people, make haste over here,
or there’ll be a murder !”
The people crowded into Kingston’s
house.
“Dont die, Kingston! Don’t chisel
me that way ! Dod’t die till you tell
them who did it.”
“ I did it myself,” said Kingston.”
“ There, that’ll do; now, my dear fel
low, you may die,” replied Shryack, ta
king a long breath and wiping the pres
piration from his forehead.
And Kingston did die, in that extraor
dinary manner, leaving his late to lie re
corded as a suicide that was almost a
muder.
Tiie Atmospheric Railway.
The London Mechanics’ Magazine
for Oct. 1813, says :
‘Another trial of the Atmospheric
Railway, which is now completed be
tween Dublin and Dal key, ou the plan
of Messrs. Clegg and Snmuda, took place
last week, when the results obtained
were even more surprising and satisfac
tory than before. We have seen a letter
from a gentleman wfm was present, who
states that the speed attained was fully
sixty miles an hour, nnd that all parts cf
the machinery worked with great exact
ness. It would seem as we might now
almost venture to pronounce the days of
the steam railway as numbered. A
speed of a mile a minute, is as great ft
stride lieyond the present rail-way speed
as that was beyond the stage-coach rate
of twenty years ago.
A Happy Old Farmer.
Said a venerable farmer eighty years
of age, to a relative who lately visited
liiin—“ I have lived on tiiis farm more
than half a century. I have no desire
to change my residence as long as 1 live
on earth. 1 have no wish to be any
richer than l now am- I have worship
ped the God of my fathers with the came
people for more than forty years. Du
ring that period I have scarcely ever
been absent from the sanctuary on the
Subbath, and never have lost more than
one communion season. I have never
been confined to my lied of sickness for
a single day. The blessings of God
have been richly spread around me, and j
1 have made up my mind long ago, that ;
if 1 wished to be any happier, I must
have more religion .”
Ron Mot.
“Mr Clay, !” said an eccentric genius
who met him on a steamboat; “Mister
Clay, (at the same time catching hold of
his coat,) what is your opinion of the
Tariff!”
‘Why,’ said Mr. Clay, composedly, try
ing to disengage his gaument, “my opin
ion is, that this coat will tear if you don’t
let go.”
Fair Hit »t the Transcendental Ist*
Instead of saying to a young body:
“pleasqge to take my arm,” you should
say, in this polite age, “will you conde
scend so far to sacrifice your own con
venience to my pleasure, as to insert the
five digitals and part of the extremity of
your contiguous arm through the angu
lar apture formed by the crooking of my
elbow agamst the perpendicular portion
of my animal frame ?”
j O.ZC.
from th.t ional Intelligence j.
House or Ret kkskktatives,
JANUARY, 10th,
ABOLITION PETITIONS.
The House passed to the regular order,
of business of the morning hour, being'
the motion of A. V. Brown to recommit
the report to the Select Committee ou
the Rules to the said committee.
Which motion Mr. Black, of Georgia,
had moved to amend by adding thereto
instructions to the said committee ib re
port back to the House the rule common
ly known asthe 21strul<», [i. e. that which
excludes abolition petitions.]
Mr. Rhett said that he rose to vindicate
the right oi petition, so often spoken of
here as great and unallienable. Not
that he had the remotest idea that any
thing he might or could say would have
the least efleet in changing the determin
ation of the House, or in saving the rule'
which excluded abolition petitions from
being rescinded. He had no doubt that
its repeal had been decided on. He spoke
not on account of the rule, but for the
sake of those Democratic members from
the Northern States who had on this
matter acted with the South in establish
ing and endeavoring still to retain it, and
his object was to show that the course
they had pursued was in strict conformi
with the Constitution.
Mr. R. said he had listened with pain
in order to discover what it was that o-en
tlemen meant by affirming that the sa
cred right of petition had been infringed
by the action of the House. What wits
the right of petition ) A right implied
1 something of practical use, a positive
benefit. To talk of a constitutional right
which was of no practical benefit
1 assessor, was to talk of an absurdity.—
And to suppose that if our Revolutionary
‘ fathers who framed the Constitution iti-
I tended to insert this right of petition in
■ the Constitution they would leave its
1 meaning in doubt, was to east a slander
on their understanding or their integrity.
Tt was said that the right of petition was
violated by the House whenever it refu
sed to receive abolition petitions presen
ted by gentlemen in that Hall; and it
must he equally violated by receiving
those petitions and laying them on the
table. Else what sort of a right was it 1
M hat practical difference was there be
tween refusing to receive these petitions,
and receiving and then immediately lay
ing them upon the table 1 This right
was as much violated when (lie House,
after receiving the petitions, postponed
their considerations to a day certain, or
rejected them altogether ; if not, then it
was in fact no right at all. It was not u
thing worth talking about To talk of
people’s coming to the assembled wisdom
of tiieir Representatives in that Hall with
such a plea, was to treat them with con
tempt.
No, gentlemen must mean more than
this they must hold that the right of pe
tition denied to the House any summary
mode of disposing of these abolition me
morials at nil, and compelled it not only
to receive, but to refer and to report upon
them. Respect for gentlemen who in
sisted so loudly on the right, compelled
him to suppose they meant this: because
otherwise they were talking nonsense.
And if this was their understanding of
the right, he was prepared to show that
their doctrine was not only unsanctioned
by the constitution, but that it upset the
constitution.
The right of petition had not been dis
regarded by our ancestors ; far from if:
on the contrary they regarded it very
highly, and in the constitution it was
stated distinctly that no law should be
passed by Congress infringing the right
of the people peaceably to assemble and
petition Government for a redress of
grievances. This had been added as
one of the amendments to the constitu
tion, and he prayed gentlemen to look at
all die other amendments to it and they
would find that they all had exclusive re
ference to personal rights of the people.
[Mr. R. here quoted the constitution.) —
What were these rights ot carrying arms
in time of peace, if having their persons,
houses, and papers free from search, of
suing out the writ of habeas corpus, but
personal rights and privileges which it
was the will of the peaple should uot be
violated ?
At the time this constitutiofl was form
ed it was notorious that these rights were
violated. The country whence we drew
our origin, and by which we had been
held in colonial dependence, had viola
ted them : and their violation constitu
ted a great public grievance. The Gov
ernment threw an impediment in the
way of the people’s peaceably assembling
to petition for redress. The riot act did
this, which was passed in the reign of
George 1,- and which had been enacted
long before in the days of Edward IV,
and was again enforced in the times of
James 1. This very law constituted the
first act passed by Parliament under the
reign of the House of Hanover. [Mr, R.
here quoted the riot ncQ
Here was a hindrance which forbade
the people peaceably to assemble to ex
ercise the right of petition ; here was *