Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1819-08-28
FOR THE SPECTATOR.
TO THE PEOPLE OF ILLINOIS,

~ lHE fEOPl4E Of lLLlAOlS.A
FELLOW CITIZENS,
have heard some amongst you talk
OF instructlng our representatives in the
next congress on the subject of the rer
striction contemplated to be imposed ON,
the admission of the territory of Missouri
into the union. Where is the difficulty,
and where is the doubt and uncertainty
which render a resort to this measure
necessary? Is it demanded for our sake,
or is required On their account Do they
distrust their Judgment, or are g0e yet to
learn whether VIC are the friends of slave
~, or the friends of freedom ? Can ii be,
that after all we have done, another and
yet another expression of public send-
ment is aske for? If our interests and
our feelings are to be made the pivot Of
their decision, they knew them long ago,
and stronger evidences are not nogv in
our power to give. As the northwest
ordinance; is the last years convention
is the late election Of representative,
all, all so ambiguous that we must be
called upon again and again to make
the solemn declaration, and disavow the
conduct Of our agents in the halls of
congress? Beware, then, fellow-citizcns,
of every attempt to convene you together.
Your good sense will not suffer you to
be misled by the ignorant; but it is TO
counteract the crafty arts Of the willy po-
litician, that our caution must ever be on
the alert. The dignity of our nature,
and our independence as citizens, forbid
that we should be duped into the sup
port of tottering popularity, or sane
ton by OUR support an artful eXpedient.
Ne will never consent to act but for the
public good. individuals must rise by
their merits their prop must be their
virtue. II four representative have erred,
they can see through their error without
our instructions, and will not wait for our
mandate to profit by their con.iction.-
Honorable men, III their situation, must
irown Indignantly upon the author Of
them. What can render representa-
tive more AFFECT, than to be supposed
incapable of acting uprightly except TN
der. the lash of his constituents l am
ready to ascribe their error, if any they
have committed, to their judgment, and
| ask of you, can we give them new ideas
or supply their intellect And yet, with
out that power, what is there to be gam
ed Men are tenacious OF their opinions;
they are only to be combatted by argu-
1nent, or supplantcd by better iniorma-
ton. Can tumuItuous Ssemblage Of
people reason with an ividual, and
refute his opinions ? Oh the contrary,
are not their acts only ther results or con-
clusions of their previously conceived
notions They arc always anticipated,
and if the representative would not yield
in the first instance from principle, he
viii not in TIC second from adyiscmcnt.
Our representatives must now be con-
WINGED from the instance alone Of the
result of the late congressional election,
that the vote they gave on the Missouri
question is disapproved by large ma
jority Of the people, and if they wish to
explain that vote, or would be guided by
the public sentiment different from their
own, they ought TO unmask and openly
avow that our will shall t.. their future
guide. That will is already well known;i
it is certain, fixed, uneguivocal, and i'm
mutable: to ask fer it again, and in ano.
Their shape than it has appeared, speaks
moro than Is meant to be understood
We will not profier il otherwise than as
it is, or in lowly homage ask it of them
as boon that it may sway their minds.
There is limit beyond which it viii not
be disobeycd. Whilst, fellow citizens,
! lament that sanitary check has not
been given to the further extension Of
slavery, and that our state has been
amongst the foremost 10 prevent the FIRST
step to so desirable an cud yet am not
the advocate of force, and will be the
last man to coerce ourreMctant senators
against their wills. We have done bet
ter--we have reiterated the most cogent
arguments. individuals may accommo-
date them to suit their fastidious tastes !;
a people cannot.
1t has been my object in this address
to show that we have been for a long
time decidedly averse to slavery, and that
our representatives in the late congress
knowing this, and yet not answering our
wishes or expectations, in this respect,
on the Missouri question, it is useless to
instruct them IN the vote they will give
hereafter as their determinationmusthave
proceeded from other and weightier rca-
sons, beyond our influence or CONTROL
This will be the subject Of another adj
dress. PUBLIUS.