Georgia messenger. (Ft. Hawkins, Ga.) 1823-1847, November 12, 1823, Image 3

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

. proceeding * (1 |l*u [, is net I'A ami in gu l ,mor ( ' o " u , I'-.ji.p cmu.lv, respecting: cerOtn b’! 1 illo"iiIlV introduced inlo K 'ted States are .till pending. ’ (*uiu r t accidental circumstances, A,„, lt any design {, ' alid > sev ’ ~*s illegally drew lands in the ‘'U lotteries, an. n* evidence „l .irimmceil.e i -!■ > ‘•’ :„.„il.eel i, .qm-'.e.t he,r claim.,, ‘ f , ri , ‘ I have caused their relm 1L hi-Luts to he recorded in the olhce flhe clerk of the superior court ol . counties where the lands respec )y | lH> ‘i he lots so diawn are nine i niimher. . . . herewith submit for yonr consider ;a conimunicatioTi and docu menf* o ,. e iu mentioned from ills Excellen ce Governor of the State of South urolina. proposing a conicnlio” be lli.it Slate anil Ueorgu, bavuig ,j N object the improvement of the ivigvtion of Savannah and Tugaloo ‘hi compliance with the request of ie legislature of the state of Illinois, h ere with communicate a report and solutions adopted by them lespec- Ro- appropriations of land made by [om less for the purposes of educa- Tlie sum of eight thousand dollars, at bein'* the amount cf the third iar’s interest on the Steam Boat wk owned by the state, was duly ml on the Ist. day of May last by c company, pursuant to contract. Reports from the different Banks in e state have been received and cu es of which are herewith communi ded for your consideration. An apportionment of arms procured icing the last seven years, under an :t of Congrcsss passed in 1808, for ming the militia, has been made by e ordnance department of the Um ,l States, and <he Executive inform- I that captain Mackay, commanding the United States Arsnal near Au ista, has received instructions to ile ver the balance due this stale to the der of the Executive. Directions, will be seen >v the correspondence i this subject here with submitted, ve been accordingly given for their livery at this place. You will herewith receive two re irts from the commissioners of Tuga o river. The one though bearing te in October 1323, was not receiv intime to be communicated to the si Legislature. I herewith communicate to the rise of Ileprecentatives a report, r’ accompanying documents, from tliur A. Morgan, Esq. in relation so.i s on bonds and mortgages, ainst purchasers of fractions of land ng between the Oconee and Ocntul eri'ers; and I also coimnunicate o schedules in relation to the same reef, as well as others, made out by • freasurer. This subject being of (isiderablc interest and not having P!i iiited upon by the last legislature ore whom I laid it, it is again com micated, ‘Lite documents being luminous, and not having time to ‘e copies prepared, I send the ori lals to the House of Representa e>, with a request that they be re tied to this Department, ihe Legislature, at their last sess lin toe appropriation lew provided the payment of only two secreta 'lor tuis Department. That law s,,ot presented to me until the Le |atuie adjourned, consequently I ai> not in my power to give inv as upon the propriety of making ismns for three thei/in the office, 111 tttii’dicr at that time was abso iv necessary. In consequence, discharged was re- ippointed l|| ext day, and continued until the !<• May, when he resigned. The suiess having increased on the 20th to icr, when a third u is again ap >| e., and rlieir services have been ‘ l ‘ for our of the contingent fund. In penitentiary luiul has Been consequence of an oversight in -ompt r oilcr-general,oi erdrawn (, o t lundred and lorty-eight , rs an(l ‘''uctecn cents.’ That ‘ “as exhausted before the lununctment of the fourth quar '•"’c part of the third remains . c P ai d , and seieral ac* ‘: its n favor of sheriffs, for ron : ln K 1 °n\icis tc.> the Penitentiary ’ r '- ,v, i in B | nß unpaid, j ' examination, it was fouud ‘ lc i ‘ncc round the State . e squa re was so much decay * ° le , < B drc to he made entire- ; n * w - ih *tha* been done.- ii, | Ol “ as let at public outcry dil °i? eSt dder f°r eight bun-, | to Which has been ad nc on */ u * ars extra work on steps. and” ffi”° Unt °. 8c Rag. ■•.iaU of il”ill,? ,h * la " s “ ndi laid • ‘ast session, remains n?!, noi \avitig been presen- ; Ht'd ‘ C pr “ n,n S P gihl was ex- A statement of warrants drawn on the 1 reasury during the politi cal year Eighteen hundred and twenty-three, and a list of Execu tive appointments made during the same period are herewith sub mitted. Among other matters of general importance, the situation of our Hanks and the soundness of our cir culating medium as connected with the revenue and general in terest of the state, will doubtless receive your attention. I j< novv that this is a subject upon which a considerable portion of the commu nity are peculiarly sensive, and fiianv are averse to Legislative scrutiny into the management and standing of those institutions, un der an impression that such scru tiny will awaken suspicson and im pair the confidence of the commu nity in the paper currency of the state. If these Banks have been managed with ability, if their cap ital has not been impared from injudicions loans or the excercise of too much favoritism, they have nothing to fear from a fair investi gation into their concerns. At any rate the state is too deeplv interest ed in the welfare of those institu tions, to look with apathy upon the slightest indication of an event so ruinous to her revenue, as a depre ciated currency. The low