Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1822-07-13

And instead of voting against reducing
the price from 50 to 5 25, actually
offered an amendment 10 the bill to de
vide the land into half quarter sections,
and TO FIX THE PRICE AT ONE
DOLLAR AND TWENTY-FIVE
CENTS PER ACRE, when paid down,
or at two dollars if bought upon credit.
He who read the newspaper discussions
on this subject in June and July, 1920,
when Mr.. Kane and myself were candi-
dates, will remember that these state
ments were then made and proved.
But the ingenious mode OF vaguely re-
fering to letters OF mine---of giving to
them false color is resorled to, to play
of the old trick Of ercitinS the honest
frG~dfces Of the feohle in violation OF
truth and the rules which govern 81 an
honest man and gentleman" Let this
s. honest" Brutus publish the letter--he
has certified copy, he tells us--it will
speak Tor itself, and l fear not its publi-
cation-indeed his Withholding it shows
that it would do me no injury, as it could
DOT then be perverted TO the purposes of
deception, | will not say " knayery," be-
cause ,his vii! be implied.
After winding up the subject of this
vote and letter to friend of mine, this
diSinteTested writer--this man who has
sought not more than four or five Offices
liz he state, proceeds to speak of the
| land office recently created at Sangamo.
[ am aware that Judge Thomas wrote
home after the bill had passed the Senate,
and before II was acted on in the House
| OF Representatives that | was secretly
opposed to il and would there defeat it.
But when the bill came down, Mr. Har-
din, of Kentucky, known friend Of Judge
Thomas, and few others not less friend
ly, opposed ii with violence, and no
doubt ior the purpose Of enabling the
Judge to assert that his prophecy had
been fulfilled but o bis as well as their
modification, zealously and successful-
y supported it, thus giving the lie to the
insidlous insinuatlon ofthis modest Bru-
lus that | wished to drag the people of
that country to Edwardsvlle to purchase
their lands, and OF specializing myself
upon them. The bill was so reported
that the office would have gone into i'm
mediate operation alter its passage, but
alter it had been twice read in the Senate
Judge Thomas bad it so amended as 10
keeta The ahhointment of the officers back
al least untilth next session OF Congress,
and the lands from market, therefore, for
six months thereafter.
The d" friendly eye" of Brutus, howe
yer, "could not see such faults" as
these in his friend the " industrious" Se-
nator.
A the close of the third number of the
" modest" and "honeSt" essays OF this
writer, he says, But there are some
people who accuse you" sc. &c This
is the old trick of telling a .fatshood,
and then saying, :" it is reported that Mr..
- has done SO and sofas said SO
and SO. The man who sets down pro-
testing that he is very averse to political
juggllng--that he intends to go into
" iacts"--and that /" facts cannot lie"--
the man who does this and then makes
stories to tell as the stories of others
will be marked by the people--I will not
ooJ 90 III hoo bciS iIloSII1 ny Do1IilC
and knave," but will be marked as
political intriguer in whom the truth is
not.
have written thus freely because the
attack is OF character to justify it--and
although have been assaulted by dema-
gogues, and suDdry such understrappers
as this said Brutus, to fight duels, &c.
shall not, by any nor every such machi-
nation, be deferred from exposing venali-
ty in every shape.
The feelings of injured innocence are
always respected--and hope although
| may appear to be severe, that those
who know me, will find an ample apolo-
gy for this address. The writer, though
skulking behind mask, know full
well--let him come out, and his name
will be an antidote against the poison Of
his malice.
D. p. COOK.