USA > Illinois > Edwards County > History of the English settlement in Edwards County, Illinois : founded in 1817 and 1818, by Morris Birkbeck and George Flower > Part 17
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"There is not at this moment a civilized nation on the face of the earth which has tasted the bitterness of slavery (and it is impossible to drink of that cup without tasting its bitterness) that does not loathe it as a nauseous and poisonous draught. The old slave-states of this Republic are writhing under it as an evil for which they can find no remedy. The entire Republic, of which we form an incon- siderable section, as a body, detests it. Europe, though enveloped by political thraldom, declares even in the con- gress of Verona her abhorrence of the system; and Great Britain in parliament, urged by petitions from the people, has determined on measures leading to the emancipation of the slaves in her colonies. Whence then is the infatua- tion of the citizens of this State, who would beckon into their land of freedom this outcast abomination of the whole earth? Are there men among us who can exult in the hope that a majority of their fellow-citizens will be so base as to hold up their hands for slavery? Such men, sir, are unworthy the blessings of this free constitution; they are unworthy of the age they live in. Unworthy, as I trust it will appear, of that community to whom they presume to look for support in their iniquitous attempt to enslave their country.
JONATHAN FREEMAN'S LETTERS CONTINUED. 235
"Liberators of mankind are embalmed in history; we dwell upon their names with filial fondness. But those who in this age of intelligence can employ their talents and their influence to rivet the fetters which avarice in times of ignorance has fixed upon their fellows, what shall we say of them? Language is unequal to the expression of our indignation and our pity !
"I believe, sir, and in that belief I do exult, that the number of those unfortunate persons is very limited, and diminishes continually; and that the day of trial will find the citizens of Illinois worthy of their station. Other na- tions are struggling manfully against inveterate institutions of political bondage from which we are free; one and all we pray for their success; and blessed as we are in the enjoyment of those equal rights (with which our Creator has endowed all mankind) and with equal laws founded on those rights, we are not going to introduce into the very bosom of our families the most cruel and detestable op- pression.
"Our forefathers of many generations would have sacri- ficed themselves to secure these privileges for their off- spring. Let us then with grateful hearts, and hands of industry, improve the blessings we enjoy, and in due season we shall abound in wealth and comforts honestly acquired. JONATHAN FREEMAN." " To the Editor of the Illinois Gasette:
"Sir :- Early in last year, about the time that the con- vention question was forced through our legislature, the following resolutions passed the British House of Com- mons without a dissenting voice :
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
"That it is expedient to adopt effectual and decisive measures for ameliorating the condition of the slave-popu- lation in his majesty's colonies.'
"'That through a determined and persevering, but at the same time a judicious and temperate enforcement of such measures, this House looks forward to a progressive im- provement in the character of the slave-population, such as may prepare them for a participation in those civil rights and privileges which are enjoyed by other classes of his majesty's subjects.'
"'That this House is anxious for the accomplishment of this purpose at the earliest period that shall be compatible with the well-being of the slaves themselves, with the safety of the colonies, and with a fair and equitable consideration of the interests of private property.'
"On the 15th of March of the present year, Mr. Can- ning, the prime-minister of that Government, stated to the House the measures which had been adopted in pursuance of the above resolutions; from which statement I have extracted some particulars for the entertainment and in- struction of our fellow-citizens.
"It is proper in the first place to observe that the British colonies in the West Indies are of two classes; the one class is governed by authorities formed after the model of the mother-country; in those every proposition for the amel- ioration of the condition of the slaves is uniformly and violently rejected. In the other class of colonies, the Government of Great Britain rules without the intervention of legislative assemblies, and in these it was determined to establish by law such regulations as seemed best adapted
237
LETTER CONTINUED.
to their present condition; and, accordingly, in the island of Trinidad, the following provisions are made compulsory on the Government:
"'I. The chastisement of females by the whip, to be entirely abolished.'
"'2. The whip as a stimulus to labor to be abolished, even for males; and only retained as an instrument of punishment for crimes, and then under strict regulations.'
"'3. Institutions of religious worship are provided for the slaves, and the encouragement of marriage strictly enjoined.'
