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■iSO- Vf. ADAIR, J HENLY SMITH,
EDITORS ASP PROPMXTVB8.
tt,C. SMITH. M.D J.B.0AKD0ZO
ATLANTA, GEORGIA:
TUKDAY, MAR -11 31, 1863.
Governor Browa'i Hcifigi ** the Legfa-
Ivure CakV«Md cm cUc SStU U«- < h by
Prod am Alton.
The excellent message of the Governor has
the fault of all hi* State papers; it is too long:
and on this account and the great press upon
our column*, we are compelled to cut it down by
striking out some of the less important portions
of it. .
Executive Department, 1
Mh.ledoevii.le, March 25th, J863. J
To the Senate and House of Bepreseutativee :
1 h .ve ttit it my da y to convene you at an
earlier day than that tiled for your meeting
when you adjourned.
n o * o *■.■# •
In December test we pasted an act prohibiting
the cultivation of more than three acre* ui cot
ton to the haml this year, which virtu»lly legat
ees and invites it* production to that <giant.—
I cm now fully satisfied, if the quantity oi laud
mentioned in that act is planted in Georgia and
each othtr cotton State, the resuft w ilt be our
euojugaiion by hunger nnd the utter ruin oi the
CmtidiTBCy. Hence l have n ItH my duty, he
fore the crop ia piutitcd, to cull you together, and
Kcomuicnd.the pisssse ol un act that will make
it highly penal'for any one to cultivate exceed
ing cr,e*tuur'h tf an acre to the Hand. The
enemy has overrun, and now holla a large part
ol the most productive lands in the Confederacy.
As our limits are circumscribed and contracted,
many ol the loyal prop e of the sections in the
possession of the enemy retire to tbe interior,
and the number of persona to be supported Irom
Ibe products ol Ihn lands in our porseinn is
greatly*»creased, while the an.a ol productive
lands Irom which tbe support must come is al
moat daily diminished. Most ot the white la
borers ol the country are now in the army, and
new levies are constantly being made from those
who remain. As these enter the military ser
vice oar fields arc left uncultivated, while the
women and children are anil in our mind, und
must be tupplied. The result is. that the coun
try and army are mainly dt pendent upon Blave
labor lor a support. At the present prices of
all the necessaries oi Hie, it is impossible for
the women and child'en to support themselves,
in my opinion, it will take every actn of land,
■nd every day’s productive labor which we can
command this year to make our necessary sup
port; and he who employs any portion of his
lands arid labor in the production of cotton, to
bacco, or any other products that-wilf not bus
tain life, to that i stent endangers the tucccss of
our cause. The present prices of cotton make
the temptation to pbmi it very strong, and tho
planter will quiet his conscience by the reflec
tion that the Legislature has aitthoruid him to
plant three acies to tht-.'hand, and will plant his
best land, p ace ail his manures, upon it, and
make it tho object ot his especial care and at
tention. There is now cotton enough in the
C«nte tcracy to clothe our people lor several
years and there ia no reason why we should
plant more than is actually necessary to keep
seed.
* a * * ■ *
As the war Is now prosecuted by Ihe tin
coin Government f.-r the avowed purpose .of
abolishing slavery, no class of our people has
so much at rtako as ear slaveholders, whq
ure generally our chief planters. Tiiey mb
dependent i-.pon our wniie laborers,in-lha
fmmy i "*uu, It RUn^TTaia army of while labo
rers and their families aro dependent upon
the slave owners for a support, while thu* en
gaged. Tbe obligation is mutual and recip
rocal, and neither party baa the right to dis
regard it.
The conduct of cur planters last year was
moat patriotio am praiseworthy, and has
saved cur cause for the present, but tbe temp
tations held oat to the avarioious are rnuob
greater this year, owing to the high prices of
collon in the market; and I consider legisla
tion absolutely neo?s*tvry to restrain those
who would hazard all for gain.
