The National Gag

Supposed conversalion between a Michii gan Farmer and Hon.J. M. Howard, M. C. at Washington city. Farmer. - Good morning, sir. I have a pelition herc which I wish you to present, praying Congrcss to allow me certain suni6 whicli are due to me or services and supplies rendered the governmeni sevcral years s'nice. There vvill be no difficulty whaiever in the claim being allowed. You will present it next Monday, I suppose. Mr. Howard. - I am sorry to say the petition caniiot be reccived till next winter. - The House has so resolved. Farmer. - Can'c be received! I should like to understand ihat. Does nol the Constitution you liave sworn to defend, exprwssly providu lar the right of petition? 1 kuow that the House lias refused to receive abolition petiüons; but then l flin no abolitionist, and I expect mij pelitioa will be heard. Mr. Howard. - 1 vvül explain to. you just how the matter stands. You know what a dust has been kicked up in Congrcss for sev eral yeare on account of these abolition petitions. The House has refused to receive them. But the abolitionists were determiued they should be received, and begun to withdraw froin the Wliig party, and make out indejendcnt nominutions for Congreso uud for other oflicers, for themselves, and we öaw lh8 would not do: so the Northern Whigs, in order to pacify them, bad to proinise to support the right of petiiion. We could do do othcr way. When tliis present session met, we told the South what our situation was: but they would not hear a word to M, but begun to froth at the mouth and bellow like the Imlls of Baáhun. But we could not back out, so we insisted ou the! righL of petiiion for every body, abolitioniáts and all. We baltled them two weeks, wheij finding we were too strong for them, they iigreed to aiijourn the matter over lili the recular sussiun noxt December. In the mean time, a compromiso kas been agreed to, by whieh all malters not meiuioned in the Piesident'ö mcstage (except a bankrupt law,) lie over Uil next seeáion. Farmer. - My petition, then, will be received now, and be acted on next Decem; ber. Mr. Howard.- Not exactly. The rule says that your petition, as well as all others, except those 1 mentioned, ehall not be received. The question of llioir reception is laid on the table.Farmer. - Have you any right to make a rule that petiüons shall not be received? Did your cotJSlitueiH3 ever aulhonzu you to do such a thing? Mr. Jloward. - Why - no - not exactly. 'But then thia vas the be6t we could du, and the South refused to organize the Huuse unless we would do sometliing to keep out abolitionists, and in keoping them out, it so happened that otliers were kept out also. Farmer. - So it seems in gagging the abolitionists, you happened to gag all the nation. Tiiat was a great mistake. Do you know of any country in the world where the government has made a law refusing to receive the petitions of those who aro ag'grieed? Mr. Howard. - I do not; and were it not for the hatred towards abolitionism, the peoplo of this country would not endure it a inonth. But then you see the inconvenience is only temporary. The right ofpetition wil! be restored at the next session. Farmer. - How do I kuow that? Perliaps the South will be more obstinate than ever, and then we shall be gagged again for anotheryear, and as you have begun to give away to ihem, I ain afraid you will continue to yicld more and more of my rights. But what right had President Tyl-.T tu deaignate on what subjects people might petition? Mr. Howard. - He only recommended some particular subjecta to the attention of Congress, and the House ageed to receive no papers on any other subject except a Bankrupt law. Farmer, - Why was this Ia6t exception made? Mr. Howard. - Because a Iarge portion of the people were in favor of euch a law. Farmer. - It seems, then, by your own account, that you wiJl receive some petitions and memorials, and others you will not, just as your faccy leads. You admit this is an assumption of power your constituents never conferred on you, and yet you intend to exercise it always in future, whenever you think expedient, or whenever the South may choose to bluster and storm. Has such a rule ever been in operation before, since we became a nation? Mr. Howard. - No: none but abolitjon ists have been gagged heretofore.