Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-06-07
FOR THE SPECTATOR.

Legislature, the Vandalia paper has
kept up an incessant cannonade against
Mr.. Churchill, one of the representa-
tives from this county, for having as it is
alledged " refused 10 obey instructions"
But lest the very limited circulation OF
the Vandalia paper might render its at
tack Intellectual, Mr.. William Berry,
one of its editors, has labored three
monthsto collect proofs that Mr.. Church
Ill did refuse to obey instructions and
has kindly sent them among us in the
form of handful. In this handbill, he
plainly gives us to understand that he
shall lose all his +" res ect for the good
sense and republican integrity ofthe citi-
zens Of 1ladison," if they presume to re-
elect Mr.. Churchill. But, after using
great many hard words, he introduces
his hroQt&, which are as follows:
..This is to certify that was present in
conversation between Thomas Goats and
George Churchill a representative from the
county of Madison, and heardsaid Churchill tell
Goats, that if he would bring instructions from
the county of Madison signed by three hun
bred and four of the qualified uoters that v0ted
az me tQSt tcCHUH u inc StLH COHHty " stu'HooH3
he would vote for a resolution having for lis
object to permit the people of the state to
vote at the next election for representatives to
the General Assembly, for, or against con-
yention. CHARLES SLADE."
"sworn to, and subscribed before me, a
Justice of the peace for Fayette county, this
17th February 1858.
JAMES NJ DUNCAN, J. p"
Now, to my mind, this affidavit, so far
from proving that Mr.. Churchill "re-
fused to obey Instructions" proves d.
9ectiy the reuerse 1t gives the lie to
the assertions of his enemies, who have
for three years circulated the falsehood
that he was opposed to the right of in
s,ruetion. 1t is a we'll known fact that
Mr. Goats considered the promise snffi
cienuy liberal Ii is also we'll known
that he and his coadjutors tried very
hard TO obtain the instructions. Every
species of deception was resorted to tor
this purpose. Some were told that Mr..
Churchill had earnestly requested to be
instructed to vote for the convention
others, that he wrote the Instructions
himseli--others, that he would vote for
the convention ii instructed TO do so by
" 5o4 signers others, that he
would vote ior the convention if instruct
cd by -" S04 voterS." The people were
told that all the members of the General
Assembly from the eastern part OF the
state, were in favor of removing the sea,
of government to the Mississippi: and
to do away all fears Of the introduction Of
slavery, it was inserted in the body o!
the instructions that the Courts of the
United States would declare both illegal
and inoheratiUe any clause in the new
constitution which might authorize the
introduction of slavery. This not be-
ing sufficient it became necessary to
make repeated assurances to the people
thar SLAVERY zvas not tie object, and that
slavery could not be admitted, even il
the people wished for it.. BY such base
means, the friends of slavery succeeded
10 ,lecelving a number, and in obtaining
their signatures 10 the Instructions, but
after all they did not procure more than
about halfof the stipulated humber; and
this for the uery plain reason that at
least four-ffths OF the people of Madison
county have always been opposed to
slavery, and to every measure which
would tend to introduce or extend it.
Mortified and chagrined, at their
failure, they determined to make up the
deficiency out of other materials. Ac-
cordingly they set down the names ola
considerable number of boys, strangers,
citizens of other counties and states, and
citizens who did not vote in Madison
county at the last election. There still
being q efficiency, they supplied the
same byJorging number Of signatures.
Now, # the persons whose names
were signed to the Instructions, did vote
in Madison county at the last election.
how easy it would be to prove that Mr..
Churchill violated his promise But SO
far from this, we see the slave party
Stirring TO keeh the instructions conceal
ed Mr., West borrows them from Mr..
Churchill under the pretext of copying
them, and under solemn promise that
hc would return them before they left
Vas dalia After repeated calls he in
forms Mr.. Churchill that he had given
them to Senator Smith, and requested
him to hand them to Mr.. Churchill. Mr..
Smith refuses to deliver them, and even
refused to let Mr.. Lockwood copy the
names. The instructions are next found
in possession Of a person residing in
Troy. Two respectable gentlemen of
Ridge Prairie requested permission to
copy the names, and are refused One
&C tI,a.,, NM Samuel z ReidA is snf