What  is  the  true  history  and  character  of
this  article  of  the  constitution  ?  In  the  thir-
teenth year  of  the  reign  of  tiiat  "  royal  scoun-
drel," Charles  II.,  as  the  Senator  from  Vir-
gmia  (Mr.  Lbiob)  has  justly  denominated  him,
an  act  of  Parliament  was  passed  abridging  the
right  of  petition.  It  declared  that  "  no  peti-
tion to  the  King  or  either  House  of  Parlia-
ment, for  any  alteration  in  church  or  state,
shall  be  signed  by  above  twen^  persons,  unless


the  matter  thereof  be  approved  by  three  j»
tices  of  the  peace,  or  the  m»or  psrt  o(  tb
grand  jury  in  the  county ;  and  in  Louden  bf
the  lord  mayor,  aldermen,  and  common  oosi-
cil ;  nor  shall  any  petition  be  prese&ted  ii?
more  than  ten  persons  at  a  time."  Esch  Sa*-
tor  will  readily  perceive  tiiat  tiie  right  of  pd-
tion  was  thus  laid  almost  entirely  prostnte  ii
the  feet  of  tiie  Sovereign.  The  jusdoes  of  tbe
peace,  and  the  sheriffii  who  selected  the  gwd
juries,  were  his  creatures,  iqipcHDted  snl  re-
moved at  his  pleasore.  Out  of  the  citr  <tf
London,  without  their  consent,  no  pe^tkn  kt
an  alteration  in  church  or  state  oonld  be  agaed
by  more  than  twenty  individuab.  At  tbt
revolution  of  1688,  tiie  bill  of  rights  gnaraoiM^
to  English  subjects  the  right  of  petitioniog  tk
King,  but  the  courts  of  justice  dedded  tb^  it
did  not  repeal  tiie  statute  of  the  second  CbtfioL
This  statute  still  remained  in  force  at  the  adop-
tion of  the  federal  constitution.  Such  yk  tiH
state  of  the  law  in  that  country,  from  whidi
we  have  derived  most  of  our  institotioiis,  vbes
this  amendment  to  the  constitution  was  sdoptei

Although  the  constitution,  as  it  came  from
the  hands  of  its  framers,  gave  to  OoBgres  no
power  to  touch  the  right  of  petition,  yet  some
of  the  States  to  whom  it  was  solMmtted  fi[^
ratification,  apprehending  that  the  time  mig^t
arrive  when  Congress  would  be  diiposed  to  act
like  the  British  Parliament,  expressly  withdiyv
the  subject  firom  our  control.  Not  satisfied  vith
the  fact  that  no  power  over  it  had  been  granted
by  the  constitution,  they  determined  to  pn>-
hibit  us,  in  express  terms,  from  ever  exeitisag
such  a  power.  This  is  the  true  histoiy  of  tbe
first  article  of  our  bill  of  rights.
