Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1821-02-13

undQg MS view Of the subject, come in,
and be UPON al e4aai footing, n thelr
domestic as4ecG Nh .he original stales.
II then attempted 10 prove it by show
jig, that proposition was made III the
federal convention % lugrM, dis provi-
sion INTO Tie Constitution: s hat new
states, when admitted into tins union,
shall DC upon an equal footing With the
oremsi states" rms pro, sion said
Mr.. (. parity for the reasons which he
then urged, as well as ioi many Others
equally cogent, Vas rejected. One
other Of those reasoas DOW presented It.
sel5, and was indeed Tic basis upon which
al others rested. II was THAI, the full
operation Of which he had endeavored to
shvW the Missouri Constitution attempt
cd to arrest Il VAS th4t the federal
government had sovereign authority
over the public soil within the confines
Of such new states The old states were
lords Of their own soil, the new 4re not.
In the domestic aspect, therefore, the
old and new states are not, nor eau they
Dc, upon an equal iooIn6. IN their
federal aspect, howeYer he sanittcd
4her periect equality, he moaut in the
enioymen, Of rights exclusively federsi.
Nj. I. sAd It would 81 once be seen
sha, the force Of his objection did not
c0uReet liself with the great question OF
citizenship, cut VIZ az objection looking
% other clauses oI.he constitution. IhAI
those clauses we're lmpugned by the
clause III he Missouri constitution to
which He had referred, was apparent. at
least to his mind, and he could not there
fore vote for tie resolution now under
consideration.
but he said it had been proposed to
refer til. question to the judiciary. The
proprlty OF that proposition he should
not attempt to discuss.
Pc however considered it question
growing out of The exercise OF a power
vested exciusi ely in Congress the pow
er to admit new states, and was therefore
a question which he thought Congress
bound 10 determine. He was no, over
anxious to assume responsibility, but he
certainly felt no disposition TO shrink
from that which he thought properly
devolved upon him.
Mr.. c. again repeated, that his feel
ings were in favor of admission that
both personal and political reasons COM
bined lo render it desirable event, and
were ii consistent with his sense OF the
duty which he owed TO the country, and
the constitution, TO give such vote upon
the resolution under consideration, he
was sure no member on hat floor would
do ii with more pleasure. But while he
considered the constitution the rock up
Oh which our temple Of liberty mus,
stand, and having sworn to support 1t, he
2--e himself called upon to forego all
such considerations, ana defend it against
Infringement Sir, said he, five ever
suffer our individual feelings and wishes
to enter mo our deliberations and dis
cussians, so lar as TO govern our public
conduct, those feelings and wishes, Ike
the inpesCeptlble rislns OF the tide, will
finally over run every principle OF the
constitution. and W. shall ultimately find
ourselves floating al large upon the
open sea OF uncertainty, without a single
landmark TO guide US.
The momentary inconvenience even
of the nation, and much less Of small
portion % IT only, should not sanction the
least possible violation OF that Instrument.
The progress of despo,ism upon liberty.
he said, was gradual; it kept pace with
the loss OF public morals. 1t would be
Sc, with entertainments upon the consti-
tution---tley would be so gradual as
hardly 10 be seen or felt. until ii was pa
red down 10 state Of ineficency made
qua,e TO lie purposes OF lis adoption,
and then, and not till then would the
government be dissolved. The line be-
tsesn ihe federal AID state governments
should be fixed, and encroachments upon
ether should be resisted in the bud
However anxious, therefore, he might be
Ger tn admis Jon Of Missouri, he could
Eut. FOL oaG, consent to receive her with
sas -lause IN her constitution.