* * t a
Al the present lime, mcney will not buy
bread, in a Urge section of our own State, at
a reasonable prior. This is caused partly by
tho .severe drought ot lost'rummer, but 1-
prob&bly owing, in a great degree, to the
fr et that the lands in that section of the Slate
are cultivated almost entirely by -white labor,
acd most of that labor now 'being ia the ar
my, the laiid* lie idle,-and the women and
children are destitute cf bread.
* * * *
Let not the people of the cotton leciiocs of
the State, where there is labor to cultivate
all the lands, risk the chances of similar, or
worse distress snot her year, lest consequences
ensue whioa may cost mem not only their cot
ton crops, but all tha: they have, and all'that
they expect to have iu future. Wo otu never
be conquered by ihe arms of th» enemy. We
may bo by hanger, i; wo negleot to husband
all the resources for the supply of provisions,
Which a kt.d Providence has placed within
our reAOh. Attempt to c. nocal it as we ma'Jp,
the fact Is undeniable, that tho great question
in this revolution is now a question ot bread.
Che army must b» ted, a ad their families at
home supported, or >he tut of liberty will
soon set in darkness acid blood, und th*voice
of freedom will be forever hushed in the si
lanes of despotism.
*hb Law Adamr distilleries.
Experience has shown that tho law against
the distillation of grain into ardent spirits
needs amendment Font information re
adied from different p.iits cf the State. I am
satisfied that a large portion oA*he poiatoe
crop, most of tbe dried fruit, and a consider
able portion of the molasses in the State,
hava been and ate being distilled. Under
pretence of distilling these articles, it 1; also
•aid that quantities of corn are being used by
distillers, who keep their doors closed, and
refuse to admit visitors, who might testify
against them. In other sections, it is said,
they arerturning their stills iu open violati on
of the law, and no one has the nerve to with
stand and -prostate them. To arrest those
evils, I recommend that the law be so changed
as to make it highly penal during the war for
aoy one, ia addition to the present prohibi
tion, t > distil potatoes, dried fruit, -or molas
ses, without &lieen9e; and that every person
who keeps Lis distillery , locked and refuses
to admit visitors, day or night, when admis
sion is asked, shall be held primiaJatis gnLty
of a violation of the law And that every
Person who.runs his distillery ,without a h
cense shall be presumed to Le guilty of dis
tilling grain; or other artiele, prohibited, and
the burden of proof shall rest upon him to
show the contrary.
* * * * **•*
I* has been impessible for the Inferior
Courts of some of the c-unties, under my in
structions, to fiud a person who wiil take the
contract to m s ke the quantity of spirituous
uqunrs cr alcohol necessary fdr medicinal
umk, at the prices fixed by the statute. And
as it is a violation of the law for a person dis
tilling under »- lieecss to sell for more than
‘the prices fixed by tbe statute, 1 recommend
such change as will authorize the lowest re
sponsible bidder to be licensed, at such price
ns may be agreed on between him and the
Court, for the supply necessary for fho coun
ty ; tbe quantity recommended by the Court
to be subject to the approval of the Governor,
before ho issues the license.
transportation or provisions.
Bo great is the scarcity of provision* in the
Cherokee country, that it is'impossible* to
subsist the soldiers’ families much longer
without the transportation of corn from South
western Georgia. The rolling stock upou tbe
Southwestern, and the Macon and Western
Railroads, is not sufficient to carry forward
the corn and to do the work required by the
Confederate Government. Surrounded by
tbpse difficulties, I have thought it best to di
rect the Superintendent of tbe State Road to
put one oi his best trains upon the roads to
Son(bwestern Georgia, for the transportation
of corn to supply brood to those who must
otherwise suffer. 1 shall be obliged to con
tinue this policy till the emergency is passed,
though l mav not bs able to carry over the
State Road all Govorhment freight offered as
prctnplly as 1 could wish. I feel It to be my
highest duty to so usa the property of tbe
Srate as to provent, if possible, suffering ou
the part of the poor, or the families of sol
dier* for want or broad.
.! SALARIES
(Ho next recommends an increase of the
salaries of the Judges of tbe Superior oourts ]
THB BKW COOK.
