Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1824-05-25

, 100 - "iohNo VI pNOplCs SudSk
such oircun stances, ask, would il be
wise and prudent to inlrusl all our great
sovereign rights into the hands OF men
whose conduct is thus dark and mysle-
rious And lie, me further ak, what
evidence have these men given OF that
political virtue and aisdom, OF tina, stern
republican principle, OF that political
and moral worth, which should entille
them 10 SO great and importaD, trust!
Ii We are TO Judge OF the future from
the past, what have we to hope. Look
at the conduct OF the advocates OF CEN
ventlon last winter a, Vandalis Do you
lind i, marked by virtue and wisdom, by
reverence for moral and politlcsl prin-
ciple /! On the contrary do you nol Fl d
them breaking down all the barriers
heretofore held sacred by men as well
as by statesmen, and rushing hcedIops
to their iavorte measure? Some oil the
leaders OF whom publicly asowing that
they had great object in view, and that
the end justified The means. Ii is not
my intention at this lime to detail the
acts and doiDgs OF the advocates of a
convention in the legislature, much less
IN their midnight caucuses and riotous
mobs. | wish now merely to remind
you ot their mtrigues, and OF the unpre-
fcedenied and unwarrantahle me- ans they
resorted to, to effect their en- i-the adop-
ton OF The resolution recomne ending
conveniion--and then ask you if you are
wiling to trust such men TO make con-
stliutlon. Men who would abuse the
rightiul privilege of lie people 10 in
s'ruct their representatives,, by practi-
sing decepIious articles on them. Such
as inducing The people in Greene conn
ty 10 sign the Instructions by tel ing
them that the objects to be effected by
convention Mre 10 alter ibe constitution
so as to remove the seat oil government
10 A ton, and to limit the duration OF the
sessions OF the legislature, and to FIX The
pay OF the members.
In White county the people we're in-
duced to sign the instructions by being
told tina, the objects were 10 make
this slave holding slate, and holding
out the idea oil thu sea, oil governn, ent
being removed t, Carmi. ~ Randolph
county, many OF he French who did not
understand the English language, in
which the instructions were written, were
induced TO sign them IN favor Of con-
vention, III CONSCIOUS Of being told il
vas Tor the purpose of reducing The tax
es. In Madison county the people were
told the Objects we're TO remove the seat
oil goyernm ent to lion; and we'll know
ing that the people OF Madison were OPP
posed to slavery, it was expressly de-
clared in the body OF the Instructions that
"we are convinced that the attempt 10
represent the voting Tor such atesoiu ion,
as being directly calculated 10 introduce
SLAVERY into this state, both as absurd aud
deceptive j; absurd, because it cannot
possibly have the least tendency 10 pro-
| duce such an object, when il is recoliect-
ed that the courts of OF the United States
! would declare any clause in the new
constitution which nigh, be adopted Tor
such purpose, both illegal and inohera~
tiUc" The people were told in w ASH
Iugton county that the majorlly al l,it Ie-
gisature were SO warmly in favor ot
convention tha, they would not Consen 10
divide that county, unless their senator
would consent to vote tor a convention.
And the people OF Johnson county, that
the same dominant party would not COM
ply with their wishes in removing the
seat OF justice OF that county, unless their
representative would vote tnr conven-
ton. In this way the people were ca
loled and induced to instruct their repre-
sentatlves to vote for a measure the OBJ
lect of which they did not understand or
sanction, and if left TO themselves, and
( unconnected with other considerations,
would have been most Dc cidedly opposed
10.
Whilst couriers sent from Wanda liza
were busily employed III circulating
among the people OF The the different
counties, instructions suited 10 the pre-
JUDGES and interests OF each, The mem-
bers of the legislature were interchangeable
in bringing to bear upon the question
every other which could possibly assist
it. Log rolling, as II is aptly called, be-
came the order OF the day. That Is, no
measure, however sslulary, was allowed
to pass unless its friends would consent
to vote for convention.
After resortlng to all these measures,
and resolving TO amalgamate the two
. houses OF the general assembly into one
: house, with the hope of being thus able
to count two thirds Of the whole, it was
} yet found impossible to carry their mea-
sure, without resorting to the onheard-of
expedient ofturnng out one OF The mem
bers, who was opposed to convention,
= II.