Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-07-17

On the contrary | am persuaded you
must entertain for such sentiments, and
for such men the most unutterab,e con-
tempt and detestation.
A FELLOW CITIZEN.
EdvardsviNe, July 10, 1921.
10 the county commissioners of Afadi-
son county.
GENTLEMEN-You cannot be ignorant
of the prodigious agitation in the public
mind, concerning the new Jail, which you
propose to build for this couny. No
matter how this has been produced, a
free people have right to expect that
their wishes, opinions, and even heirfeel-
ings should be respected by their public
servants. Every friend to free govern
ment must admit this. 1t is therefore
to be hoped, you will not give your enc
mics SO great an advantage over you,
as to suffer passion, or pride, TO misiead
you into an unnecessary disregard of
public sentiment. The pride of free
men will not brook contempt from their
servants. If therefore you manifest a
perfect Indifference TO the wishes Of the
people whom you represent, they will
inevitably be against you, and your
friends would only put themselves down
by an effort to sustain you. No man can
advocate such conduct in you, without
thereby admitting that in similar situa-
ton, he himself would feel equal con-
tempt for the people, and few are willing
to betray sentiments so hostile to the
principles OF representative government,
lest they should rise up in judgment
against them, on some future occasion.
l. is therefore of the utmost Importance
that you should act with GOODNESS and de-
liberation, blending with .firmness, all the
caution, circums pection, moderation, and
respect for public opinion which may be
consistent with the faithful discharge Of
your duties.
Your situation in relation to this bust
ness is certainly very unpleasant one.
You are warmly pressed by two parties.
One of which it would seem, is opposed
to building any Jail at present. The other
in favor of building one much too large.
Both are probably wrong. You, how
ever, adopted the views OF the latter,
doubtless from the most correct motives,
and they assail your pride by every
means in their power, To induce You {" to
stick, or go through" to give uh no
thing-while the former, wish to pre-
vent YOU from doing any thing. Under
such circumstances, it may be the best
course to disregard both, taking for your
guide the wishes, and the true interest
ofthe elisinterested farmers of the county.
1t is not the Jail itself, but the size of it.,
to which they are so violently opposed.
| am one of those who think Jail ne
cessary, and hold it, that it is your
bounden duty to repair the old one. SO as
to render it as secure as possible, I'll a
new one can be erected. But we GER
iainly do not stand in need OF so large a
one as you propose, and the times are too
hard to build one larger than is neces-
sary. have examined your plan. The
house is to be 80 feet long, "a feet wide,
and stories high--that part of it which
is for the confinement of prisoners is to
be "a feet one way, and IA feet the other.
This divided into two rooms would give
IA feet by 10 to each room, and leave
the jailor's room Il feet by "a, all upon
the lower floor. These rooms of con-
finement are all that your plan provides
for, and are certainly sufficient for the
purpose intended; the room for the
jailor is surely large enough-where
then is the necessity for the second sto-
ry? can see none, unless it be TO make
an excellent parlour, aud two lodging
rooms for the jailor on the second floor.
Which would be providing four rooms
for him on the two lower floors, besides
two excelle-t rooms, which house Of
that width would admit of, in the garnet,
making in the whole six excellent rooms
for jailor. 1t seems to me that this
would be making most extravagant &C
commodation for him at public cost
The heohie wiH not submit to IL. Your
plan has been hastily adop.ed-think Of
it again.-If on further rejection you