Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-07-27
From the Illinois Intelligencer.

1t is melancholy TACT, that however
jealous and active public man 10 adj
vance the interest Of the people, there
are many to be found who envy the viz
tues they cannot initiate. and feel dispo-
sed 10 ruin character which they can
never hope to possess. No case ex-
hibits more striking example OF the
truth OF this observation, than that OF our
present worthy Representative in Con-
gress. While he is attempting to merit
public favor by his devotion TO the public
good, the flood-gates of defamation are
let loose upon him--and while he relies
solely on his unexceptional public conduct
for reelection to that important post
he now occupies, his enemies trust not
upon the character and standing OF his
opponent, but, apparently desperate, use
every weapon that art Or malice can sug-
gest, to destroy his influence and repu-
tation.-That Mr.. Cook is political
juggler," does not establish Mr..
M'Lean's Professionalism he has no
standing in Congress, does not prove
that Mr.. M Lean has superior talents or
capacity. 1t is in vain to think that the
people can be gulIed and cheated out of
their votes by the mere assertions of any
man; they will weigh the services, the
worth, and the talents of the respective
candidates and ii does not follow that
they will vote for one because the other
is unfit for the Office. Mr.. MLean's
friends have however commenced at
tacks which it becomes necessary to
repel-they have raised mountains from
contemplate mole-hills, and attempted
to injure the reputation of Mr.. Cook by
ascribng to him motives only known to
the " Searcher OF hearts"
A writer in ;he Shawneetown paper
over the sigra fc OF 81 Brutus," has
thrown the gauntlet, and although | am
averse to enter into a controversy with
the author of those scurllious numbers,
Justice to an injured individual requires
that the Measurements of +" Brutus,'
should be corrected.
The subject Of unavailable funds, %
Justly claimed the attention OF the guar
dians of the public treasury. No one
yet denied that it was for the interest OF
the people OF this State to have as large
portion of our circulating medium,
land-otfice money, as could be obtained
and no one cares whether Gov. Ed
wards did or did not use his exertions
with the Secretary of the Treasury, to in
duce him to order the reception ofpapcr
which has since became worthless. The
truth is, large quantity of paper was
received, and is now unavailable"
The subject, then Invested of all the
trappings thrown over it by Brutus, re-
suits in this simple inquiry-7pho is
6iameable with the loss the pubic 7rea-
sury has sustained by the dehreciation
Of the haher ofthe zvestern banks i? Is
Governor Edwards whom Brutus char
ges with being instrumental in having it
received? Certainly not-because Gov.
Edwards had not the power to withdraw
the public deposites when in his OPT
Mon public security required it. The
Secretary of the Treasury was the person
with whom this business was intrusted.
Far be it from me to impute improper
motives to Mr.. Crawford in originally
receiving this paper.-No one can say
aught against him for that act-nay, ad-
mit he was importuned and begged into
the measure. This is not the inquiry.
Long after he was advised that the pa
per of certain banks was likely to de-
precia,e, that the public deposites were
unsafe, that the Treasury would suffer
unless active exertions were made in its
behalf, did he suffer thousands of the
peoples money to slumber within their
vaults. To slumber did l say rather
to busily circulate through the hands of
needy directory, to enable them for
twelve or eighteen months longer to keep