, 1842-07-02

!he lniamy attending their preparation
is lessened by the circumstance tha,
there, punishment is common TO misfor-
tune as well as to guilt. If man steals
any thing, the value of which. is nm
der ten dollars, he is, under our laws,
only confined in the county Jail. So Il
is with a man who gets in debt bevond
his means of payment-you put him in
Jail with the thief. So under o,r er;st.
ing laws the honest debtor is bronabt
completely down on a level with a bare
faced thief.
!. fellow citizens, l have many other
reasons TO assign why the Imprisonment
law should be repealed, but | have al
ready extended this part of my circular
far beyound what l intended when | be-
gan' and will now leave the subject with
a promise, that should l be elected. I
VIII use all my endeavours to have it re-
pealed.
The election of a United States Sena.
tor will devolve on the next Legislature.
and in all probability the friends of DR..
Linn will bring him forward for re-elec-
ton. That DR.. Linn has been a faithful
advocate of western Interests in many re-
spects, there is no one more ready to ad-
NIT than myself. But yet, in that man,
in my opinion, there is one thing need
full, and that is disposition to support a
Bank and a Tariff; two measures on
which | consider the vital interests of
this country now hang,-and should | be
honored with a seat in the next Lepisla-
ture, and that body should he so equally
divided that my vote would turn the
scale either way, and DR.. Linn and Mr.,
Bates should be the candidates for the
United States Senate, | should undoubt-
eddy give my vote for the latter, for seye-
raj reasons. In the first place, | believe
MIR. Bates far superior to DIR. Linn, in
point Of talents; and | further believe that
he possesses every requisite qualiica-
ton to guard, protect, and defend, our
interests, beyond, perhaps, any other
man in Missouri. And the unexcep-
tionable character which Mr.. Bates
would carry into the Senate, as a man of
talents, truth an moral honesty, he would
be bound to command a large share ofin-
%fiuence, at a very early period, in that
body. l am in favor of laying the State
of into Congressional Districts, for the
purpose of e~lecting members of Congress,
believing it 10 be the only fair mode of
representation. Under the general tick
ct system all the members might live in
n end Of the state, or even in one coun-
ty, as is now the case IN our stale. BON
of our members reside in one county, or
perhaps in adjoining counties, and must
be entirely ignorant Of the wishes and
wants Of the people in other parts of the
State; and wherever they get the strong
est support there their feelings will be
strongest enlisted 10 promote the inter-
ests Of those who elevate them to office,
in preference 10 those who opposed
them. Think our school law requires
some amendment. Under the law as it
is now, it is a hard matter 10 get schools
organized, from the fact That the law is
so complicated and hard TO be under
stood, that it is a difficult matter TO get
men TO carry it into execution. ! think
our administration law also should be
amended in some respects. For in
stance, if a person has a claim against
the estate of a deceased person, he is
compelled to 60 TO court and there have
his witnesses, to prove his account,
which sometimes takes two or three
days, from the fact that the person may
live fifteen or twenty miles from the
courthouse; and in many instances l
have known the expense and trouble in
having accounts allowed in court, amount
TO more han the accounts themselves. L
see no reason why a justice of the peace
could not ascertain the validity Of such
claims, and allow them, as well as the
County Court, which would materially
lessen the expense. The last Legislature
repealed what has commonly been called
the special road law for this county. IL
this | think they acted unwise; for I'm.
der the operation of that law all the per-
manently established roads that we have
we're established; and think it operat-
ed more equally on all classes ofthe peo-
pie than any other law that we have ever
had or probably could have; and l am
therefore in favor of having it re-enact-
ed. Our militia law | think, also re-
quires some amendment, which l have
not room in this circular to point out.
/ thus fellow citizens, give you nv
views on some of the most important
subjects in which you seem to be inter-
ested. The limits of a circular are too
small to 60 more into detail, or to men,
ton many other subjects that might be
desired. l can promise nothing more.
than should l be elected, l will, to the
utmost ofmy abilities, endeavor to ascer-
tain your will and obey it, and promote
your interest in every particular, as well
as | can. My want of education must
be my apology for the plain and unvar-