Letter to Thomas Ford, 22–23 June 1844
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Source Note
JS, Letter, , Hancock Co., IL, to , [, Hancock Co., IL], 22–23 June 1844; handwriting of ; dockets in handwriting of and ; four pages; JS Collection, CHL.

all the time one person to our knowledge has been arrested only for violatin of the peace. & those some of our own citizens.— All of whom we believe are now discharged.—
And if any property has been taken for public benefit without a compensatin. or against it has been done without our knowledge or consent & when shown shall be corrected. if the people will permit us to resume our usual labors.
If we “have committed a Gross outrage upon the Laws & liberties of the people” as your represents we are ready to correct that outrage, when the testimony is forth coming, all Men are bound to act in their sphere on their own judgmet and it would be quite impossible for us to know what your ’s Judment would have been in the case refered to. consequently acted on our own and according to our best Judment after having taken able council in the case. if we have erred we again say we will make all right if we can have the privilege.—
“The constitution also provides that the people shall be protected against all unreasonable search & seasure” true, the doctrine we believe most fully. and have acted upon it, but we do not believe it unreasonable, to search so far as it is necessary to protect life.— & property from destruction,
We do not believe in the “Union of Legislative & judicial power” and we have not so understood the action of the case, in qustin [question]
Whatever power we have exercised in the , has been done in accordance with the Letter of the Charter, & Constitutin , as we confidently understnd them.— and that too with the ablest counsel— but if it be so that we have Erred in this thing. Let the Supreme Court Correct the evil. we have never gone contrary to constitutional Law. so far as we have been able to learn it. If Lawyers have belied their profession, to abuse us, the evil be on there heads
You have intimated that no press had been abated as a nuisance in the . we refer your to Humphrey vs [p. [2]]
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