Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1820-07-18

| standing between them and the lrea-
surer. ] told them l did not wish to
embark in their quarrel, notwithstanding
my anxiety for the success of this ar
rangement, and | therefore requested
them to write to Mr.. Mclaughlin, in
their own way, and if they chose to SUBJ
nit their letter TO me, would, if it were
couched in proper and respectful terms,
enclose to Mr.. Mclaughlin, and send
with it the expression of my own wish
upon the subject.
In the mean time an advertisement ap.
peared in the public prints, both of Bal
timore and Washington, over the sigma
ture of Mr.. Bond, announcing that he
was not only authorized by the Trea-
surer to receive the non-residents land
tax due to this state, but to give receipts
for the same.
This advertiser nt seemed to open, as
thought, door to the commission of a
great injury to the state. If this Mr..
Bond was really authorized by the Frea-
surer to receihg for those taxes. and did
| receive a considerable sum land it will
be recollected that the nonresident land
| so<N3 e1'iiohhho W hp"aiho vi % ZO'VOO
nually) and then refuse to pay it over, I
could not see by what means the state
was to reach it, otherwise than by suit
against the Treasurer, which in these
hard times might be a very precarious
remedy. Seeing this advertisement,
therefore, which | say l considered as
highly dangerous in its nature, and
l. uou;por tbat the ornaporaroe,,t which bad
been made with Messrs. Van Zandt and
Rockwell was perfectly safe, because
they gave receihta only after they OBJ
tanned them from Mr.. Mclaughlin,
did receive their letters, and inclosed
them in my own to MIR. Mclaughlin, in
which he was admonished of the danger
and imhrofriety of giving such authors
ty as he had given to Mr.. Bond. The
deep interest which l felt for the safe
collection of the public money, and be-
ing placed in a situation to warn the
Treasurer of the danger he was encoun-
tering, not only conceived it my right,
to lend my assistance, by writing, and
also of enclosing these letters, which
think were three in number, and all up
on the same subject, the postage there
on being the enormous sum of serenity
flee cents, but my duty.
They were letters intimately connect
ed with the interests of the state, and
such as am sure, no man who regarts
as he should do the safety of the public
money, could object to my sending.
When the law authorized me to send
all Jackets free, weighing not more than
two ounces, to any OF my constituents, or
elsewhere, whether newspaper, pas
phlets, books, or letters, which | may
feel disposed to send, for my own amuse-
ment or pleasure, can it be possible that
my sending, l think but three letters, /
am sure not more than four, on business
intimately connected with the revenue
Of the state, shall be construed into an
ofence--4.; crime which is utterly to
destroy that confidence which has been
heretofore reposed in me by the peoplee
Is it possible that for this act, which
am sure was performed with the best in
tentions, and which to the liberal mind
must be SO construed, that for this act
only-I am to be reviled from one end
Of the state to the other by an intelligent
community Is it possible that any man
who has known me, even those who arc
SO secretly and cautiously putting, this
tale into circulation, can believe, that to
save seventy five cents, or dollar post
age, to stranger--to a man that Z
never saw beforehand who resided a
thousand miles distant from the state, I
would act corruhtiy, and as they would
fain make you believe, .fraudulenfly, to
my utter disgrace in society? No, if
they will speak the honest convictions,
if honest ones they have, of their own
hearts, am willing that they should de-
eide the question. But like drowning
men they catch at straws-when they
can take no exception to my public
conduct, they must take exception to
something. And as this can be well
colored it answers, till explained, all
their purposes, and something else must
now be coniured up. But to show what
my intention was, in enclosing these let
tiers, refer all those who still doubt
about it, to the Treasurer himself-I
think he will do me the justice to state,
that expressly wrote to him, that it
was the connection which believed
these letters, and the subject to which
they referred, had with the public in
terest Of the state, that induced me to-
have any thing to do with them-if he
will do me iustice he will make that