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The Gag Law--voice Of The Whig Press

The Gag Law--voice Of The Whig Press image
Parent Issue
Day
7
Month
July
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The bigiit op petition.- Wa have been pained to see, in several Whig papers, somewhat severe and disresoctful language addressed to Mr. Adams, for hia opposition to the rule of the House of Represenlatives, in tho last Congress, whichprohibited ihe reception or entertainment in any whatever, of a particular class of petitions. For ourselves, we honor him for his opposition to a rule which is odious. to intelligent and liberal freeman, and oppressive and exasperating to ihose proscnbed by it. What right have the Represenlatives of tho Peoplo to deny to any portion of the Peop4c, however misgmded thcy tn their wisdom mav deern them to be, the poor privilege of a'sking, the consideration of subjecís, principies, or sentirnenls;? The proposition is tyrannicai. And whilo we are pleased that the rule has been resemded, we cannot but expresa our regret that it should ever havo been mtioduced by a JVhig, and slill more deeply rc-rct that with our large majority in the Houso there ehóuld be but the meagre majority of eight against its continuanee. A number of the Souihern members voted against it, just regarding it as in violatiou oí a right absolute, unlimited, and uncon-trollable, and as calculated to aggravate rather than diminish the excitemem in the Northern States on the subject of Abolj- tion.- O. S. Journal. The kepkal of the gag bill. - The repeal of lilis unconstitutional rule, which governed the last Cp.ugress in the receipt of petitions, has stamped the present Congresa vith a character which cannot fail to secure for it the confiJence of the nation. The odious 21st rule, which was adopted in 1839, éxcluded petitions and memorials by the people on the subject of slavery, from being considered, heard, or read in the House of Representaties. A more palpable and direct violation of tho sacred right of petition could not have been perpetrated. The intro-Juction and adoption of this rule was the result of a coalition between the members of Congress belonging to the slaveholding etatea and northern members with southem principies . The svriter of this is no {íabolition ist"- but he views the subject of slavery as an incalculable political evil - aa a sok ecism, among our republicaa institutions, casting a dark shade over our politcal system, and as well calculated to excite the alarm of the period. If, by petitioning Congress upon this subject, the most remoto ad vances may he made towarda the eradication of the evil, we say, petition if not, there can be no apology for invadmg the rights of freemeD, for the sake of rendering hopeless tho unfortunato slave, - Marshall Statesman. Congress. - We give as much of the prv ceedings of Congress as we have room for, together with the president's message. The proceedings of Congress, during the present session will be looked to with great interest. We are eorry to see the speaker selected, as usual, from a slave state; but it has become so much a matter of course, that some norihern membera who did not vote for Mr. White, were put down as abolitionists. The southern men are always looking out for their peculiar interests: ihc northern men are always yielding. The foathern men are disposed to cover more ground than they are fairly entitled to, and the norihern men, from fear of trouble, tarnely surrender it. We are glad to see that Mr. Adams has raised the question on the infamous 2lit rule, which e.xcludca a large proportion of the petitions from the free etatcs, and f our northern men wül on!y ehow themselves worthy to represent freemen upon -this subject, we will forgive them for a great many of their foamer servile acts.