price at which the stock of the two princi pal Banks may be purchased, are such indications, as will, it is con ceived, warrant your setting on foot a rigorous examination into the causes of such a state of things as has evidently created consider able distrust, and when discovered it rests w ith you to apply the cor rective. lam clearly of opinion that much good would result from requiring the different Banks in which the state owns stock, both principals and branches, to report every six months to the Executive, the whole of their proceedings, giv ing the names oftheir debtors and the amount due by each, to be laid before the Legislature at their an nual sessions, which would enable them, the better to discover and detect had management, and the more effectually to apply the rem edy. One of the princi pal objects of the Legislature in chartering the Bank of Darien, it is beleived, was to encourage and facilitate com mercial operations between the western and south-western parts of the state with Darien. It is fear ed that the intentions of the Legis lature in that respect have not been carried into effect or its object much advanced. Whilst upon this subject I hope to he indulged in making a few gen eral remarks. That banking in stitutions are advantageous to those engaged in commercial enterprises when resorted to with caution, is a proposition that can admit of but little doubt; but that they are ruin ous in their consequences when in troduced into the interior of any country, all must acknowledge who have witnessed their effects.— Hence I view it as a measure deep ly to be deplored that the Legisla ture in the creation of the several Banks of the state, had not express ly restricted them to those places where the surplus products of the state ate carried to market. It may be said they loan only to those who ask for accomodations, and that the borrowers are the best judges of their wants, and should be left to a free exercise of their wills in the management of their private concerns. The correct ness of this reasoning to a certain extent cannot be questioned, but when we view the prostration ol private credit, and the desolation of families which have been produ ced in some of our sister states by the injudicious issue of paper mon ey, thrown into circulation in eve tv quarter of the country, we can but view it as a most alarming evil, and one which the Legislature should seek to obviate. Happily for the state which we inhabit, such have not been our sufferings here, though the time may come when the establishment of Branch Banks in the interior of the coun try, will be viewed as the greatest rut se that could ha\ e been inflicted on any people. Indeed the opinion even now almost, universally pre vails that the pecuniary embar rassments of the citizens is great er in proportion as you approach the vicinity of a Bank. If this he true*, it certainly shews that they are pernicious to the people, and if the right has not already passed from your hands, it would be a wise precaution to remove the evil e’er the anticipated consequences assume a more serious character. Independent of these consider ations which I deem to be the opin ions of a great majority ofthe state, others might be urged against the policy in question. Capital may be wielded so as to advance the great interests, and it may he wiel ded so as to prostrate the dearest rights of the community. Who is prepared to say that the period may not arrive when those monied institutions will throw the weight of their powerful but subtle influ ence into tile scale cf an aspiring faction, hostile to the true interests of the country, thus sapping the foundation of the representative system, by'corrupting tile purity of the elective franchise. This has been urged with great cogency against the United States Bank by those who are hostile to it, and if applicable to that Institution, it is equally as much so to those which exist bv the state authority. Ihe condition of our Treasury at this time is certainly flattering. You will perceive that there is now in the Treasury upwards of four hundred thousand dollars yielding no increase; which sum will be greatly increased by the sale of the lands now in the market, and by the collection of other debts due the state, llow shall this money be vested and in what way shall the annual interest yielded be appro priated ? are questions entitled to your serious deliberation. Some of the states have banking institu tions or loan offices, the capital ow ned exclvsively by the state, which yield handsome revenue. The plan heretofore pursued in making investments of the funds of the state in Bank Stock, is certainly lia ble to many objections, and experi ence has proven that it is a preca rious source of revenue. The in dividual stockholders of the Bank, it is presumed, would prefer to be unshackled in the management of those establishments by state di rectors and legislative enquires, and it might possibly he to the ad vantage both of the state and those who are interested as individuals, if the shares held by the state could be sold at any thing like a par value or if the amountpaid in by the state could be amicably withdrawn, it would place at the disposal of the state, capital sufficiently large to authorize the formation of a system of revenue safe, permanent, and profitable. 