Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-07-19

my appointed time- Out "hSh aVe
the principles Ito establish which no
small portion of my life has been SPENT
approached with sacri!egious hands, how
can | keep silence?
In the first place, my young fellow
citizens, | would advise you TO deeply
and solemnly reflect on the hardsbips.
and privations, your foreisthers passed
through; how many Of Them marched
with the iIlustrious Washington, and
others, with bleeding feet, and shivering
limbs, and shed their hearts blood to
ransom you, their pos,erily, from Bril-
fish tyranny, slavery, and oppression.
And now if you should become abet'ors
for the spread of tina, immanily, and dia-
bolical traffic OF human flesh, would not
your deceased ancestors, rise uh inJudg-
ment against you?
In the next place, I entreat you as a
father would his son. not to perpetra,e
any thing encouraging slavery; but
prove yourselves true American patriots
and republicans, SO shall you be held in
high esteem by all good men through
out the continent. You see that the
conduct of the majority of our late le-
gislature is derided by all good men in the
eastern states; they have brought stain
, on their characters, that time will not OBJ
literate-for by their fruits they have
made themselves knozvn.-All willing
slave holders, and those DESTROYS 10 be
| such, together with all bacohanals, gam
blers, swindlers, house robbers, kidnap-
pers, sc. would tain be called true Re-
publicans but that character doth not
belong to them; the appellalion tory,
belongs to them, see the declaration Of
independence. And allsuch as say" all
who are opposed 10 convention and
slavery are tories," put the cart before
the horse.!!
Many false cnlors are held forth, and
will continue 10 be held forth 10 order
to deceive the nnwary. Such for in
stance is the sapient argument OF the
reverend Kinney, /" that slavery ought
TO be spread that its evil effects might
be curiai'ed!" Such might be the case
if the climate of this country, possessed
the peculiar quality of rendering men
less avaricious but until he shews this
to be the case his offspring of pure hu-
mani,y is but the pra,te OF a hypocrite.
or fool. For it is not because they cam
not make sufTioiency of grain for their
subsistence where they are, that they sui.
fer, but it is the love of money, ease, and
wealth, that is the cause of their suffer-
ings,and it would be the same here; there
fore, ft How citizens, be not deceived by
their sophistry.
But if any should try to induce you to
vote for convention, tell them plainly,
their persuasions shall not force you to
"injure your country"
There is land of ev'ry land the pride,
BELOVED by heaven DER all the world beside;
Where brighter suns dispense serener light,
And mlder nouns empar;ldise the nlgnt
A1apd of beauty, virtue, truth,
Tilne-tatored age, and love-exalted youth,
Where shall that land, that SPOT Of earth be
found
Art thou man a patriot look around:
And thou shall find, howe'er thy footsteps
That land thy country, and that spot thy
home y" Montgomery.
We as Americans feel the love Of
country, not merely because OF the idea
that it is the land where we were born,
but because it is the land where we en-,
JOY freedom aud equal rights, and every
blessing that can sweeten life and gild
it over with glory And how can we, as
American patriots, bear the idea, of sec.
ing our fellow creatures forced from their
homes, and their dear connections, and
doomed to perpetual slavery.-May the
powers above, put a final stop 10 that in.
corrisible practice.
JnCIAC yIyDI(,IIT