I Declare And Protest In Advance, That

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.

Men Of Virginia, Countrymen Of Washington, Of Patrick Henry, Of Jefferson, And Of Madison, Will Ye Be True To Your Constitutional Faith?

When We Fled From The Oppressions Of Kings And Parliaments In Europe, To Found This Great Republic In America, We Brought With Us The Laws And The Liberties, Which Formed A Part Of Our Heritage As Britons.

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.

Here, Again, As I Conceive, Gentlemen Forget That This Government Is A Republican One, Resting Exclusively In The Intelligence And Virtue Of The People.