Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-02-01
[From the Star Of the West, Jan. Is.

El'trlct ofa letter iiom men'ber efthe HoHse 2
REPRESENTATIVES,, to the EthsorS, d,ited
vArn.11., JAN. 10, 1926,
Yesterday was decided rbe great question
who should be our senator IN the Congress
of the United Sttcs, 10 supply the place o
the Hon. J. y. Thomas whose term OF service
expires on the Am OF March next l. i
with sincere pleasure inform Won FRAT Indgf
| Thomas has been Reelected, and think car
add without the fear of contradiction, that id
a state SO full Of faction and party as ouis 30
man except Judge Thomas could have been
SO honora5y elected. HIS oponcnts left no
means untricd by which they could deieat his
lelectlol-aware OF MS strength on the JOINT
vote OF both houses of the General Assembly,
the great object with diem was to prevent an
! election at this session. or at least so to make
use of the small majority which ,hev claimed
in the Senate, to duiay the important decision
until therplansh had rpened into maturity. l'hey
were So far successful as to postpone the cleo
ton toa late period OF thc session. Il ibis adYan-
tag was araal CT imaginary one IN The opinion
| OF others, to tan it WAS an opportunity 10
operate upon the E'enis OF Judge Thomas
| Nor this all The contest was not one o.
measures, nor between meI. Aud with as
much truth can it be SAID his opponents did not
|
command y vote and would suffer himself 10 be
used, was listed in the rank Of candidates.
From this circumstance, and this only, it is
owing that Judge Thomas was not elected b.
a much larger majority. IBIS eypedlent, de-
| sgncd to prevent his election on the FIRST bal
lot, FILTERED down his majority from what
would otherwise have been an almost nnaai.
nous vote in his favour. when this accon4-
plished gentleman and distinguished friend Of
| his country reflects that under such weight
of opposition, large majority of his fellow
citizens, conhdng in his integrity and abilities
have reelected linn to the most dignifed and
| respectable Office in their gift, he must feel
| satisfied that his past services are remembered
! with gratitude, and that we anticipate from
his future exertions equal advantages to our
selves and posterity."
We have copied the above extract for the
| purpose of making few remarks upon il.
believing that the subject, as therein repre-
scented, ought not to pass unnoticed.
| We do not pretend to have any certain know.
| ledge of the motives which Influenced those
members who wished to postpone the election
ertions for that purpose were unsuccessful
There were, however, various reasons in favor
| of apostponement, either of which was sufti-
| cient to justify them in the course they pur-
sued. Independent of other considerations,
the propriety of afiording time to investigate
the claims and qualifications of the different
candidates will not be questioned. BY an ar
tcle published in this paper in 1919, written
by friend of Judge Thomas, the members of
the first Legislature were highly censured for
not waiting till near the close of the session of
that year, before they elected Senator. That
election was not preceded by public excite
ment, and the arguments in favor of delay then,
have equal force at the present time. Besides,
it was known that Judge Thomas had an undue
advantage over the other candidates, on &C.
count of having enlisted in his service several
influential men, to whom he had promised the
offices of Register and Receiver of the Sanga-
mo Land Office. We say an undue influence,
for Ito say nothing of the baneful effects of
such means of corruption) out of fifteen or
twenty candidates, who had received his pro-
misses, he had 10 hope of the appointment of
more than one, in pursuance of his recommen-
dation. It follows, Of course, that had the