"'4. It is strictly provided that in all future sales (for, as Mr. Canning observed, the sale of slaves could not yet be prevented) the husband and wife, the reputed husband and the reputed wife, and the parent and the child, shall not in any case be separated from one another.'
"'5. To secure to the slaves by law whatever property has been secured as theirs by custom; and this law in- cludes the right of bequest.'
"'6. Those who shall take charge of the religious in- struction of the negroes shall have the power, and it will be their duty, to certify the fitness of the slave to give testi- mony in a court of justice; not in any individual case, nor at the moment the testimony may be required; but gener- ally, that such a slave has made such advances under instruction as to be conversant with the nature of evidence; and of these 'a register shall be kept, and they shall be considered in that respect as a privileged class.'
"'7. It is also prescribed, in addition to other provisions favorable to manumission, that every negro shall be allowed
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
to purchase his own freedom or the freedom of his child.'"
"Thus has a process begun, under the authority of government, by which it is hoped that such an improve- ment in the moral condition of the slaves may be effected, as will, besides the abatement of their present miseries, fit them for the enjoyment of their freedom.
" In addition to the above regulations, that government has, during the last year, formed a treaty with our own, on the subject of the slave-trade, which is declared by both governments to be piracy, and punishable by death. By this treaty, the mutual right of search is admitted; and thus the natives of the United States and Great Britain will in future co-operate for the purpose of extinguishing this infamous traffic.
"In melancholy contrast to the enlightened spirit of the present age, the retrogade movement attempted by the advocates of slavery in this State will be viewed by future generations, even of our own posterity, with astonishment and disgust, as it is viewed at this time by other nations. 'What!' they will exclaim (when they read the history of our present contest), 'would these diffusers of misery and crime have conveyed the pestilence into the bosom of every family? Was no spot within our extended and still extend- ing limits of the American Republic, to be exempt from this defilement? Already has three-fifths of the million of square miles, which had there been appropriated, become a field of oppression, by the toleration of slavery; and were they not yet sated? Over every district and over every plantation must resound the lash of the slave-driver, and the yells of its victims, to satisfy their unnatural, their in-
JONATHAN FREEMAN'S LETTERS CONTINUED. 239
fernal appetite? Yet they called themselves Republicans; with liberty on their tongues, and tyranny in their hearts; one hand displaying the declaration of equal rights, the other clenching the code of slavery with a monstrous avid- ity! In evidence of the demoralizing influence of slavery on the society which tolerates it, (this they could do with unblushing effrontery, whilst other and minor abominations skulked in corners and hid themselves from the public eye,) this the master-vice of depraved humanity could stalk abroad in open day; could raise its head in the Senate ; seat itself on the bench; and dared even to approach the altars of benevolence and peace.' Such will be the impres- sions of impartial posterity. But it is with heartfelt satis- faction I perceive this scene of gloom and discouragement receding from our horizon; with confidence I can declare to my fellow-citizens, that the good cause, the cause of humanity and of our true interests, is prevailing in almost every part of the State. The first Monday in August will, I trust, shine brightly upon us, and find us a wiser and a better people than our enemies have hoped, and that some of our friends have been ready to fear. We must not, how- ever, allow our zeal to relax under these favorable expec- tations, but continue to exert ourselves in promoting right feelings and sound principles, so as to meet the question on that day, not only safely but triumphantly, and not with the advantage of a few votes only, but with an overwhelming majority. Many estimable citizens of other states are waiting with anxiety for a happy issue of this controversy. Upward of a hundred families, substantial farmers of one neighborhood in Pennsylvania, whose names could be
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
given, if necessary, are intending to move into this State when the question of slavery shall be set at rest by a right- eous decision. If we vote faithfully against a convention, that question, as regards the State of Illinois, will be settled forever; and then, I firmly believe, true prosperity will begin to beam upon us, and the blessings of heaven will reward our honest industry. We shall receive a great accession of population and of capital; manufactures of various kinds will spring up among us; and a home-market for produce will gradually 'infuse new life into all our undertakings. JONATHAN FREEMAN." " To the Editor of the Spectator.
