Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-01-20
FOR THE SPECTATOR.
lin. WARREN

'1'd " III 'hNNu ptSd9ufN did oaiIAldNN u ; 3
piece under the signature Of - A Cili-
zen Of Illinois," having for lis object to
shew, that the people Of lhi, state have
not the legal right Ia introduce slavery
among them that change in their CON
slitulon authorizing it, would be al
war with treaties and compacls, and
could only be made By species of state
peridy. The reasoning OF the writer
appears to me very conclusive, and to
furnish proofs little short of absolute de-
monsfrarion. WAocver will not Weld
10 the conviction they are calculate to
produce, will not Weld 10 argument. His
passions and prcjudices are in truths wa, !;
and as they were not reasaned up, they
cannot be reasoned down. They are high
err than the tower Of Babel, and built of
materials equally ipdeslrucli5le, aud
Which, m force OF laglc can penetrate.
The communication alluded to is a
solemn appeal to the political integrity
OF the state, to our knowledge of The re-
latipns we bear to the general govern
ment, and whether We will adhere to
them, or set them at nought. | hope
every citizen viii give il an attentive pc
rusal, and when he has done so, ask
himself this question: Am | not salts
fled that the people of Illinois have not
the right to introduce slaves among them,
and If aid their introdncrion BY my
vote, either directly or indirectly, shall
no. be Influenced rather by prejudice
and considerations oil supposed interes :,
than from conviction it is right If the
answer be in the affirmative, where is
the citizen who can put his vote IN the
ballot box for a convention, and not say
in his heart, am traitor to the state!
1t is not my design to follow the writer
in | his arguments upon this subject.
O. the impressive truth, he would estab-
lsh, that a, to the question Of slavery
we are controlled by apara Mount au,ho-
rirv which we have recognized as bind
ing UPON us, his illustrations are apt aud
clear. One Of two til rs is n adj appa-
rent, either dat Congress for toe last
twelve years has pract'sed III most pal
pa lie usurp ri n, over lhe new states
which they have admitted into the Union,
or else, in their act Of April, 1918, per-
miuin us % form constitution and
state government, they had a right to re-
quire Of rs tina, the CONSTITUTE an 81 form
ed should Mt be repugnant to the ordi-
nance Of l787, and that reqnlsition was
full Of significance aal inoprt. Who
will have the arrogance to believe the
former? Who can imagine that our
wisest statesmen have been guilty OF
such audacious folly and usurpation
tina, they have 50 totally misconceived
the principles Of our government, and
so entirely Inexperienced the nature
and extent Of their own authority
There is tothing in the constitution Of
the United States which prohibits the
people of Illinois from so altering their
constitution as to declare that the doc
trlnes of Mahome, shall be the religion
of this land, and the mode of worship
adopted by his followers the only mode
OF worship which our laws shall tolerate.
Such constitution might be republican
in form, yet who would have the ha:-
dihopd 10 say thar the follower of Jesus
might not, under the ordinance of '97
claim a right to believe and worship as
he pleases3 Nigh he not say, and tina,
with truth, came here TO enjoy civil
and religious liberty, and the first arii-
Gle ol that ordinance guarantees to me
the perpetual right 10 b. lieve and wor-
ship as choose With equal right may
not the African claim exemption from
slavery? II the one can lay hold Of the
ordinance as the foundation and securi-
ty OF his right, why may not The other !!
If there be difference, let it be pointed
out. Either both were abolished by our