1 do not hesitate to give it as the conviction of my mind, that a state engaged or inte rested in any way in loaning her funds, or carrying on a system of banking, should be exclusively inte rested, and have the sole manage ment of the business. The opera tions should he atthe seat of govern ment alone, and the money drawn from the Treasury under such re strictions as would secure a strict accountability. The revenue which would, in all probability, arise to the state from such an institution, would, in the course of a few years, be sufficient, if not entirely, meas urably to relieve the citizens from taxation, enable the state r to pro gress advantageously in internal improvement and perfect its sys tem of public education, all ol which are objects highly interest ing, and promising lasting benefits to the state. The privilege of choosing those who rule over us, is one of the most inestimable rights of a free people, and the surest guarantee of their liberties. It would be a mat ter well worthy of legislative con sideration, to enquire whether this privilege of the citizens of Georgia has not, in one instance, been ex pressly taken from them, and in another, unrighteously withheld.— Permit me respectfully to suggest the propriety of an alteration of the Constitution of the state of Geor gia, so as to give the election of Governor directly to the people and also the passage of a law to carry into effect that part of the first sec tion of the second article of the Constitution of the U. States which relates to the appointment of Elec tors of President and Vice Presi of the United States. That the al teration in the first is loudly de manded bv the voice of the state, is a fact that admits of but little doubt; and that there should be an expression of the legislative will upon the article ofthe Constitution referred to, seems to my mind to be absolutely required by the words themselves. And it is a most sin gular circumstance, that heretofore a simple resolution for bringing on the election should have bcendeem ed a compliance with a requisition of that instrument in a case of such vital importance. In legislating upon this subject, it is not reason able to suppose that the Legislature would undertake to vest themselves with a right which, from the nature and genius of our government, more properly belongs to the peo ple. Upon this subject the Con stitution of the United States is not as definite as might have been, and it is from this that I draw the inference, that in this as well as in every other election of sufficient im portance to excite a general feeling, and when there exists the least doubt as to the power of appoint ment, the right is unquestionably with the people, and it is little short of usurpation to deprive them of its exercise. I again mention, as deserving your consideration, the long neg lected claims against the general government, for services performed by the militia of the state in the years 1792, 3, and 4. Ample evi dence has been furnished from this department that the service was au thorised by the general government and a bill passed the Senate in their favor the last session of Congress ; but owing to some cause it was not acted on in the House of Repre sentatives. Thus, gentlemen, I have given you a concise view of the transac tions of the Executive Department for the last politcal year, and have also taken the liberty of submitting to you my opinions upon some of the existing defects of our law's and institutions, with such sugges tions of amendment as I deemed best calculated “ for the greatest good of the greatest number.”— They are the sincere convictions of my mind, derived from experi ence and observation, declared un der a deep solicitude for the pros perity and happiness of my fellou'- citizens, and a profound sense of those obligations of duty and gra titude which bind me to my coun trymen. With sincere gratitude for the repeated manifestations of confi dence with w'hich mv fellow-citi zens have been pleased to honor me, I console myself under the be lief, that whatever frailty of human judgment may be discovered in my political acts, that it will be belie ved, by all impartial judges, that my object has been the public good. ‘That He who rules the destiny of states and councils may guide and direct yours, is the fervent desire of J°hn Clark. Among the notices for [ths fippcTntment of committees to prepare and report bills, are the following : To alter and amend 2d section 2d article of the Constitution. For taking the census of the State, in con formity to the constitution. To alierthetime of holding courts ofOrdinary. To reduce the price of land lottery grants. To amend the tax laws. To.amend the 26 th section of the Judiciary act and prevent fraudulent enforcement of dormant judgments. ‘Jo lay oil additional brigades in the Militia. To cbai ge the mode of choosing Electors of President and Vice President of the U. S. so as to give the election to tile people by Gftneral Ticket. To alter nnd amend the 2d section of the 4th article of the Constitution. To compel Justices of thepeace t to give bond and security for the faithful performance of their duty. To alter and amend the 4th and Bth sections of the constitution. To amend an act relative to certain articles being exempt from seizure and sale, chiefly ne ce'sary for the subsistence of a debtor's family. To alter the law concerning endorsements on promissory notes and hills of exchange. To compel the recording of mortgages and all other (feeds. On motion of Mr. Bullock—Resolved, k.c. that it be recommended to the board of Direc tors ol the Bank of Darien, to remove the Branch of said Bank from Marion to Macon, if they should deem it inexpedient to establish an additional