The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1872-11-14
AN OLD STORY.
An Effort to make Illinois . Slave
State.
BY REV. J. +. ROY, D. d.

BY REV. J. +. ROY, d. ID.
Soldiers love to recount their battles
and their children, to repeat the story.
! In the long serie. Of eanflicts between
freedam and slavery in thi. country,
that one. which had the prairie State
!or battle field. was one ~ the m.~t
important. Under the beneficent or.
dinance Of 1857. Illinois came into the
Union as free State in 1915. la 1920
the nation was convuIsed by the
scheme which brought in Missouri a.
STARE State. At once, new impulse
was given 10 emigration from the
South TO the new slave State. and that
which came from Virginia. the Caro-
linas. Kentucky and Tennessee, must
needs cross over the. southern part oi
Iilinois. where were, hen its only set
Elements. 1t WAS Feat trial to the
settlers In Illinois To see SO many pe0.
pie passing across their territory tn
locate In another: especially. when
the lordiy slsvehoiders, coming along
with their droves Of cattle and ~ bond
men. tauntsd'them by saying that the
reason Of their going by was that they
could not hold their slaves in this
State. Here appears one reason for
characteristic stch,lity nf Egypt" ("
The more intelligent and weli-tn-do 0f
the emigrants went on. Those who
came into ulinQis to remain wera
those who hsd been too poor and un-
thirty to own ~iave. or who. seeking
here deliverance from the curse Of ala
very, weIe yet poor, and were inclined
to retain their prejudice against aboA
tionism, and to apologize for the sys-
TEN Of bondage A sentiment begsn
TO arise, in favor Of changing the Con-
etitution 40 as to admit slavery. Ac-
in clandestine way, effort
was made to secure IN the Legislature
Of 1921 ., the requisite two-thirds vote
for submitting to the people the ques-
tion OF q Convention to frame new
Constitution. Upon the assembling
Of the Legislature, II was found that
the senate had the desired two-thirds.
but the House had not; 50 they deter
mined to vote by joint ballot. And
yet they lacked one vote. Now there
was one conteste seat, tina. for the
County Of pike, which then embraced
all that region between the Mississippi
and the Illinois. north ward. The con-
testants were Shaw and Hanson.
Further to complicste the matter, q
United States Senator Sas TO be elec-
ted. Hanson would vote for Judge
Thomas, whose term OF service IN the
United States Senate was now expir-
ing, and Shaw would not. But Shaw
would vote for Convention and Han
son would not. And so II was first de-
cided that the contested seat belonged
to Hanson, who, being admitted, by
his vote elected Thomas Then the
vote on the rivals was re-consi idered.
Hanson unseated, and Shaw WAS in
stated. But he had gone home. and
was one hundred and thirty miles
away. while the session had been pro-
longed unusually, and no new busi-
ness could he introduced after the lst
Of January. A messenger was fes-
patched for Shaw. By relays Of hors
es the round trip which would ordina
riiy have taken five days, was made
in four. And now the vote WAS aiken
for the Convention. Shaw voted for
IL and carried IL.
The election was to come off in 1924,
eighteen months hence. Before ieav-
ing the capital the anii-siavery men
held u consultation In the room OF Gov.
Coles. who, though Virginiap. in
his recent message had recon- mended
the liberation of the French slaves,
held under loose Interpretation OF the
new ordinance aud the Constitution.
The prospect was gloomy. The tri.
umphant party seemed defiant. 1t
looked a. though the vast majority Of
the people were In favor of Slave
State. But sturdy fight was resolved
upon. The stake WAS too large to be
given up without q struggle. Money
was raised. Committees were ap-
pointed. aud measures taken to call
out and concentrate the strength Of the
Anti-slxv-ry party. OF Ave newspa-
pers in the State two were on the
right side,-the .Sidgneetomn Gazette,
edited By Henry Eddy, lawyer and
native of New England. and the Ed.
Wesrdsritte Spectator, edited by Hooper
Warren. with Gov. Coles, Thomaa
Lippincott, and Judge Samuel d.
aock wood ~ contributors. Wm. H.
Brown was a partner In . paper At
Vandalis. the Capital. His associa4e
vas In favor of the Convention but
he was 30 N ousted. and then tbs pa
per was turned against the iuiquiiy.
In addition 10 these nswspsisers Gov.
Coles. and Thomas Lippiucott. ~ Gov.
lord in his History says wsote fiery
band-bitle4 and circulars and pam
phlets, which were scattered ahrsod.
cnst 10 arouse the conscience Of the
people. On the s'de Of slavery wsse
the old politicians, except Ex-Gov.
Edwards, who was not Of The State at
A.. sS~.- - IT,. n~a~