House, it will become its members to reflect whether they have the constitutional right to attempt, or attempting, have the power to enforce, what those resolutions seem to contemplate, a perpetual prohibition of debate, and even of motions, upon a large and comprehensive class of subjects. These rights, neither my constituents nor myself feel disposed to surrender; and upon one of these great liberties of the land, and for the sake of incidentally vindicating the others, I shall, in due time, address the House at length. My only object at this time, is to come to a fair understanding with the House as to the cause to be pursued in the debate, and the disposition it will make of these Petitions. At a very early period of the session, a gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. HAMMOND) met such petitions with the motion that they be not received. All the debates, which ensued thereon, terminated in evasive and unsatisfactory votes for laying on the table, which left every question of principle unsettled. Afterwards, on a similar objection to reception being made by a gentleman from Georgia, (Mr. GLASCOCK,) my colleague (Mr. ADAMS) appealed from a ruling of the Speaker on an incidental point of order; which appeal, and the matters connected with it, have been put off, day after day, and week after week, and still remain suspended for some future time of consideration. Then came a set of resolutions applicable to a part of the prayer of these petitions, moved by a gentleman from Maine, (Mr. JARVIS,) under which there is a debate in progress, on an amendment moved by a gentleman from Virginia, (Mr. WISE,) to the effect that Congress have no power granted by the constitution to legislate on the subject of slavery in this District. Finally, on the last occasion when petitions of this kind were presented, the question of reception being raised, that question was, by vote of the House, laid on the table; as happened this morning in the case of those petitions presented by my colleague (Mr. ADAMS;) the operation of which is, practically, to refuse to receive the petitions.