"Sir :- In addition to the strictures on the letter signed WV. K., I would impress on the minds of my fellow-citizens, that many people read the history of the Hebrew nation in the Old Testament to great disadvantage; because they read it without reflecting that their institutions were adapted to the 'hardness of their hearts,' and to the state of society in those early times of ignorance and barbarism.
"But the beneficient Creator has implanted in man a prin- ciple of improvement, as is expressed by the figurative dec- laration : 'I will take away their hearts of stone, and give them hearts of flesh.' The object of the teachings of Jesus Christ was to promote this happy revolution, not only in the Jews, but in all nations. Hc, the great and good inter- preter, has by one simple passage applied the law to every man's understanding and conscience :- ' Whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so unto them, for this is the law and the prophets.'-Math. chap.
JONATHAN FREEMAN'S LETTERS CONTINUED. 24I
vii. 12. Consequently, whatever we find in the institutions imputed to Moses, or in the customs of the Israelites, which may appear inconsistent with this fundamental principle of morality and justice, we may be assured is not the law to us, or proper for our imitation. Those who cling to the harsh and the barbarous in the Jewish history, neglecting justice, mercy, and truth, are not Christians, whatever may be their pretentions. Nor are they as the reverend W. K. presumes, 'God's chosen people.' The chosen of God are those 'of every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, who work righteousness,' who observe the law written in the heart in these simple characters :- The love of God and the love of our neighbor. This is the Universal church in which eastern Seba bends with the native of the far- thest West, and Ethiopia bows her head and worships. Returning to the letter of W. K., let us admit (what no one, excepting this reverend person, pretends to believe) that the progenitors of our American negroes were the lawful prey of the Europeans, who tore them from their country. Now, as the present race is known by tradition only, of their African origin, I ask what was the kind and degree of guilt in their forefathers, which could transmit this dreadful doom of servitude through succeeding genera- tions? The slave-holder thinks nothing of this matter, but 'retains the infant in bondage under no pretense of right, but by force merely, reduced into a form of law by the slave-holders themselves. If there be a crime to be visited by punishment, like that which the negroes are now suffer- ing, this is that crime; and should power, in the course of events, change hands, and be transferred from the white
16
242 ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
man to the negro, I pray God, that the negro may be a Christian, with a creed directly the reverse of that pro- fessed by W. K. JONATHAN FREEMAN."
" BY AUTHORITY.
" Whereas certain cvil-disposed persons did, in the month of December last, assemble at Vandalia, and enter into a combination to control the freedom of election, enjoyed of right by the good people of this State, in order to exclude from public service, all citizens who are not of the conven- tion-party, however suitable and well qualified they may be to promote the public interest; and for that purpose did presume to appoint certain secret committees of five of the said party in every county, who were to appoint subcommittees of three for every precinct, for the carry- ing into effect of the scheme as above mentioned. And whereas, the first Monday in August next is the day appointed for the trial of the authors and abettors of said conspiracy against the sovereignty of the people. All good citizens are hereby required, for the furtherance of political justice, to find out and detect, as far as in them lies, these county and township committee-men, and to publish their proceedings, in such manner as shall most effectually bring to light their underhand transactions. All newspapers, which are friendly to freedom and independence, are desired to give this notice a conspicuous place.
" PRO BONO PUBLICO."
Toward the close of the wordy warfare, the feelings of each party became somewhat embittered. The letters of "Americanus," to which the two following replies, signed by
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MR. BIRKBECK'S REPLY TO AMERICANUS.
M. Birkbeck, were given, are not at hand; but the nature of their contents may be judged of by the replies :
"WANBORO', January 6, 1822. " To the Editor of the Illinois Gazette:
"The writer in your paper of January 3d, signed 'Ameri- canus,' is not to be depended on for the truth of his state- ments. His arguments will speak for themselves; as will his candor and politeness.
"In publishing my sentiments on the important ques- tion of a convention, I perform a duty, as I conceive, to myself, my family, and my adopted country. In subscrib- ing my name to those sentiments, I give my fellow-citizens the means of judging of their sincerity; by the stake I hold in the general welfare, which is equal to that of 'Americanus,' whoever he may be. Having been an inhab- itant of the Territory before it became a state, I am as old a citizen as any in it; therefore, no man has a right to stig- matize me as a foreigner; and no man of honor, under a fictitious signature, would call his neighbor a 'foreign in- cendiary.'
