Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-01-08

states that may be formed to the west of
the river Mississippi are permitted to in
troduce and establish slavery, the re-
pose, if not the security of the union,
NAV be endangered; all the states south
of the river Ohio and west of Pennsyl-
vania and Delaware; will be peopled
with slaves, and the establishment of
new states west of the river Mississippi
will serve to extend slavery instead of
freedom over that boundless region.
Such increase Of the states, whatever
other interests it may promote, will be
sure TO add nothing to the security of the
public liberties; and can hardly fail
hereafter to require and produce a
change in our government.
On the other hand, if slavery be ex-
cluded from Missouri, and the osher new
states which may be formed in this quar-
ter, not only will the slave markets be
broken up, and the principles of free
dom be extended and strengthened, but
an exposed and important frontier will
present barrier, which will check and
keep back foreign assailants, who may
be as brave, and, as we hope, will be as
free as ourselves. surrounded in this
manner by connected bodies of freemcn,
the states where slavery is allowed will
be made more secure against domestic
Instruction, and less liable to be affect
ed by what may take place in the neigh
boring colonies.
It ought not to be forgotten, that the
first and main object of the negotiation
which led to the acquisition of Louisiana,
was the free navigation ofthe Mississip-
pi; river that forms the sole passage
from the western states to the ocean.
This navigation, although of general
benefit, has been always valued and de-
sired, as of peculiar advantage to the
western states; whose demands to OBJ
tain it, were neither equivocal nor IN
reasonable. But with the river Missis-
sippi, BY sort of coercion, we acquired
by good or i'll fortune, as our future
measures shall determine, the whole
province of Louisiana. AS this acgui-
sition was made at the common expense,
it is very fairly urged that the advantages
to be derived from it should also be
common. This it is said will not hap
pen, if slavery be excluded from Mis-.
souri,, as the citizens of states where
slavery is permitted will be shut out,
and none but citizens of states where
slavery is prohibited can become iEhabi-
tants of Missouri.
But this consequence will not arise
from the proposed exclusion of slavery /;
the citizens of states in which slavery is
allowed, like all other citizens, will be
free to become inhabitants of Mis-
souri,, in like manner as they have be-
come inhabitants of Ohio, Indiana, and
Illinois, in which slavery is forbidden.
The exclusion of slaves from Missouri,
will not therefore operate uncqually
among the citizens of the United States
The constitution provides, that the CT
tizens Of each state shall be entitled to
enjoy all the rights and immunitcs of
citizens of the several states"-every
citizen may therefore remove from one
to another state, and there enjoy the
rights and immunities of its citizens.
The proposed provision excludes slaves,
not citizens, whoserights it will not, and
cannot impair.
Besides, there is nothing new or pc
culiar in provision for the exclusion of
slavery; it has been established in the
states northwest Of the river Ohio, and
has existed from the beginning in the
old states where slavery is forbidden
The citizens Of states where slavery is
allowed, may become inhabitants of Mis-
souri,, but cannot hold slaves there, or in
any other state where slavery is pro-
hbited. AS we'll might the laws pro-
llibiting slavery in the old states become
the subject ofcomplaint, as the proposed
exclusion of slavery in Missouri; but
there is no foundation for such complaint
in either case. 1t is flirther urged, that
the admission of slaves into Missouri
would be limited to the slaves who are
already within the United States; that
their health and comfort would be pro-
NOTED by their dispersion, and that their
numbers would be the same, whether
they remain confined to the states where
slavery exists, or are dispersed over the
new states that may be admitted into the
union.
That none but domestic slaves would be
introduced into Missouri, and the other
new and frontier states, is most fully dis
proved by the thousands of fresh slaves,
which, in violation of our laws, are an
nually imported into Alabama, Louisia-
ma, and Mississippi. <..