The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1840-10-09


feature from the constitution of the state.
The following are extracts from Mr..
Van Buren's speech-p. 255 TO 265:
"Mr. Van Buren, said he was opposed
to the amendment under consideration,
offered by the gentleman from Albany,
Chief Justice Spencer and he would beg
the indulgence of the committee for short
time, while he should attempt to explain
the reasons, which, in his opinion, re-
CURED its rejection. The extreme i'm
portance which the honorable mover had
attached to the subject, and the solnbre
and rightful picture which had been
drawn by his colleague, (the Chancellor,)
of the alarming consequence which
would result from the adoption of course
different from the one recommended, rem
dered it duty, which those who enter
tanned contrary opinion owed to them
selves and their constituents, to explain
the motives which governed them. If a
stranger had heard the discussions OH this
subject, and had been unacquainted with
the character and standing of those who
find it their duty to oppose this measure,
he might well have supposed that we
were Oh the point of prostrating with law
less violence, one of the fairest and firm
est pillars of the government, and intro.
ducing into the sanctuary of the constitu-
ton 4 mob or a rabble, violent and disor-
ganizing as were the Jacobins of France,
and furious and visionary as the radicals
of England are by some gentlemen sup
posed to be. The honorable gentleman
from Albany (the Chancellor) tells us, that
if we send the Constitution to the people,
without the provision contemplated by the
proposition now under consideration, it
will meet with the scorn of the wise, and
be hailed with exultation by the vicious
and the prohigate.
"Permit me to ask, (said Mr.. Van Blu.
ren,) where are the wise'men to be found,
who, it is supposed, would pass ccnsure
so severe on our conduct! Did the homo
rable gentleman allude to the wise men Of
the East! Throughout their dominons
not Constitution is to be found, contain
ing in form or substance, the provision
contemplated by the amendment. Did he
allude to their descendants in the west?
In Ohio, and partially in Illinois and in
Indiana, their Constitutions were in this
particular as ours would be, if this
was adopted. Did he allude
to those Of the south! In none of their
Constitutions, nor in those of any state in
the Union, Except North Carolina) was
such provision as that proposed by the
amendment to be found. In the Consti-
tuition of the Union, too, which has been
in operation long enough to test the cor
rectness and soundness Of its principles,
there was no excessive freehold represent
Iation."
at could not, therefore, fail to strike
The mind of every man, that the great
alarm, which had been attempted to be
excited upon this subject, was entirely
-. certainly without adequate
Why, then, he would ask,
,ad this appeal been to the fears and ap.
orehensions of the committee %
In the grave and psrtentous deductions,
which the honorable gentleman, who sup
ported the amendment, had drawn from
he rejection of the amendment under con-
'ideration, the question raised by it had
been, in great degree, disregarded, if not
entirely lost sight of. The committee
had been entertained with the most fright
full coniectures, on subjects, if not wholly,
certainly in a great degree, unconnected
with the object of the amendment. They
had been told of the present bad character
and worse propensities of great portion
Of their present population--the demoral-
zing effects of great manufacturing esta-
which might or might not
hereafter grow up among us, had been
portrayed in the darkest colors-thc disso-
lutte and abandoned character of a large
portion of the inhabitants of the old cities
Of Europe, and the probability of similar
in this happy land, had been
in hideous deformity-and all
The powers of eloquencc, and the inven-
lions of imagination had been enlisted, to
present to our view long tram of evils
which would follow from extending the
right of suffrage TO such a description of
people,"
"From data, to be obtained in the
Office, it might with safety
be stated, that the personal property in
the state, which was the subject of taxa
lion, amounted to about $50 millions of
dollars. and that the real estate was valued