Men Of New England, I Hold You

Men Of New England, I Hold You To The Doctrines Of Liberty Which Ye Inherit From Your Puritan Forefathers.

You Well Know, Sir, That When The Constitution Was Submitted To The People Of The Respective States For Their Adoption Or Rejection, It Awakened The Warmest Debates Of The Several State Conventions.

Upon The Constitution, Upon The Pre-existing Legal Rights Of The People, As Understood In This Country And In England, I Have Argued That This House Is Bound To Revive The Petition Under Debate.

Sir, I Am A Republican; And I Desire To See This House Observe The Principles Of That Democracy Which Is Ever On The Lips Of Its Members, And Which, I Hope, Is In Their Hearts, As I Know And Feel It Is In Mine, And Mean It Shall Be In My Conduct.

It Is Impossible, In My Mind, To Distinguish Between The Refusal To Receive A Petition, Or Its Summary Rejection By Some General Order, And The Denial Of The Right Of Petition.