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Show 328 SLAVERY AGITATION. of the members from tho free SLates : so that, even if left to the free State vote alone, the motion would have been rejected. But the motion itself, and the manner in which it was supported, wns most reprehrnsiblc-ncccssarily leading to disorder in tho IIouse, the destruction of its harmony and capacity for useful legislation, tending to a scctionoJ segregation of tho members, the alienation of feeling between the North and South ; and alarm to all the sla.ve holding SLates. Tho evil required a remedy, but not the remedy of breaking up the Union; but one which might prevent the like in future, while administering a rebuke upon the past. That remedy was found in adopting a proposition to be offered to the llouse, which if agreed to, would close the door against any discussion upon abolition petitions in future, and assimilate the proceedings of the IIouse, in that particular, to those of the Senate. Tl\is proposition was put into the bands of Mr. Patton of Virginia, to be offered as an amendment to the rules at the opening of the llouse the next morning. It was in these words: "Resolved, That all petitions, memorials and papers, touching the abolition of slavery or the buying, sc1ling or transferring of slaves, in any State, District or Territory, of tho United States, be laW on the table, wiLhout being debated, printed, read or referred, and that no further action whatever shall bo bad thereon.'' Accordingly, at the opening of the llouse, Mr. Patton asked leave to submit the resolution-which was read for information. Mr. Adams objected to the grant of leave. Mr. Patton then moved a suspension of the rules-which motion required two-thirds to sustain it; and unless obtained, this salutary remedy for an alarming evil (which was already in force in the Senate), eoulu not be offered. It was a test SLAVBRY AG l'CArl'lON. 329 motion, nnd on which Lhc opponents of abolition agitation in the Jfousc r quircd all their strength: for unless two to one, they were defeated. Happily the two to one wcr·c rca<ly, and on Laking the yens an<l n:tys, clerna.ndcd l>y an abolition nH·mbcr (to keep his friends Lo the track, and to ltolcl the free ~tate antiaboli tionists to th eir responsibility at home), the rcs tJit stood one hundred ancl thirLy-firc yeas to sixty nays-tho full Lwo-t1Jinls, and fifteen over. 'l'hc yeas on l11is irnporttt. nt moLiou, were : Me 'srs. llugh J. Anderson, J ohn J. Andrews, Charles G . .Atherton, \Villi::uu Beatty, Andrew B ·irnc, John J3 cl l, Bennet Bicknell, Richard Biddle, amucl llirdsall, RnLli[ noon, James "\V. Bouldin, ~J ohn C. Brodhead, Isaac II. Bronson, Andrew D. W. Bruyn, A ndrcw Buchanan, J ohn Calhoun, C. C. Cambrclcng, Wm. 13. Cumpuell, J ohn Campbell, Timothy J. Carter, vYm. ll. Carter, ~ad ok Casey, J ohn Chambers, John Chancy, ltcubcn Chapman, .Richard ChcaLham, J onaLhan Cilley, John lil. II. Claiborne, Jesse F. Clcavelanu, vVm. IC. Clowney, WalLer Coles, 'fhornas Corwin, Robert Craig, J ohn vV. Crockett, Samuel Cushman, Edmund Deberry, J ohu J. DeGraff, J ohn Dcnni , George C. Dromgoole, John Ed ward s, James ·Pnrringlon, J ohn Fairfield, tT acob Fry, Jr., James 0 arland, James Graham, Seaton Grantland, .Abr'm. P. Grant, vVilliam J. Graves, Robert II. Ilammond, 'l'homns L. llamar, James llarlan, Albert G. Ilarrison, Richard llawes, Micajah T. IIawkins, Charles E. IIayncs, llopkins llol ey, Orrin Ilolt, George W. IIopkins, Benjamin C. Ilowurd, Edward B. IIubly, Jabez Jackson, J oseph Johnson, Wm. Cost ,Johnson, John W. Jones, Gouverneur Kemble, Daniel Kilgore, John Klingensmith Jr. , Jacob Lawler, Ilugh S. Legare, llcnry Logan, Francis S. Lyon, Francis Mallory, James M. Mason, J oshna L. JV[arLin, Abrarn P. Manry, Wm. S. Muy, James J. McKay, H.obcrL McClellan, |
