Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-03-21

The Hon. n. B. TUCKER has resign
ed the Office Of Judge of the northern cir
cult Of the Missouri territory, and ALEX
AMBER GRAY, Esq. St. Louis, has been
appointed in his place.
The following memorial was prepared
by committee Consisting Of the Right
Rev. Bishop Kemp, Thomas Kell, Heze-
kiah Niles, Paul Allen, and Daniel Ray
mond, Esqs.) appointed for that purpose
at a meeting of the Inhabitants Of Balti-
more, on the 28th December.
THE MEMORIAL
OF the undersigned inhabitants of the
city OF Baltimore to the Congress of the
United States, respectfully represents
That feeling, in common with the rest
of their fellow citizens, lively interest
in the prosperity, happiness, and reputa-
ton of their country; and believing that
its prosperity, happiness, and reputation,
are deeply implicated in the question
likely to be agitated in congress during
Its present session, respecting the admis'
sion of slavery into the states hereafter
to be formed west of the Mississippi;
they deem it to be their imperious and
solemn duty, respectfully to commune
cate their views Of this momentous ques-
ton to the representatives of the nation.
We consider that our obligation to do
this derives additional force from the cir
cumstance of our being citizens Of a
slave-holding state, and consequently not
liable to that prejudice Gu this subject,
which citizens belonging to non-slave-
holding states are often supposed to pos
SeSs.
Weare not unacquainted with the evils
OF slavery in a political, as well as in
religious point Of view--wc have wit
messed the oppression and degradation
OF that unfortunate portion Of our race
who are its subjects, but the pernicious
effects of slavery are by no means con-
tined to the slaves themselves-it has a
destructive influence upon the power,
wealth, and industry of the state, tending
greatly to restrain the increase of the
white population, and to diminish the
value OF property; for it is we'll estab-
]ished fact in Maryland, that in those
hectlons where slaves are comparatively
few in number, the population is most
numerous, the land best cultivated, and
the mass Of the people most wealthy.
There is no doubt that slavery dimn-
ishes the amount of productive industry.
We know that gve are, and we fear
that our posterity may be cursed with
slavery; but, as lovers Of our country,
we would net willingly see this evil ex-
tend-as christians, we can never assent
10 the adoption of a policy calculated to
increase the number Of slaves, or per-
petuate the evils of slavery.
We believe, that to permit the extern
sion of slavery in the country west of the
Mississippi, would be the means of
greatly multiplying the number of slaves
and greatly increasing the difficulty of
relieving our country from slavery.
If admitting slavery into those western
states would diminish, in proportion, the
evil Ill the old states, we would not OPP
pose it; but we are persuaded it would
have no such effect. Without entering
into labored discussion of this subject,
or attempting to trace effects to their
causes, we will merely state as facts,
Chat the states of Georgia, Kentucky,
Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi,
have been mostly peopled with slaves
from Maryland, Virginia, and the Caro-
linas, and yet the slaves in these states
have, in the mean time, rapidly increas-
ed much more SO than the white popu-
iation. These new states have furnish
ed market for the old ones-have
taken off their surplus slaves, and there
by promoted their increase. The same
effect will be produced by extending the
market beyond the Mississippi.
The history of our country proves,
that the increase of the black population
retards the increase of the white.
We cannot, therefore, perceive that
Maryland, or any other slave holding
state, would derive any benefit, in po-