The Arkansas advocate., 1835-06-19


 States have become pribdte properly and enlgrants have no other asylum Jeff them but Arkansas. The country west Of us belongs 10 the Indians, and, Tor the first time since America was discovered, IS there a boundary fixed to emigration. When we become State from these causes, our population and resources will increase more rapidly than those of Missouri or Tennessee or any other State.
 If, therefore there were no other considerations than the general ones winch we have already sug- gesied for your reflection, we should not hesitate to say, that il IS our duty as people-our duty 10 ourselves and our children and 10 the great cause of human liberty, that should take the earliest opportunity to become what, as Americans we have right to be-FREEMEN. But there are other facts and other considerations which act with ire sistble force upon the minds of the committee, n ducing them earnestly and urgently to recommend to you to be up and dolng.
 It is startling fact that the spirit ot abolition IS fierce and daring in the north. Willy and hidden at first it Is now hissing aad rattng lii their towns aud cities, and sharpening its fangs against the vital
 interests of the south IL has not yet passed from our memories, that fire klndled when Ms souri was admitted, which came whitening and scorching asunder the bands of the Unlon. Michigan is entitled, according to the funda- mental laws of the nation, to demand admtance as a State. The balance of power IS still equal be- tween the slave and free States, and If Michigan and Arkansas are admitted together, 1t will coll tinue so. The south Is looking with fear and sns- peion to the north, and every man tom the slave holding States, on the floors of Congress, must
 vote for our admission. Let this crisis pass-iet
 Michigan become State-a free State-and we
 may be kept in vassalage for years-even til we
 are forced to take up arms, to gain what we fondly hoped our fathers had secured to us. An attempt has been made to prove to you that Congress bound
 itself on the admission of Missouri, never to inter-
 fere with slavery, south 0f 36 degrees 30 minutes
 north latitude-but t was not so. It Is only blnd-
 ing until 1t shall be repealed. future Congress
 could annul and abrogate 1t.
 Permit us, freemen eff Arkansas, to ask you, in
 concluding this part of the duty assigned us; Are
 there not reasons sufficient why you should instant
 iy take measures to be admitted into the American
 Union as an independent State Is Ghe name Of
 freeBen nothing? Has the word liberty, which
 urged your ancestors 10 deeds of noble daring, lost
 it's charm with you Has 1t ceased to be the spell
 for the patriot to conjure with Would it be mo-
 thing for you be represented n the halls ot Con-
 gress? Have you no desire or ambition to have q
 voice in choosing the President and Vice President
 of the united States Would 1t be small PriV-
 Ieee that you should elect your rulers and your judges, instead of having appointed over you such
 oVerseers and taskmasters as distant master may see fit Would 1t be worth nothing to form con
 sstent and just code of laws, and to regulate and
 purify the system of yonr courts ? If men have
 fought to the death for less things than hese will
 make no effort to gain and posses them
 Permit to direct your attention to another
 question which We have found 1t our duty to exam me. It Is, whether We have the population reqai- site for admittanoe hethe Union, and the right Of demanding admission. Judging from the re- turns of population already received, we war ranted in concluding that the whole population of the Territory will be lite less than sixty thousand or these, not more than seven eight thousand i are slaves. Three-6ths ef these, added to the l free whites, would give US more than the fedesHsss ration ot representation @l9ssArlszse .rlss Stoiiss sl5 i,Fsz no particular number, to en- atIe a State to admission. The words of It are, that thew States may be admitted by Congress into the Unoa," and that leach State shall have at least one representative, whether 1t contain 30,000 souls CT not fine ordinance of t767 provided that. whenever any State, to Dc thereafter formed out of the territory northwest of the Ohio should have sixty thousand free inhabitants therein, such State shall be admitted by its delegate, into the Congress of the United States,n and that so far 1t might be consistent with the general interest of the coned- eracy, such admission shall be allowed at an ear Her period, and when there may Dc a less number of free inhabitants than sixty thousand" Ihis or dinance, then, had no reference the Territory of Louisiana, of which Arkansas was part and the only rule which can by possibility govern us, is the ratio of federal representation, which Is 4, 7,700. This number we have.
 Thus, on these grounds, we are we'll entitled to ask for and receive admissloninto the Union. But, there is siiii another fact The treaty between France and the United States, when the former ceded 10 tks latter the Territory of Louisiana, provided, $ That the inhabitants of the ceded ter ritory shall be incorporated III the Union of the United States, and admitted as soon as possible, according to the principles of the Federal Consti. tuton." The Constitution allowed Congress to admit us even if we had less than 30,000 inhabit. tnts, and having now far more than that number, [ is our right aud our duty to send delegates to W Washlngion, with the treaty in one hand and our Constitution Tn the other, and demand the simple tulf1iment ot the treaty. Thus, in fuhment of it, Louisiana admitted with population of about 26000. Illinois admitted with population of 32,000; Tennessee, of 43,000 and Ohio of IT, 0Qa Indlaae, Alabama, Mississippi and Missouri, had but few more inhabitants when admitted than we have. We conclude, therefore, that we have q population emitting us to the right net to beg, but to demand admission into the UHion
 next became our duty to consider the ques- ton, whether we ready and able to make the exchange of yassalage for freedom-to emerge from minority to manhood Our poverty has ever been the dolorous burden of the song It is true, that we are poor, but shall we ever be richer un- der our Territorial government Shall we, can we, ever be richer, while present financial system IS tolerated and supported There was not man in the whole Territory Of Arkansas, who was not al tho result announced by the Examn. Ing Commlltee of Finance n your last legislature. 1t was then declared that soecism existed in the financial concerns of the Territory; that our rev. enue was steadily decreasing, while the resources were increasing. Let Us become a State, and when correct and energetic system of finance Is established, our revenue will double, or treble it. selt The quantity of land now taxable in Arkan. sas has been calculated at taree millions of aefes which, at the present rate of taxation, will yield sp30 000 per annum and If the present land mania prevails, and alter the removal of the Red River kait, Immense quantities more of land will be en- I t,