"He represents me as a Quaker, whether by way of compliment or reproach is immaterial; because it is not the fact; nor do I appear in the garb and character of that sect. But what bearing has this on the question? I object to slavery, not as a Quaker, but as a man, and an American citizen.
" His account of the proceedings at Vandalia is of the same stamp, with his personal civilities-a tissue of absurd deductions from erroneous statements. The 'many jocular
.
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
proposals' he alludes to, such as 'if you will support the resolution for calling a convention, I will support the law for cutting the canal,' and the jocular proceeding of burn- ing in effigy the opponents of a convention, and the jocu- lar yell of 'slavery or death,' were unseemly methods of conducting the business of legislation, on behalf of a free people, who may say, like the frogs in the fable, 'It may be sport to you, but it is death to us.' Poor frogs as they deem us! I trust we shall not allow them to finish the game. M. BIRKBECK."
"For the Intelligencer.
"TO 'AMERICANUS', Sir :- Under a fictitious signature, you have presumed to stigmatize me, your fellow-citizen with equal standing as yourself as regards this State, with the odious appellation of 'foreign incendiary and exile.' This you have done to inflame the public mind against my personal character, and to divert it from the arguments I have adduced against the ruinous schemes of your party. It would have been more manly to have attempted, at least, to refute those arguments. You call yourself 'Americanus'. An American, a true American, declares, in the face of the world, 'that all men are created equal, and endowed with unalienable rights of liberty,' and will 'pledge his life, his fortune, and his sacred honor,' in support of this 'self- evident truth.' This, sir, is my principle, and these are my pledges; and shall you, who are an advocate for sla- very, call me a foreigner?
"An 'exile,' too, you are pleased to style me. Unless you chance to be of the few among us who were born in
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REPLY CONTINUED.
Illinois, you are also an exile from the land of your nativity. Whether this be to either of us a matter of disgrace or otherwise, will depend on the causes of our expatriation. Come forward, sir, in your own name, and state those causes; let us know your standing, with the occasion and circumstances of your removal. I will then do the like; and the public may decide how far you are entitled to reproach me, as an exile.
"You represent me as deficient in due returns for polite- ness received. In what, sir, have I been wanting on that score, in regard to yourself or any other, to justify 'the imputation that I am void of gratitude and every virtue? In making a solemn appeal to my fellow-citizens against measures and principles pregnant with calamity, I have performed a duty to my adopted country ; and I subscribe my name, that they might judge of my sincerity from the stake I hold, in common with themselves, in the prosperity of the State. You have availed yourself of this, to direct your attacks against my character; thus betraying the weakness of your cause. The falsehood of your state- ment respecting the proceedings of the conventionists, has been exposed by others, which relieves me from that task, and yourself from farther notice. M. BIRKBECK.
"WANBOROUGH, Feb. 18, 1824."
These are specimens of the many communications on this subject from our Settlement; and I believe there is no record of any pro-slavery document from our Settlement or County.
The day of election came; and thus stood our vote for congressmen and convention :
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
· Election, August 2, 1824.
Albion.
Ball-Hill Prairie. Total.
For Congress : Cook, - 207
280
487
Bond,
- 89
14
103=384
No Convention, -
153
237
390
Convention,
I35
54
189=201
It will be seen that the vote of our Settlement was more nearly divided than might have been supposed. This may be accounted for, in part, from the larger number of poor Southern-settlers in the western precinct, who were acted upon by the clerk of the court, Jesse B. Browne, and the sheriff, Henry J. Mills, both pro-slavery men.
The slavery committees were active and unscrupulous in their endeavors to obtain a majority in our precinct. They were in the streets and in the grog-shops electioneering with the greatest blackguards in the county. We were not sufficiently alive to the weight of this species of influ- ence. Our mode of operation was different; we spoke our sentiments freely and gave them publicity through the press. And there we let the matter rest. Whatever influ- ence our opinions might have was felt more at a distance than at home. Cook, the congressman, received 384 votes majority; and the no-convention ticket 201. The elec- tion was conducted without violence, although each party went into it with feelings fully charged with political and personal hostility. The‘ backwoodsmen were told to vote against the damned British, who fought with the Indians against them during the war, and were no better than they. We-that is a few of us-that took a deep interest and an active part in the contest, looked on our opponents as
MR. BIRKBECK APPOINTED SECRETARY-OF-STATE. 247
Tories, traitors to the liberties of their own country, and enemies to mankind. The political contest over, the bitterness long remained.
