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House of Representatives, Washington, D.C., Peace Memorial from the Quakers, February 8, 1848 - Mr. King, of Massachusetts, by leave, presented the memorial of the Representatives of the Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends for New England, praying for the speedy termination of the war with Mexico, and moved its reference to the Committee on Foreign Affairs. The question recurring on the motion to print - Mr. King addressed the House as follows: I had supposed that a memorial so important, coming from a people so respectable, would be printed without a question. This memorial comes from nine thousand persons residing in six sovereign States of this Union, persons who, for sobriety, general intelligence, and private worth, compare favorable with any other class of citizens; men warmly attached to the country and its free institutions. They are men who emphatically mind their own business, who maintain their own poor, pay taxes for general purposes, and educate their own children; they are not a burden on the community, in almshouses, jails, or penitentiaries; they "render to Caesar the things that are Ceasar's," and ask peacefully to enjoy the rights of conscience and to obey its dictates. The Friends of New England who present this memorial, like the other followers of Penn throughout the Union, have no party or political organization; they never vex Congress with petitions about banks, or tariffs, or land distribution, or subtreasuries; it is only on great moral and religious questions that they come here: it is only when conscience prompts that their voice is head in this Hall, and that solemn voice must not now be suppressed. The expense of printing this memorial will not exceed three or four dollars; we every day print papers of very little importance, and some of even doubtful character. Within the last five minutes you have ordered the printing of a bll which provides for paying for horses lost or killed in the military service in the United States. This was deemed worth printing; but a memorial so decent, so respectful, from the Society of Friends, who consider themselves bound to do to others as they would that others should do to them - the memorial of the Friends of all New England, who feel a necessity laid on them to bear their testimony faithfully against all wars and fightings - a testimony which their predecessors in religious profession have uniformly borne through good report and evil report, and, in former times, through much cruel suffering, both bodily and mental - must not be printed on account of establishing a bad precedent. On the table before you lies a petition, printed in the Senate, of the officers of the United States army in Mexico, praying for the passage of a law making provision for old and disabled officers. It may be right, then, to provide for disabled officers; but it is not right to agitate the question of bringing to a speedy close the war which makes such provision necessary. The progress of the war must not be questioned, though forty battles have achieved enough for glory; the the blood of more than twenty-seven thousand slain and wounded Americans, citizens of the sister republica, has drenched the Mexican soil; though scores of thousands of widows, and orphans, and friends are mourning for their loved and lost friends. It may be right to vote men and money for the further prosecution of this war of invasion, but the refusal to print this memorial must be considered as the expression of a determination not to give the question of a speedy termination of the war is respectful and decent consideration. Mr. K said he hoped he should not be obliged to ask for the yeas and nays, but that the House would permit this memorial from a class of people so numerous and worthy, and on a subject which involves the character, the prosperity, and the lasting honor and true glory of the nation, to be printed. He hoped that, however, much members might be suspected of a want of conscientiousness there, they would manifest a wanton recklessness and disrespect for a class of men who abhor all war and fighting; who cherish the belief that the peacemakers are the children of God, and whose lives and conduct exemplify and prove the truth of their professions. Ms. Cobb, of Georgia, was opposed to the printing of this document, without reference to its contents or to the character and respectability of the memorialists. The gentleman from Massachusetts was aware that opposition had ever been made to the printing of any memorial of individual citizens, however, respectable. The utmost extent to which the House had gone, with some few exceptions, was to print the memorials and resolutions of our State Legislatures. It was unjust, invidious, to draw distinctions between citizens of different portions of the country. If they printed the memorial of the Friends, they ought to print the memorials of any other citizens of this country who respectfully petitioned this House for action on any subject. The gentleman from Massachusetts (Mr. King) said that these memorialists were good citizens; that they maintained their own poor, educated their own children, paid their own taxes, and obeyed the laws. Every word of this, however true in regard to them, (and he had no doubt of it) was equally true in regard to the citizens he has the honor to represent; and yet the citizens of the State of Georgia had on more than one occasion passed resolutions at their primary meetings, and had signed petitions, which, when presented to this House, were refused to be printed. And not only so, but the fact was equally true in regard to the constituents of every gentleman on this floor. Yet they did not expend the pubic money in printing these memorials, so unnecessary and uncalled for. Once open the door, and it would be necessary to print all the petitions which were presented, (to which he, Mr. C, presumed not a single gentleman on this floor would consent,) or discriminations, must be made between the citizens of the country. He knew not the character of the memorial; he had not examined it. He did not object to its printing on account of its coming from the Society of Friends; his objections rose on the principle he had laid down. He trusted the House would not depart from a custom founded in justice and propriety - that was, to refuse to print memorials whenever presented, unless they came from the State Legislature, or unless there was some peculiar cause for their printing. To this rule he knew there had been some exceptions, but he trusted they would not be repeated. He moved to lay the motion to print on the table. Mr. King, of Massachusetts, asked the yeas and nays on the motion. Mr. Henley said he did not like to be obliged to vote upon a question of this sort until -- The Speaker reminded the gentleman from Indiana that the motion to lay on the table was not debatable. Mr. Henley appealed to the gentleman from Georgia (Mr. Cobb) to withdraw it, to give him the opportunity to make some remarks. Mr. Cobb, in compliance with the request, withdrew the motion. Mr. Henley asked for the reading of the memorial before he proceeded; and it was as follows: To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled. The memorial of the Representatives of the Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends of New England, respectfully showeth: That your memorialists regard with deep regret and sorrow the existence and continuances of the war better this country and Mexico. We are not insensible of the importance and responsibility of