(He next complains that John II. Seals has
failed to comply with bis contract to furnish
the new code aad recommends some action to
compel him to fulfill bis obligation.] .
small pox.
be &&
The physicians’ bills sent to this Department
by tho Interior Courts of many of the counties,
lor attention to persons afflicted with small pox
have, in my opinion, been to (exorbitant that 1
have refused to pay them. There ate several
instances of phyiscians who have made out bills
against the State lor one or two months’ atten
tion to small pox cases, amounting to larger
sums than they would, I suppose, be atft* to
make by one or two years practice.
• e * e • *
IMPRESSMENT OF NEOBOSS.
It will be remembered that Brig. Geo. Mercer
made a requisition upon the Stale, while you
were last in session, for 2500 negroes for sixty
days, to work on the fortifications around Savan
nah, and that the Governor was authorized by
the action tf the General Assembly to fill the
requisition A call was afterwards made by
authority of Gen. Beauregard, for the 300 ne
groes to w. rk on the obstru itioit* of the Alta
maha river, which requisition was also filled.
Many ol the negroes sent to Savannah have
not yet been discharged, because, in the opinion
of the.military anthorities there, the emergency
was such as to make i< a military necessity to
retain them. New and additional fortifications
have been projected, and iu one seems to know
when they will be completed. It is now requir
ed, that the negroes remain ninety days longer .
or, if they are discharged, that their places be
supplied immediately by a new levy.
The upper and western portions ol ihe State
have not furnished their qnota. If a new im
pressment is made as the law now stands it
must bo from these sections. Tito warm season
is commencing, and the negroes of there parts
of the State are not accustomed to ’.he elmate
ol Savannah. Much sickness and many deaths
thus! therefore be expected among them. Again,
the crop is now being planted, and ii»» matter
ot great Importance .that as iin'r '-^T IHifilffffr
In this state of the case, I respectfully tuk
that the General Assemby, by joint resolu
tion, or otherwise, give dir ctions, at an ear
ly a day as possible, as to the best mode of
furnishing the labor to complete the fortifioa-
tioos. It will also be proper tba> some just
modc’f ascertaining tbe value'ani compen
sating the owners for the negroes who hiv e
died iu the servico, and the still larger num
ber who may die during the summer season,
be preset ibed by law.
MILITIA LAW.
(He recommend* that the militia law. be so
altered a* to allow all vacancies in militia of-
cers below the grade of General to be filled
by election to bo ordered by the next high
estin command, and elections tor Lieutenants
to be ordered by Captains. Also the repeal
J* the law allowing a commutation tax in
lieu of military service.]
RIGHTS OF THB CHURCHES.
(He asks for a repeal-of 1876th section cf
the code, which prohibits any “church, socie
ty or other body granting license to any slave
or free person of color to preach or exhort or
otherwise effioiate in church matters.’-’ The
Governor thinks this a question for the
Church of the Living God-and not the Legis
lature to decide. ]
STATE INDORSEMENT OF CONFEDERATE DEBT.
I transmit herewith copies of resolutions
passed by the Legislatures of tbe S-atQ3 of
Alabama, South Carolina, Mississippi and
Florida, proposing, upon different plans, the
indorsement of the debt of the Confederacy
by the States. No one can doubt the patri
otic motive whioh have prompted this action
of our sister States. Bat as this is a ques
tion of great magnitude, involving important
principles, and as our action in the premises
must bo followed by consequences seriously
affecting the cre iit of the State, present and
prospective, it is our duty to examine it for
ourselves, nnd not to be controlled by the de
cision and action of others
If the proposed indorsement will have e
effect of arraying tho capital of the ornate/
difficulty tn deterndkfcg ..what -will
act’on.
Suppose the whole debt of the Confederacy
to have reached one HHion of dollars, as it
probably will have done by the time the States
havo all noted upon this proposition. It is
not probable that capitalists, as a mat
ter of choice, would prefer to credit our Gov
ernment with a larger debt than this hanging
over it. But having already, invested this en
ormous sum, if they feel that their only hope
of payment rests upon the success and per
manent establishment-of the Confederacy,
and.it becomes necessary to invest another
b llion to establish the Government and avoid
the loss of tbe sum already invested, interest
will prompt them to stfied by the Government,
sustain its credit, and make further advance
if they have means. 'Btii suppose at thb pe
riod, all the State* indorse'the whole dbbt, or
each indorses its proportion of it, what effcot
will this havo upon the mind cf theca titnlist?.
