Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-09-13


OF Indiana and Illinois, Commissioners on the
part of their respective states, b examine the
distractions, and report upon the hracticability
and expediency of improving the navigation of
the Wabash River, at and near the Grand RIA.
pids-at which place the Commissioners are 70
meet, on Monday the 9th of October next.
Communicated.
o. The statement" of Mr. West, with il
confirmation by Maj. Judy, appeared in tn
last Illinois Republican; but not word is sail
OF the invalidation, by these gentlemen, ofthef
own testimony, at the interview mentioned il
our last number. The Grand jury hayini
taken cognizance of the subject, we are adj
vised that it would be deemed mark of I'd
spect to the, court, to wave our reply for tla
present week.
"Thesame Missouri question in sub
stance isnow agitated in some of the lead
ing prints of the country, growing out Of
the call OF Convention to revise the
Constitution Of the State oil Iliaois-the
OBJECT OF WHICH call is said 10 be to intro
duce clause permitting the introduce
non OF slaves into that state. The right
to make this alteration OF thtir conslitn.
ton Is denied to the people Of Illinois by
the Newly Ork American andothrr prints,
and we have seen in the Charleston Mer-
curry very able article inIreDy 10 this
doctrine. We must agrse with the
AeFcury that the right exits; that it is
a right entirely correspondent with tina,
which was exercised by lie people of
New-York in revising lbeir own consiilu,
tlon. We should certainly deny the
fiaht 10 create slavery; but, as slavery
IS not inconsistent with Republican form
II government, in the sense Of the con-
st'utlon, we do not See nov Congress
can Jnstifab!y interfere 10 prevent any
state from tolerallng slavery within its
limits. AS regards the other states IN
The Union, the operation of snch
change IN the constitution of Illinois
would be beneficial rather than other
wise, as opening wide region for the
migration of that description of popu
iation from portions of country where i
DOW TOO mnrh aboands. Rut as regards
me state IF Illinois, zoe take thi $ ohtor-
tunit9 10 say. that zue should consider
The hrohosed measure Suicidai in liz ef
tects, and in hri1cihke unworthy Of men
Fs'io hdOe tasted tie blessing Of freed9m
una loved by the ta'nt, which other parts
OF this country has inherited from its An
ceeiry."
The above is extracted from an editorial ar.
ticle III the National lnlelhgenccr of the 10, h
ut. We insert it, not because we wholly CO.
ncidc IN the opinions advanced by the editors
OF that paper, but for the sake Of the sentence
which we have rendered empha.ica While
we are thus warned Of the evil consequences
TO ourselves, attending the Introduction OF
slavery, by those who feel the correctness e
their opinion, We surely cannot be so callous
as to rush on to the destruction of which we
are cautioned. The groans of our southern
brethren cannot, We think, be SO meloJious, as
10 excite in US the desire Of experiencing those
calamies which elicit them. The testimony
of Shareholders, almost invariably, tends to
prove that the practice is attended by evils
greatly counterbalancing its advantages.
State rights have recently been so largely
discussed, and so little progress made toward
a conclusion, that we are unwilling TO obtiude
an opinion in this case. But if the best inter
ests OF the whole Union be the basis of de-
cision, we should be inclined TO believe that
when measure is calculated to produce an
effect upon the whole-aii, and consequently
each, would be entitled to voice. We are
by no means CT ,tain, however, that it would be
consistent with our federal compact, to at
tempt, in Congress, to interfere with the inter
nal regulations of state. We leave it for
ADLER men to settle. s
Cur view to decision, on this subject, has
been steadily directed to the judiciary We
are sure that the introduction Of single slave
into this state, under any clause which might
be inserted in our constitution, would properly
lead to an investigation of our right. in the
federal courts, We will not presume to giye
an opinion OH subject which has divided the
gentlemen "learned in the law" To our
however, it would appear that the
compact of '87 was of perpetual Obligation
and we believe we have vast majority Of til,
citizens of our country on our
side. But lawyers have such subtle mode If
reasoning, that plain men cannot understand,
much less confute them. Unwilling to witness
the ills which we are confident would attend