The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1840-10-09
most power, and by far the most impor-
tant Of the two. But this was not all.

tant of the two. But this was not all.
"By the census Of 1914, it appeared
that of 100000 electors in this state, up
wards of $4,000 were freeholders, un.
der $50 dollars, and all of them house
holders, who may possess any amount OF
personal property-men who have wives
and children to protect and support, and
every thing but the mere dust OH which
they trod to bind them to the country
And the question was whether, in addition
to those who might, by this convention
be clothed with the right of suffrage, this
class of men, composed of mechanics, pro.
fessional men, and small landholders, and
constituting the bone, pith, and muscle Of
the population of the state, should be ex-
cluded entirely from all representation in
that branch of the legislature which had
equal power to originate all bills, and a
complete negative upon the passage of all
laws; from which, under the present con-
stitutlon, proceeded the power that h.d
the bestowment of all offices, civil and mi
litary, in the state and, above all, which,
in the language of an honorable member
from Albany, as court of dernier resort,
was entrusted with the life, liberty, and
property of every one of our citizens.
This, said he, is, in sober truth, the ques-
ton under discussion and it would seem
to him to be only necessary that it should
be fairly stated, and correctly understood,
to secure its rejection. This was grew
ance under which so great portion of the
people of this state had hitherto labored.
1t was to relieve them from this injustice
and this oppression that the convention
had been called and it was, and always
had been, matter Of establishment to him.
thai a reformation in this particular had
been so long delayed.
"There were two words, continued Mr..
V. b., which had come into common use
with our Revolutionary struggle; words
which contained an abridgement Of our
political rights; words which, at that day,
had a talisnanic effect; which led our ia
theirs from the bosom of their families to
the tented field; which, for seven long
years Of toll and suffering, had kept them
to their arms and which finally conduct
ed them to glorious triumph. They
were taxation and representation Nor
did they lose their influence with the
close Of that struggle. They were never
heard in our halls of legislation, without
bringing to our recollection the consecra-
ted feelings of those who won our liber-
ties, or without reminding us of every
thing that was sacred in principle"
'Apply, said he, for moment, the
principles they incucate, to he question
under consideration, and let its merits be
thereby tested. Are those of your citi-
zens represented, whose voices are never
heard in the Senate Are these citizens
in any degree represented or heard in the
formation of your courts of justice, from
the highest to the lowest Was, then, re-
presentation in one branch Of the legisla-
ture, which, by itself can do nothing
which, instead of securing to them the
blessings Of legislation, only enables them
to prevent it as an evil, any thing more
than shadow Was it not, emphatcally
keeping the word Of promise TO the ear,
and breaking it to the hope!' Was it not
even less than the virtual representation
with which our fathers were attempted to
be appeased by their opprcssors ! 1t was
even so; and if so, could they, as long as
this distinction was retained, hold up their
heads, and, without blushing, pretend to
be the advocates for that special canon of
political rights, that taxation and represent
tation were, and ever should be, indissolu-
BILE! He thought not.
sin whose name, and for whose bcne-
fit, he inquired, were they called upon TO
disappoint the just expectations of their
constituents, and to perseverc in what he
could not but regard as a violation of prin-
ciple II was in the name and for the
security of farmers, that they were called
upon to adopt this measure, This, said
he, was indeed acting in an imposing
name; and they who used it, knew full
well that it was so. Ii was, continued
Mr.. Van Buren,, the boast, the pride, and
the security of this nation, that she had in
her bosom body of men, who, for sobri-
ETY., integrity, industry, and patriotism,
were unequalled by the cul,iva,ors of the
earth in any part OF the known world
nay more, to compare them with men Of
similar pursuits in other countries, was to
degrade them. And woful must be our
degeneracy, before any thing which might
he supposed Ia affect The interests Of the