Discussion in Illinois Legislature
of Resolution Relative to Public Depositories1Jump to section
Mr. Lincoln said if partiality shall be proven to exist, shall we say it does? or shall we rather use another word, which will not express our meaning, for fear we offend our MASTER; for his part, he wanted to call things by their right names, no matter who was offended.
There had been partiality; it was proven by the Secretary's report, and he believed we would be more thought of, if we said so, especially as it could not be denied.
Mr LINCOLN said, he would be willing that the word partiality should be stricken out if he thought it was not true. The Legislature would be more respected by the Government if it used plain language, whenever that language is true. Mr L. then summed up the arguments which had passed, and contended that the position was fully made out that the Government had been partial. He was willing to take the gentleman from Vermilion2Jump to section by the hand. He says that by our course we strike our own party friends. Well, we are willing to go it. Let him do the same with his party friends. Gentlemen insist that they cannot pass on these resolutions without investigation. He had heard similar arguments often made to put off trial in court.3Jump to section
Annotation
[1] Illinoisan (Jacksonville), January 26, 1839; Illinois State Register, January 22, 1839. The resolution under discussion objected to the federal government's policy of depositing tax monies collected in Illinois in the Bank of Missouri, and complained that the policy was ``unfair and partial.''
[2] Isaac P. Walker, the one Democratic representative from that county.
[3] On Lincoln's motion the resolution was tabled.