Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-10-11

flict humanity.
1t is to you who have expended your
labor and capital on permanent improve
ments, and considered yourselves settled
for lie in this state, with your families
around you--that l have appealed thus
earnestly, and | trust not in vain. There
are others, and these form large ma
Iorlty Ut the advocates of this scheme,
who, like BIRDS OF passage, belonging to
10 country in particular, look only 10
the interest Ct the moment, and are pre-
pared 10 vote Tor convention as an inlet
TO slavery, under The notion that it r:1iaht
advance the price OF land, and enable
them to sell their farms 10 advantage,
and moUe IT. And there are PERSONS
as have heard with sorrow and mdig-
nation,-whose talents aud standing en-
iitle them to cons deralion, who are avail
| ing themselves oil this topic, SO mpor-
tabt 10 our future veli-being, merely as
IN engine o, Temporary, parry politics--
Surprising (falseiy as believe and hope)
Thai popularity is dn the side oil slavery,
they take thai side, and, regardless OF its
caiamltous consequences, they can--lus,
| 10 gain an advantage over rivals, vino
are supporting the cause OF frecdom--
prostitute their influence to ,he ruin OF
their country Such, am tola, is the
position taken by some of the most pro-
!nineni and zesions supporters of Con
vcntion; and thus, ttiiow ciuzens, may
our dearest interests be triacd with by
disappointed ambition, which, unless 1t
can govern, Will not hesitate to destroy
From sentiment Of clemency or oil
kindness, forbear naming either these
individuals, or the leaders Of The faction
in Inc legislature. | arraign their pro-
| ceedings al the bar of the public; but
my controversy is with the measures,
not with the men. This pamphlet, should
| II be circulated beyond the sphere oil
| cur contest, or survive us decision, shall
| not be the instrument OF Stamping with
lgneminy the memory of any OF my lei
low citizens. There may be exlenuat;ng
circumstances i,firmity of judgement,
deeply-rooted prejudice, human weak
ness, IN short, OF various shapes, moral
and intellectual, to save from absolute
basencss of intention the projectors OF
enormous mischief. II is enough for us
to see the actions in their true character !;
we viii leave the agents 10 settle the &C
count OF motives with their own con-
science, and proceed to consider what
would be the consequences Of their sue
cess.
In regard to the price of land, no adj
vanage could ensue from die admission
Of slavery. You might apen lie market
| to purchasers from the slave states, but,
| by so doing, you would exclude all from
every state and every country who are
averse to slavery. The owners of ne
groes, who may be inclined to change
their abode, have stronger inducements
towards the southern states of A Iabana,
Mississippi, aud Louisiana than to ours.
THIS is coulirme ed by the experience Of
! Missouri where the price Of land is said
10 be even lower than with us, and the
difficulty OF selling, at least equal. Til,
want OF money, also, prevails equally IN
the neighborng slave states, and is quite
|
lands, which is necessary, in the first
place, 10 enable them to remove at all.
| 1t is vain, therefore, 70 lock TO that quar-
| ter for many buyers; and it would surely
be impollic TO coniine the market to a
class Of purchasers who have not the
neans of purchasing, and il they had the
means would not bring them to us, but
would carry them farther south.
Tie exclusion Of every other class for
the sake of those who have neither the
ability nor the inclination to buy, absurd
as it would be, is not the only evil: Ma
ny more estates would Immediately be
offered for sale, SO as to add to the giut
in the market. For numbers, who had,
as they hoped, made permanent homes
for themselves aud their families in this
state, would hasten away at the approach
OF slavery, disposing OF their property
under every disadvantage; and thus,
more sellers than buyers being created
by this calamilous and foolish measure,
the price of land would fall even below
its present rate.
Let us now turn our thoughts to those
who would be excluded by slavery, and
we shall discover that they are far more
numerous than those whom it would in
vi,e.
Multitudes Of the farming class, and
others, in the old countries Of Europe,
from whence we all derive our origin
are at this time driven by hard necessity
to seek new homes. Their attention is
drawn in particular manner towards
this state, as that section OF the union