Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-04-02
From the New-york Daily Advertiser.
/" SECTIONAL INFLUENCE"

From the New-York Daily Advertiser.
"SECTIONAL INFLUENCE"
When the Missouri question was be-
fore Congress, formidable cutlery was
raised by those interested in the extern
sion and pcrpetuation Of slavery, against
what they called sectional divisions"
" sectional feelings" and 5. sectional in
Hucncc." OF all tie foes to national
union and national tranquility, sec
tional feelings" were represented to be
the most portentous, and, fpersisted in,
it was said, would prove to be the most
fatal. The uproar, thus raised, pro-
duced its intended effect upon few weak
or Interested minds, and the point of con-
troversy, involving the most important
interests Of the nation, and touching most
nearly the national character, was shame
fully abandoned and lost.
i The moment the question Of who shall
be the next President is started, and any
thing is said that looks at all like favor
ing the pretensions of candidate east
7vard Of the Potomac, the same clamor
breaks forth, and the country is again
dinned by out-cries against sectional
feelings" Indeed the politicians of one
state at the south, are so full of appre-
tensions that sectional spirit" will
some how or o,her make its ghostly ap-
pearance as the election approaches !;
and doubtless DESTROYS Of displaying their
entire dlsinterestedness on the subject,
and that they can rise above such selfsii-
ness, have adopted sure and certain PIE
| ventve oil the evil, by nominating one of
their o7un citizens. for This elevated office.
1t may, perhaps, be deemed invidious,
and possibly sianderous, in us to question
the sincerity of those who have such
peculiar mode of proving it, viz. by al
rays rendering the ciomor they raise
subSerpient TO their osvn interests--but
We still shall run the risk of mourning
their displeasure, whist we adduce a
piece of evidence in our favor. An
Augusta Georgia. paper lately contain
ed an article, 10 the form Of an extract OF
letter from the city of Washington,
dated some weeks since the present SEES
sion OF Congress commenced, which is
in the following words
81 perceive some resolutions Of Mr.
Epson, in the Georgia Legislature, rela-
tive 10 our acceptanc e of that part OF East
Florida not included in the Resolutions
ofthe Alabama Legislature. Itrustthat
your views on this sablcct are similar to
my OVID, and that you viii exercise The
influence Of your press in dlscountenanc-
IF I iaLr ,,,l t., RI Z,
sent struggle for sectional iirch0nder-
ance, it is highly IMPORTERS thar zoe
should avaU ourseiUes Of every ofhoq--
tnnity to add to our Southern influence,
and the addition Of tgro ne7y Senator's,
would be sensi6iy ard 6enefciaily Jek
1t is therefore our toHcu TO contribute
as much as POSSIBLE to TIE erection oil
Florida iato STATE, and yoa must NOT
suffer OR good citizens to hare their
judgment blinded by the dazzhng IN
fuence Of Territorial acquisition.'
This, we agree, is different sor, of
"sectional Influences" but it is pretty ef-
ficient, and will, when carried into lit
tie more extensive operation, be most
sensibly realized sand precisely in the
manner here stated, that is, dy increasiugI
The strength Of the South in he .SeAate
Vthe United States. 1t is therefore
very clearly the policy of the Southern
States, as this letter remarks, TO contri-
butte as much as possible to the erection
.ofFlorida into State; because the mo-
ment that event occurs, Florida will have
exactly the same power in the Senate as
New-York or Pennsylvania. Ely the
present plan of apportioning representa-
tiyes under the last census, several ofthe
old States will lose each member,
though the population of all of them has
increased. Their influence in the House
of Representative will be henceforth on
the decline, whilst that Of the new states
will rapidly increase. But, as new
state will, the moment it is formed, and
without any regard to the amount of its
population, have full representation 10
the Senate, it is very apparent that the
remark OF this letter writer, that $ the
addition of wo more nesv Senator's will
be sensi5iy feL," is perfectly Just, and
founded in fact. Calling Delaware and
Maryland slave states, and on all slave
questions theirRepresenta.ives and Sc
majors act almost uniformly with those
states, and taking this as the line of dis
tinction, the country is equally divided.
A new state, therefore, within the limits
OF slavery will, in the Senate, give that
section a majority-which will secure
the influence as absolutely as if they had
the majority in both houses-for one
house can defeat any measure, whether