The acquaintance and friendship in England between Mr. Coles and Mr. Birkbeck induced Mr. Coles to appoint Mr. Birkbeck his secretary-of-state. A better appoint- ment could not have been made. The office, before his appointment, was in a state of great disorder and confu- sion; during his brief career in office it was reduced to perfect order and arrangement. Governor Duncan said to a friend of mine: "I came to Vandalia with every prejudice against Mr. Birkbeck as secretary-of-state. But when I entered the office and saw the order and arrangement, especially when contrasted with the previous confusion, my opinion was completely changed." From what has been seen of the legislature, and the one object that the slave- party had in view, it is quite apparent that on no condition would they endure Mr. Birkbeck as secretary-of-state.
Mr. Coles has been censured for abandoning Mr. Birk- beck too hastily; but the two after-nominations that he made, rejected also by the senate as soon as made, shows clearly that they had selected their man, and would have no other. Their after-conduct showed them to be perfectly unscrupulous in attaining their end. Considering the circumstances of menace and intimidation by which he was surrounded-an infuriated mob led on by two Demo- cratic Judges, yelling and vociferating under his windows- "convention or death"-his position was embarassing. At Edwardsville, whilst he was there a short time before the assembling of the legislature, the same means were
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ENGLISH SETTLEMENT IN EDWARDS COUNTY.
resorted to, with the additional insult of burning and hanging him in effigy. Governor Coles, I think, should receive due credit for maintaining as well as he did the side of freedom, when surrounded by insult, opposition, and threatened assassination, rather than censure for par- tially yielding, in a doubtful point of constitutional power under his difficult and dangerous position.
To show that I have in no way exaggerated the nature or degree of opposition exhibited against Governor Coles, the following letter from Governor Coles to Mr. Birkbeck will show:
"VANDALIA, January 9th, 1824.
" Dear Sir :- I had the pleasure to receive, in due course of mail, your letter of the sixth ult., together with six of your pamphlets which you were so good as to send me, for which I return you my thanks. I had previously seen republished in a newspaper your pamphlet, and had read it with great pleasure. I could not but wish that every conventionist in the State had it, and was compelled to read it with attention. Our society at Edwardsville in- tends having another large edition of it printed, for the purpose of having it extensively circulated. I took the liberty of sending one or two of your pamphlets to some distant and particular friends, who take a deep interest in the slave-question in this State. By the by, should not the review of your pamphlet, which appeared first in the Illinois Gasette, and since republished in all of the con- vention papers of the State, be noticed? It is very ingeniously written; but what more particularly requires correction are the fabrications and misrepresentation of
249
GOV. COLES' LETTER TO MR. BIRKBECK.
facts. One or two of these were hastily noticed and sent to be inserted last week in the paper published here; but no paper has since issued from the press.
"During the sitting of the courts, and the sale of the lands of non-residents for taxes, we had a considerable number of persons assembled from all parts of the State, and a pretty good opportunity was afforded of collecting the public sentiment in relation to the great question that is now convulsing the State. The friends of a convention pretend to be pleased; but it was very apparent they were not; and the more honest and liberal among them ac- knowledged that they thought their prospect bad. Our friends, on the other hand, were much pleased, and ren- dered much more sanguine of success from the information they received. The friends of slavery were caucusing nearly every night, and made many arrangements for their electioneering campaign. Among others, it is said, they have appointed five persons in each county, with a request that these five appoint three deputies in each electoral precinct, for the purpose of diffusing their doctrines, em- bodying their forces, and acting with the greatest concert and effect. This is well calculated to bring their strength to bear in the best possible manner, and should as far as possible be counteracted. When bad men conspire, good men should be watchful. The friends of a convention appear to be more and more bitter and virulent in their enmity to me, and seem determined not only to injure my standing with the people, but to break down my pecuniary resources.
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