appearing as petitioners before the constituted authorities of our country; but we are constrained, under a deep sense of the unrighteousness and vast practical evils inseparably connected with war, again earnestly to solicit your serious attention to it. While your memorialists believe that all wars and fightings are contrary to the precepts and spirit of the Gospel of Christ, and are forbidden to Christians, they are aware that circumstances sometimes attend the prosecution thereof which may very much increase their calamities. How far the war in which this country is now engaged with Mexico partakes of such circumstances, it may not become us, in thus memorializing you, to decide. But, in addition to the many thousands of Mexicans, among whom are great numbers of women and helpless children, who have fallen on the field of battle, or in the capture of cities, is the fearful fact that the lives of thousands of our citizens have also been sacrificed in this strife, increasing in no small degree the number of the widows and the fatherless. Nor can we but deplore the circumstance that our own citizens now compose an invading army within an acknowledged territory of a neighboring nation, towards whom this country has heretofore been on terms of amity and this peace. And your5 memorialists would entreat you, as the representatives of this nation, calmly to take into your s3rious consideration the responsibility of your present position. Any they earnestly desire that in your deliberations upon this momentous subject, you may be directed by that wisdom which has for its aim the doing unto others as we would they should do unto us, to adopt measures for the speedy termination of this war; and the retrospect of after days may afford to you the consolation of having discharged our duty to yourselves, to your country, and to your God. Signed by direction and on behalf of a meeting of the representatives aforesaid, held in Providence, Rhode Island the 4th day of the first month, 1848. - Samuel Boyce, Clerk After much discussion, the House voted the memorial to be printed. Yeas = 98; Nays = 76. The Congressional Globe New Series Containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the First Session of the Thirtieth Congress, Blair and Rives, City of Washington, 1848 February 17, 1848, U.S. Congress The Loan Bill - On the motion of Mr. Stephens, the House resolved itself into Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union (Mr. Borrs, of Virginia, in the chair) on the bill to authorize a loan not to exceed the sum of $118,500,000. The question pending when the committee rose yesterday was on agreeing to the amendment moved by Mr. Hall, of New York, viz: to amend the 1st section by adding , between the words, "be applied" &c., the words "on being first duly appropriated therefor,". The amendment was agreed to. The question was then put on the second amendment of Mr. Hall, viz: strike out the words "which stock," near the end of the 1st section, and insert, in lieu thereof, the words "and the stock issued on such loan." Agreed to. Mr. King, of Massachusetts, moved to add at the end of the 1st section, the following: "And no certificate of stock shall be issued, under this act until the President shall have nominated and the Senate confirmed three commissioners, fully authorized to negotiate a treaty of peace with the Mexican Government, on principles of reciprocal justice to both countries." Mr. King remarked, that he was desirous of drawing the attention of the House to the amendment which he had proposed. It simply provided that the President should, with the advice of the Senate, appoint three commissioners to treat with Mexico on terms of reciprocal justice. When the war commenced, nearly two years ago, we were told that this war was to bring upon us a peace in three months. Now, at the end of more than twenty months, we were as far from peace, apparently, as we were then. He wanted the country to to make some demonstration that it is in earnest upon this subject - that we are determined to have a peace on some fair and honorable terms. We were told, some two years ago, that "the heart of this great nation must be prepared for war;" and the heart of this great nation had been prepared for war. The Executive did not dare to wage a war with our equal, Great Britain, but commenced a war with poor, feeble Mexico. The heart of this great nation must be prepared for war! It appeared to him that the burning thirst of this great nation, by this time, must be slaked with the blood which had been shed in this war. From the official reports, we were informed that more than twenty thousand Mexicans had either been killed or wounded in the prosecution of this war, and nearly seven thousand Americans. Surely this should be enough. But if this was not enough of blood to slake the burning thirst of this great people, let us add to it the tears of the scores of thousands of widows and orphans, and friends of those who had perished, miserably perished, in this most miserable war. And if it was necessary also to take into the account, to satisfy this horrid god of war, the treasure which had been expended, he supposed three hundred millions of dollars would not be an over-estimate, if we included that expended by the Mexicans as well as the Americans. In the name of humanity, he asked if all this was not sufficient to satisfy this burning heart of the nation, which had thus been "prepared for war" by the present Administration. His amendment proposed the appointment of three commissioners to treat with Mexico and give assurance of our desire to settle this difficulty on terms of justice and magnanimity. We surely had three men in this country who might be designated by the President, to be approved by the Senate -- Mr. K was here arrested by the fall of the hammer, announcing explanation of the five minutes which are allowed by the rules for explaining an amendment. Mr. Haralson raised the point that the amendment was out of order, on the ground of irrelevancy. The Chairman overruled the point of order. Mr. Kaufman asked for tellers on the adoption of the amendment, which were not ordered. The question being taken, the amendment was rejected without a division. (The Congressional Globe. New Series containing Sketches of the Debates and Proceedings of the First Session of the Thirtieth Congress by Blair and Rives. City of Washington. Printed at the Office of Blair & Rives. 1848) July 4, 1848 There was a Social Gathering of the Friends of Freedom in Essex County, in a beautiful grove in the north part of town, which we understand was attended by several hundreds, and passed off very pleasantly. A correspondent of the Salem Gazette says there were 1500 to 2000 persons present during the day. The addresses were of the most inspiring and hopeful kind, and were well received by the mass of the people present. The Kimball Family of Woburn sung a number of sweet Liberty songs through the day, to the great delight of the Convention. The Glee Club and a choir of singers from North Danvers, but their sweet music, added greatly to the enjoyment of the people. Letters were read from Hon. S.C. Phillips and Hon. D. P. King, breathing the spirit of Liberty, a poem was read by Nichols, which was received with great applause. The Friends in Danvers received the thanks of the Convention for the abundant supply of good things which were furnished to the hungry multitude, and we have reason to believe from what was left on the table, that none were sent empty away.[1] [1]Danvers Courier,
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