The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841, 1841-04-24


| tail, while vice keeps turning up and cur
ling under, like the posterior embellish-
ment Of cur. As the accomplished arts
flourish, morality is left in the shade ;
and it cannot grow while such weeds are
sapping it of its vitality. While this
state Of things remains, man may grow
wiser and wiser with each returning day
but, depend upon it, he can become no
better. We have among us swarm oil
thinkers Of public morals !; but while they
endeavor to stop one hole, they are sure
to make ten more-if they don't even ex-
pose their own rottenness. In fact, my
: Friends, morals are like an old shirt: they
may look cleaner for washing, but, at the
same time, they are worse than ever
and more liable to rip in the back. The
aonly way to forward the growth of mo-
rality is to cut away and make bonfire
: of all such noxious brushwood as avarice
; cupidity, venalily, fashion, and selfish
7 mess, and then it will flourish spontane'
Sously upon the uncultivated soil of the
: heart, and make man appear as lie once
was-purc, spolless and undefled.
My dear iriends-it is a melancholy
truth that man has sadly altered. DOM
sbelieve that he looks any more like the
model which the creator made as pattern
Sior us all, than a ribbed-nosed baboon
] looks like Prince Albert or the king of
! the Cannibal Islands. His moral attri-
sbntes are not the same, and his exterior
has lost all its original marks. Oh how
! degenerate is man! and Oh, how corrup-
] ton oozes from the sores of society
Not only the professional robber walks
unchided and unhaltered in the broad light
of day, but you also-yes, you, ye uncer-
Eemonious robbers-all of you, are permit
| ted to rob one another, by way of trade,
as the saying is, or in other words, Just
for lark with perfect impunity. Yes,
4 you lie, cheat and steal all the week for
the sake of mammon, then go TO church
and pile up your sins at the foot of the
altar, and then hurrah for more money,
either by fair or by foul means. You
dare not deny it, you sin-scathed sons of
|avarice, that many of you have been
known to drive over dead mendicants'
bones, on your unhallowed errands of
venality and l have no doubt that many
|of you are only free from the charge Of
picking pennies from blind beggar's hat
on the ground that no opportunity has yet
been afforded. Now, my friends, you
must know that you are paying a very
heavy tax for the privilege of being miser-
able; and | really wonder that you don't
bring about reform of self-government,
and let peace, contentment and happiness
once more hang their evergreen wreaths
in the blighted bowers Of the heart.
Our Congressman, my friends, what are
| they! Nothing but blood suckers upon
the cheek of Uncle Sam. They talk and
drink for eight dollars day and you have
to stand the treat. Don't be deceived
While they pretend to be Strengthening
the pillars which support our temple Of
liberty, they are often, by their very acts,
! undermining its base and YOU must not
be surprised if the whole fabric come
down, one of these days, with an awful
crash, and upon its ruins spring up the
deadly upas of despotism. The fact need
not be concealed that our Senators and
Representatives who are now feeding
upon government fodder at the District of
columbia, will gamble at the faro banks,
= play cards, dice, make use Of profane Ian
guage, quarrel, fight duels, and drink gin
cocktails. 1t is true they go to church,
but it is for forms sake. They seldom
read their bibles, and their bosoms are
well stuffed with selfish pride and vanity
Instead of walking and watching upon the
watchtowers of the nation, they are loaf
ing, iding and Safeguarding their time
away; therefore, don't be deceived,
repeat, i'll your estimation of them ovel
such hewers of wood and drawers of wa
ter, as we common folks are. They may
u preach as much as they please about the
rights and privileges of the poor; all they
care for is the glory and honor of thei
stations. They are always ready to sac
riice paltry words for the sake of free
dom, but you don't catch them sacrificing
/! any thing of greater value. They ask
ayou to give them boost into the tree Of
Hoflicc; and what do they do they ca
+ the apples and then throw the cores al
Syour eads.--Such are our statesmen
Hand such is man al the present day. Gu
5doctors are working hard for death ant
slhe devil on shares.-rhere was tim,