Edwardsville spectator. [volume] (Edwardsville, Ill.) 1819-1826, 1826-06-09
,oa THE EDwARDsv1LLE SPECTATOR.

soa THE EDwARDsvILLE SPECTATOR.
-Mr. Printer,
The election is coming on, and have
not yet made up my mind whom 10 vote
TOR as members of The Assembly. That
wicked School Law and that still more
wicked Road Law had determined me
end some OF my neighbors never 10 vote
for Yankee. But | have Just learned
that when these laws were passed there
were only hall a dozen Yankees in the
legislature, which consisted of Gfty-four
members : and Gen. Duncan told US, in
his stump speech at Troy, that he was
the man who Introduced the School Law
land General Duncan, we all know, is
not Yankee. | learn also from the
Journals OF the General Assembly, that
the Road Law was introduced by MIR.
Forquer, the present secretary OF state,
who is no more Yankee than General
Duncan is. Though | am determined
10 stick to my resolution never to vote
for Yankee, yet am afraid that this
will not efiec! my object, because it APP
pears that these wicked laws were sup
ported by kentuckians, Pennsylvanians,
Carolnlans, Teunesseeans, Georgians,
Marylanders, sc. as well as by Yankees.
But will not vote for any man unless
he will come out in your paper, like
man, and promise to get the School Law
and Road Law repealed.
am oug OF all patience when l think
Of these :wo laws. What Shall poor
man be permitted to send his children
TO school and have them taught as well
as the children OF our rich people, and
perhaps better, and he pay nothing,
merely because he has no property !!
What advantage will it be to child to
have rich parents, if this law is to be
put in force? May not the poorest and
rsggedest boys to be found in the log
huts, get TO be hgh-learned men, and IN
time go 10 Congress, or to Vsndalia, or
become justices of the peace al least,
while our sons, should they happen to
be rather dull, may be left in the back
ground +? Mr.. Printer, | have worked
hard these forty years to get rich, and TO
have something to enable my children
to hold up their heads above the poor
ragged set around them; and now our
legislature try 10 put Us all on level;
Or, at any rate, to give poor mems chill
dren as good chance to &c, learning as
mine have. And then the Road Law is
still worse. | am now upwards of fifty
years old, and according TO the goos old
law, | would be clear from doing any
ha rnoIo Rnt 10
cause have worked hard and got rich,
and made good farm, and toleraby
good orchard, and have a good house,
barn, and stables, with horses, oxen,
sheep, hogs, sc. why, must still work
on the roads, or hire somebody to work
for me do not know what the legisIa.
ture meant, but to my mind it is plain
enough that rich man ought to be clear
from working on the roads for what
encouragement have we to get rich, it
we have still to work on the roads like
poor people? Young and poor men
ough, to do all the work on the public
highways, because they travel them so
seldom. My wagons and carts which
carry my produce to market, serve to
bea, down the roads, and make them
hard and smooth; and in this way do
more good TO the roads than the poor
people will with all their ploughing and
digging. do not know how the Con-
vention and the legislature got the notion
into their heads that we ought to be tax
ed according to our property; for as
ser, that it is as clear as daylight that
poor man ough, to pay as large tax as
arch man, and that rich man fifty years
old ought to pay no tax at all. know
there are some people who do not be-
lieve in my doctrine but no such per-
son shall ever have my vote
GILBERT GRUMBLE.
RnnksDiiie, June |, 1926.