If prior to tho act be lobbed only to the Con
federacy forpayment, add having now obtain
ed the legal, as we it. a'S moral obligation of
tho individual States to pay, he Is satisfied
that this eeo ires the debt,- bi3 intarostSn the
permanent snooeas of the Confederacy cease*,
and he look* in future : to-the States for pay
ment. If after this the old Union should be
reconstructed, and the States of our Confed
eracy should return', and’ become members of
it, the capitalists is not left to look to a Con
federacy no longer in exUtonco for payment,
nor to rely on the moral obligation of the States
to assume and pay the debt, but he rests upon
tbe solemn legal indorsement of the iadititfu
al States,- which would bo as binding upon
them in one Confederacy as in another. Tbe
capitalists having, thus obtained the solemn
indorsement of the States for a snm as largo
as they oould reasonably be expeoud to pay,
would naturally desire to prevent an increas
ed liability, on the part of their debtors, the
States, which would weaken their, ability to
pay, and might in luture, oaase tbe people to
throw off the whole harden, on aoaouat tf its
accumulated weight. Snowing, ia other
words, that it is possible to increase debt to
an amount so enormous as to drive a people
to repudiation, they might prefer to take
their uhanees of payment of one billion of
dollars of State debt in the old Confeieraoy,
rather than of two billions in the new. Hence
it would be t eir interest to oppose the ap
propriation ot the second billion of dollars,
to prosecute the warfep-the establishment-of
the Confederacy, and to advocate a reconstruc
tion for tbe purpose- cf securing an early
peace, and cf slopping farther expenditure,
that they may save wnat is already' owiug to
them.
The rivers of Wood whioh hays beeii draWn
from the veins of our fathers, brothers, to*
bands, sons, and other relatives, by the hand
of our cruel enemies, form an impassable
gulf between u* end our wicked invader*
Row cau we again shake hands with them
ovdr the stain bodies of our loved tines and
again embrace them in traternd relations T
Were Georgians to do this, the blood of their
brethren, who hkve fallen martyrs to our
glorious cause, wotlld ury to them from the
ground, and rebuke the riustardtjp dted. duon
er than re unite with tho.-e seeking to enslave
u*, and tinder the name of Union witb them,
become, with our posterity, hewers- of wood
and drawers of water for them, let
submit, with more than Roman firmness,
to tbe devastation of onr fields, and,
need be, the. extermination of our race —
But let us do no. act hastily, whioh, how
ever patriotio the motives, may toad to array
a powerful class iu onr midst agSinaLtbe Goo-
rftgsrruasiy
iwkia dr t •*_ G
against the Confederacy, and in favor of a f o -
construction of the old Union, however lauda
ble the motive, the act would re most unfor
tunate.
credit of all tbe State* to an equality, with
out regard to the manner in whioh they have
managed their financial affairs, or the amount
of debt now owed by each, it would be a
grass injustice to those States which have
conducted their affairs so well as to incur but
liuie debt, and have maintained their credit
at the highest point.
Confederate debt, by the States, can only be
productive of temporary appreciation of Con-
lederate credit, without permanent benefit,
and must be followed by serious injury to tho
credit of the States, the policy is unwis* and
should not be adopted.
Let us consider whether these would not be
the legitimate effects of tbe proposed in
dorsement.
