WASHINGTON, Dec. le. 1887
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tion of slavery in the District of Columbia MT. Grundy moved that the petitions be laid upon the table.

 MT. CLAY, of Ky, asked that the motion tc lay upon the table be withdrawn. He wish cd to ask the Senator who presented the peti' tion-Mr. Wall, of New-Jersey-some ques- lions in relation to the petitioners.

 "Why are they presented !" said MT. C. els it not rather to vindicate the right of pe- tition, than to push the request asked! Is it not because the petitioners feel that the righi to petition has been assailed, and that the pe- titioners are determined to press the right so long as objections are made to the reception of petitions 2" MT. Clay said, he wished the petitions might be presented to the commit tee on the District ot Columbia; and that that committee might report respectfully, calmly, temperately, and Thanksgiving their rea- sons for thus acting against the prayer of the petitioners. Mir. Wall responded atiirma- lively to the questions of Mir. Clay. He thought that the course Mir. Clay recommen- ded would have prevented his constituents from flooding the Senate with petit!ons.- They could not cease to present petitions Sd long as they were not referred and respect fully considered.

 MT. CALHOUN, who made his first appear ance in the Senate Chamber this morning, rose, and after speaking of the petitioners as disnrganizers and miserable fanatics, and at- ter asserting that the dissolution of the Un- ion depended upon this question, and hoping his old friends would stand by him, said he hoped yet the Senate would either reject or refuse to receive the petitions.

 Mr. SWIFT, of Vermont, then gave the &c., nate some information in regard to the Abo- lition feeling in his own State. He said the ,@k f0 a asserted by MT. Calhoun. They were sent here to vindicate the right of petition, and because the petitioners believed that Con- gress had right to abolish slavery in the District of Columbia.

 | MT. RoANE, of Va, said he was friend to the right of petition, but not for the abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia. He tho't the petitions ought not to be received. MT. PRENT1ss, of Vermont, rose, and in few remarks responded to the opinions of his colleague and the Senator from Kentucky.

 MT. NILES, of Conn.,, was in favor of a re- ference to the committee on the District of Columbia. He thought the rejection of pe- titions had bad effect and he believed that public opinion in the North was in favor of abolishing slavery in the Distrist of Celum- bia. Except in his own State, which he did not believe had any interest in the matter, he thought the anti-slavery feeling was extend ing in the North. For his own opinion he was against abolition, and he thought the Constitution, reason and argument, and so on, were all in his favor.

 MT. STRANGE followed Mir. Niles. He re- gretted the discussion-was against referring the petitions-in favor of frejection-was sor- ry to learn that the petitioners were increas- ing-and did not believe that the petitioners had right to petition for the abolition of slavery. He sat down, and renewed his mo- tion to lay the petitions on the table. Two or three Senators requested him to withdraw his motion. MT. DAVIS, of Mass, then rose and said that he should now repeat what he had said two years since.- It was, that if the Senate wished to make abolitionists, let them legislate as they have legislated. MT. Davis said that time had proved, and would prove that he was correct. The effect of laying petitions upon the table was equivalent. in the eyes of the people, to rejection.

 The petition was laid upon the table-25 to l9.-Erpress

 WASHINGTON, Dec. l9. HOUSE OF REPREsENTAT1vEs.-T SPEAK ER announced MT. EVERETT, of Vermont, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the resigna- tion of MT. FLETCHER, of Mass.

 As soon as the Journal was read. MT. Ev- erett, of Vt., rose in his place and declined the appointment of the Speaker as mem- Der fthe committee of Ways and Means- MT. Everett gave as a reason for declining the appointment, that the respect he had for Mir. Fletcher-the intercourse which existed between them, and the peculiar circumstan- ces of the case, called upon him to decline the appointment of the Speaker. He had come to this conclusion without consultation, but as an act of duty and respect to himself. Mir. CAMBRELENG here affected not to un- derstand MT. Els reasons for declining. l MT. EVERETT most cheerfully and most audloly repeated them for the edification of Mir. c.

 The resignation of MT. Everett was then accepted by the House, and the Speaker was authorized to fill the vacancy for the Sd time, vened itself into Committee of the Whole for the further consideration of the Presi. dents Message. Mir. DUNCAN, of Ohio, was entitled to the floor, and made set speech about "WE, THE DEMOCRACY" and "YE, the corrupt, modern Whig, bank bought feder. alists." Mir. D. talked for nearly an hou, about every thing, from the President down to himself, and about every place from old Rome to Canada. The Wings, he said, were like the Royalists of Canada. They had their spirit and their feelings, and denoun ced the Canadian people as Loco Focos, De, mocrats, &c.

 MT. D. went on and said that he was de. mocrat, and if any man called him Loco Foco, and didn't mean democrat, he should call him liar and a scoundrl.

 l Mir. D. talked much, but said nothing. and was immediately followed by MT. IIaIsey, ol Georgia, a friend of the Administration, who defended his side of the question in a very respectful and respectable manner.