Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-05-18

their due proportion Of common stock,
as is proposed to be done by the pro-
position upon your table.
Sir, said MIR. Z. the claim ofthe origi-
nal states has been particularly insisted
upon, because in the encouragement
which they themselves afforded TO emf
grafton, for the sake OF their own interest
TOO, they have, iorsooth, lost q part OF
their population and wealth.
An argument so sectional, and anti
national in its character, surely comes
with bad grace from those who with
perseverance threatening the most dlsas-
trous consequences to our common
country, ct most awful crisis, insisted
that ihose lands should be coded, set
tied, and formed into separate states, Tor
the purpose of paying the debts, promot-
ingthe interest, and advancing the securi-
ty Of the Union. How, sir, could any one
Of those objects DE accomplished With
out disposing OF the Lard ? Who would
have bought it without view to its
settlement by himself or others And
by whom, but citizens of the United
States, was it intended to be settled? 1t
is not 10 be supposed that any of the
states could, for nom nt, have yielded
to policy, SO contracted and selfish, as
To have wished to have exempted them
selves from the disadvantages common
to all of them in consequence OF those
sessions; or to have enjoyed the full
benefits of them, al the exclusive cost
of Others. No state, in Fat:, would have
Submitted, OF would now submit 10 the
exclusion of Ter cilizcns, from the right
Of enig,aling to the public lands. The
original states, therefore, cannot, Justly,
claim an equivalent for privilege which
they themselves secured 10 their own citl-
Gems, and which they would not now be SO
unlus, as to relinqulsh, were it in their
power to do 50.
The motive, sir, 10 encourage emf
grafton, being the advantages expected
10 be derived from It, these must have
been the only equivalent contemplated
for any encourage given 10 II. lhe
oen,hts therefore, oHered 10 'emisrapts,
depending upon a condition, rom which
the states eEpa1,ed correspondent adj
vantages, al least, whenurer that condl-
ten was fulfilled, the consideration Of
hose benefits was fully discharged, and
no other equivalent CAN In reason or
Justice be dcmaaded.
Nor have the original states any rca-
son to complain, that their citizens have
exercised, and enjoyed, the benefits OF
the privilege thus secured TO them Tor
such we're, ne, only the necessary and
intended consequences OF their own
measure; but they were Ct the very
essence of the contracts upon which
the public lands were teded, Sir, you
took them upon those terms, Tor bet
ter, for worse" and have infinitely
less reason to complains, than the r,an
who sought to be absolved from his
matrimonial obligations because he
had found his wife all of the worse and
none Of the better. Yoa have realized
!mportan, advantages, in the increased
value and utlity OF the land--lhe in
proved condition of your population
The development OF the resources Of
your countryside extension Of your
commerce and navigaton--ihe auninen-
tation of your revenne--;he support OF
public oredit---and the security of your
borders.
Thcse advantages, however, are much
less the result Of your own hbcraii;y,
than Of the bold, euterprsins, adyentu-
rous and aspiring character of your
and tho superior libtrah,y
of some eff the states VI hose lands sd-
Joined yours. No government, l will
venture to say, has ever yet established
a distant colony, similarly situated upon
terms more advantageous to itself.
None has ever given less to emigran.s,
Or cxacted more from them.
England, France and Spain, have all
held a part of our present domain, and
by their superior regard to the law of
nature, and the Divine will, 10 the dis
tyi5ulion of those western lapds, whilst.
they held them, have exhibited cou-
Tast between monarchies and the freest
government in the world, which /
am sorry to say, is by no means favora-
bic tothe latter.
Mr.. President, said Mt. E. had Penn.
sylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, and
Kentucky, demanded two dollars per acre
i'll good money, as the minimum price eli
their lands, and subjected al! intrudcrs
to legal prosecutions, and removed BY
military force, much ofyour grea; north
western territory new SO thickly poPu-
latcd--so highly cultivated and improv-
ed--sa richly cmbcllished with cities,
towns, and yiiias~s--every where cx-
hibting monuments OF tic a,:sance CT
science, the progress Of the arts, and