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Edwardsville Spectator
Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois
What is this article about?
Daniel P. Cook writes to the editor from Washington City on March 29, 1822, opposing a congressional committee report justifying the employment of a senator to examine western land offices, deeming it unlawful and against essential government principles protecting people's rights. He clarifies committee divisions and plans to share his full views.
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Washington City, March 29, 1822.
Dear Sir—You will see that the committee has reported on the subject of the employment of a Senator to examine the Land Offices in the west. The report is voluminous, and will, no doubt, be read with great attention. It is a report however, to which I do not believe Congress will give its assent—and I feel well assured in my own mind that the nation cannot. The committee are supposed, from the report of the proceedings in the Intelligencer, to have been unanimous with the exception of myself, in making the report. This is not so. The committee were unanimous in agreeing to be discharged from the further consideration of the subject, and to leave it to the Judiciary to punish such abuses. But two of the committee besides myself, were opposed to all the reasoning of the report which leads to the conclusion that the appointment was either lawful or proper. On the contrary, they conceived the appointment to be directly in the teeth of the law. It was the reasoning of the committee in justification of the act, that induced me to offer the resolution, which goes to condemn directly the principle upon which the act was done. And it is a resolution which I feel confident will be adopted—but if it should not, I shall, nevertheless, believe that it asserts a vital and essential principle of our government. A principle that in worse times will prove the strongest safeguard of the people's rights. I have forborne until now to say any thing to you upon this subject, and I should have still continued silent, if the report of the proceedings in the paper which I enclose to you, had not have produced an impression wide of the fact, as it relates to the unanimous agreement of the committee to the report. In politics, it is well known, there are always two sides to every question. It has however always been my desire to be on the just and the correct side. In this case, I firmly believe I am on that side: I believe the dearest, and most sacred rights of the people, are intimately connected with its success. The people shall have my views at large, so soon as I have a fit and proper opportunity to give them, upon this subject.
I am, very respectfully,
Your obedient servant,
DAN'L. P. COOK.
Washington, March 30.
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Letter to Editor Details
Author
Dan'l. P. Cook.
Recipient
The Editor
Main Argument
the appointment of a senator to examine western land offices is unlawful and contrary to vital government principles safeguarding people's rights; the committee's report justifying it is flawed, and cook's resolution condemning it should be adopted.
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