Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1823-11-01
p0AYTfC.aEA.
JONArH An FREEMAN's LETTERS
TO tie Editor d the Minois Gazette.


me and lhe rest of us, a stable for MY
horses, and Iitle barn, on quarter o
good land, paid up at the land Office, win
midding fine clearing upon ii, aid d
' good fence. ! have about thirty head OF
cattle, some OF them prime, aud a good
chance OF hogs; and by the labors Of
myself and my boys we make a Shift 10
get along. We help our neghbors, who
are generally as poor as ourselves -
some that are newcomers are not SO
well fixed They help Us in turn, ann
as il IS the fashion 10 be Industrious,
discover that we are al by degrees grow
ing wealthy--not IN money, to be sure,
but 10 truck.
There i, grea, stir among the Land
iobbers aud poIlucians to get slaves into
the country, because, as they say, We are
In great distress; and have been think
ing pretty much about how il would act
with me and my neighbors read your
paper as il comes out, but M find any
,hing 10 clear it up. FIRST of all You
gave US an address from a meeting al
Vandatla IN praise of a convention: neg
you published the protest Of the minority
ugains, the tricks OF The slave party
and then you sud we had the " hole mat
ter before US. But, though you seen
10 hang that way, you have not sal6 h07V
slavery is 10 do good to me and the Xix e
uf me. thai is to four citizens out Of Il g
In The state.
| have lately seen people from KIN
lucky, and some OF the neighbors have
been travelling IL that country Ine1
all agree in one sorry, that the K enlutk-
ians are as bad off FOR money as We
some say worse. People that haye been
to New Orleans say IL Is the same al
down the river 40 money, but pow
err of plantations 10 sci! II there were
any buyers.
AS money seems to be all we wan,
and they want It just as nach as we do.
| don't see how hose Slave Gcntry arr
to make 1t pieny--anless seuding more
produce Ia Orleans would raise the
price As 10 neighbDrs, give me plain
farmers, working with their own lrce
hands, or the hands of free workren:-
not greai planters and Their negroes; for
negroes are mjdiiing lighting rea, ano
| suspect We should have Ia lock uD oui
cabins when we left hone and il W.
were to leave our linen out all night, ",
might chance to miss 1t IN the morning.
The planters are great men, aud wiz
ride about, mighty grand, with their UNI
brelas over their heads, WHEN | and my
boys are working, perhaps bare-headed,
in the hot sun. Neighbors indeed they
would have all their own w8s, and rn.e
over us like lutle kings: we snould have
to patrole round the country 10 keen
their negroes under, instead OF mind,pg
our own business but if we lacked 70
raise bulldIDg--or dollar--Ihe d.
bit would they help rs
This is what nave been thinking, and
so l suspect we all think but they who
want to sell out. And they that want To
sell will find themselves mistaken If they
expect the Ksnuckians TO buy their i'm.
provements, when hey can get Congress
land al a dollar and quarter an acre
Ii Is men who come from free sta es with
money in their pockets, and no work
hands about them, that buy improve
menis. Yours,
JONATHAN FREEMAN
SIR,
AS you have printed my homely lei
ter, shelving the sort of neighbors the
Slave Gentlemen would be 10 us, plan
Illinois farmers; send you my simple
Thoughts on what is brought up by way
of excuse by people who believe know
better, though they think that such as do
not. They say that il slaves from Ken
lucky come into | inos, there will be
as many fewer in Ktniucky as here will
be more here, 81 hat the nuu,ber on the
whole will not be greater than II thty
had slaid there. Isee the matter differ
emily. When man moves il is because
he is uneasy and can't thrive. 50 he goes
where he can do better. The better
people are off the faster they increase.
Many people in Kentucky are deep inI
d hi. and have nothing left to call their
own but few slaves. In that case they
can't carry on 10 any good purpose. III
goes hard with such mems negroes 4
with bellies pinchsd, and short Of cloth.