branch at the town of Macon— which was read und ordered to lie on the table. On Friday the 7th, a committee waited on the Governor elect, who with his excellency the late Governor, was conducted to the Rep resentative Chamber, where, previous to his taking the oath of office prescribed by the con stitution, made the following ADDR ESS. Fellow Citizens. —l come to the ad ministration of your affairs with un feigned diffidence of my own ability to manage them to your advantage. The indulgence which you have shewn me on every past occasion is my in ducement to undertake it,and my in centive to persevere. At every step of my progress, there will be errors to extenuate—weakness to overlook. Nevertheless, I come into office free and unfettered, without passions to gratify, or pledges to redeem and what is deemed to be right, under the constitution and the laws, will be done. I have nothing to promise but good intention—save onlv, that I will en deavor that the laws be executed, the public functionaries, so far as depends on me, held to a strict accountability and the state, according to its means defended against its enemies. The season of peace,Gentlemen, in which we find ourselves, is the season for the cultivation of the arts of peace; and w hat is wanting in the works of Providence designed for the purposes of man, ’tis for the industry of man to improve : and to improve what God has bountifully given, is gratitude to God. In the measures, therefore, which you may deem proper, to extend or facilitate the great work of Internal Improvement, you may at all times, rely,on my hearty and zealous co-ope ration. \\ ith regard to the other meas ures, embracing the leading interests of our country, that, in them we will move in harmony and in concert, I have the best assurance in the patriot; ism and intelligence with which I am surrounded. Fellow Citizens—Let us cease from our strifes. Let our divisions have an end. The march of science is so steady, the progress of illumination is so irresistabie in this great and grow ing country, that the generation to come, may look hack upon our foibles with pity and compassion : Let us dis card our selfishness, therefore, and let our motto be— God and our Coun try. JAMES S. FIUEE3ON, Esq.hasbeen re-ap pointed by the Governor, Agent of the Reserv ed lands around Fort Ilawkius. EXECUTION—OiI Friday the 7th instant, agreeably to sentence, John M. Williams was executed in Clinton for the murder of his wife. For a few days alter his trial, he made preten sions o( insanity, but on the approach of the “ honest hour of dissolution” he resumed the rational exercise of his faculties. On the morning of the execution he had been furnish ed with a tumbler of water, and being left ulone for a short time between 9 and 10 o’clock, he broke the glass, and with it succeeded in cutting bis throat so us to sever the jugular vein entire ly. The keeper entering 30011 nfter with a smith for the purpose of taking off his irons found him weltering in his blood upon the floor A surgeon was called immediately,who check ed the flow of hlood, and in consequence of increasing weakness from its loss, he was ta ken to the place of execution at an earlierhour than was previously intended. An address was made to the spectators by the Rev. Mr. Mason, such as would flow from feelings the scene and circumstances were calculated to in spire The prisoner said nothing to the spec tators, and very little to those who attended on him. Froin the time he left prison, until the haltar was to be affixed to the gallows, ho had been stretched upon his coffin—he was ilien raised up and supported : the deadly pale ness of his countenance, and his shroud deep ly stained with blood by his recent attempt to destroy himself, rendered him an object truly horrid to behold. Being too weak to ascend the platform, he was placed upon the coffin, on the cart, from which, at 12 o’clock he was launched into eternity. The idea of his crime appeared to be so wound into the feelings of the spectators, that at this awful moment, not a tear was seen, or change of look—not a mur mur of sympetliy, was heard—every heart seemed only to say, “Justice is satisfied.” We understand that a day or two previous to the execution lie fully confessed the crime, (any knowledge of which he had before steadily de nied.) The cause he assigned for it was jeal ousy. All immense number of spectators were present, and thousands more on their way who were disappointed in consequence ot the exe cution being hastened. The Trial of Williams it is expected w ill soon appear in a pamphlet, which, probably, will contain hi confession. Dr. Samuel L. Mitchell of New York has it is said devoted the Dia mond Ring, which he received front the tyrant Alexander, to the cause of (irecian freedom. Administrator’s Sale. WILL be sold at the late resi dence of Alexander Turner, late of Bibb county, dec. on Saturday the 27th December, AW the Personal Property belonging to said estate, consisting of Horses, Cattle, Farming Utensils, Household and Kitchen Furniture. &c. &c. Terms made known on day of Sale MARGARET TURNER ,Mm\v. ’ Nov. 12, 1823. 6w34 Administrator’* Sale. ON Tuesday, the 22d day of De cember next, will be sold at the late residence of Willoughby S. Hill, late of Twiggs county, dec’d Part ot the Personal Pro perty belonging to said estate consist ing of one set of Blacksmith’s tools,one yoke of Oxen,one Watch, and twolike iy Colts. Terms made known on the day of sale. Nancy Hill, Admr'x. Wm. A. Tharp, JldmW. Nov. 4th, 1823. tds—34