At preseat almost eveTy capitalist in the
country is the creditor of tha Confederate
Government, and is directly interested In
maintaining Us existence, and sustaining its
credit. I speak not of individuals, but capi-
iv. i* ^rneraliy selfish, and controlled cure
by interest than patriotism. When we have
a-c-rt&ined what will be the interest of the
c^pitaliits, we may generally havo cat little
mntgBief’w.
maintain her reserved rights, and if need be,
res ruin the Coatedetate (government within
the limits assigned it'by the constitutional,
compact to which- she is a party, she should
stand -y it, confined wit ft inits oonfiitutioaai
1 mi - *iih tt-it unyielding dernfinstlon '’-'to
sis ia it at evety hazard, a* well against the
injuries inflicted by the injudion'tu action of
impiudeht friends, : as against the thrusts of
domestic enemies, dr the hero a lean assaults
of foreign foes. The future happiness of her
posterity is flrnily linked with the Obnfedera
cy. Thousands of her sons have nobly dm
molated their lives upon its altars, and the
tens of thousands who survive should see to
it that no rude hand is uplifted against it, that
no false policy undermines its foundations,
and that no usurpers destroy tbo. beautiful
symmetry of its magnificent.structure.
We should not only sustain tho Oonfedera
cy at all hazards, but we should also sustain
the administration/ ’ We. may differ from, it
on constitutional questions, or questions, of
polioy. Such is the nature' or the human
mind, and such, the variety-of human iitiel
lect, that no' two-honest men were ever fully
agreed in every sentiment.. A* long as freo-
dom of thought and freedom of speech, exists,
we should have the independence io'txpre s
our dissent Irom .what we consider the errors
of our. rulers,' and they should halve the nia'g
hanimity to tolerate the difference. But
while we contend earnestly ior.-what we can
sider sound principles, we should do no aat
whioh can seriously emhafrasa'the adminis
tration in the prosecution of the war. Ia my
judgment the proposed indorsement would,
in the end, array a clay; of capitalist! against
the Government which would amount to sari
ons embarrassment,
Agaiu, it cannot be denied, that some of ths
States have managed tbeir financial affairs bet
ter than others. Homo have submitted to the
neccessary burdens of taxation, and met their
liabilities as they were incurred, while others
have added much of them to their debts. Heuce,
the debts of some are much larger, In proportion
to their re»ourdes, than the debts oi others. The
consequence is that the credit ol the State that
has the greatest resoucea and the least debt, is
worth most in the market. But suppose ait- the
States indorse the immense debt of the Confed
eracy, what is the result! As each 'State has
its own individual indebtedness, and would then
»d'a legal liability tor the debt of
authority for men, money or other assistance,
and that she is over ready to comply with every
constitutional obligation.
Having shown, I trust, to your satisfaction,
that the proposed indoraonisnt w-rald p’aoe
the interest of the capitalists cf the country
in tho scato against hazarding farther appro
priations for the establishment -of the Con
federacy ; that it would be produotivo of in
jury to the credit of the individual States,
and of injustice as between tho Stato* them
selves; I now prcceoi to inquire whether, if
we waive these obj-iction*, H could be pro
ductive of thejtermanent benefits to Confeder-
tea credit olaimed by its advocates.
- Before, proceeding, however, it is proper
that l remark, that the advocate i of indorse
ment are not agreed among themselves, and
that two plan* are proposed. One proposi-
tion contains a goneral indorsement of tho
whole d^btof the Confederacy by the several
States’, each to be liable in proportion to its
representative weight in Congress.
The other—whioa may, l believe, properly
be designated the South Carolina proposi
tions—proposes the indorsement of $500,-
000,000 bf the bonds hereafter to bo issued
by the’ Confederacy, eaoh State indorsing its
proportion of the bonds, on the basis of its
relative representative -weight in Congress.
The laltor proposition is, to i»y mind, tho
less objectionable of ths twb, as it does not
hold out the temptation aiovo mentioned to
capitalists, to whom the present debt is
owing, to favor the reconstruction of the old .
Union, to proven*, an increase of debt,frr
maintain the fmther existonoe of the con
federacy ■
The advantages claimed for both proposi
tions aro, I believe, substantially tho same.
Tho chief of whioh Is, that tho proposed in-
dorsemont would reassure the confidence of
capital in ’Confederate credit., and cause its
investment iu the bonds of the- Confederacy,
in'amounts sufficient to fund all Treasury notes
issued in redundancy of healthy circulation,
end thus voduoe the circulation to an amount
only necessary to meet tbe legitimate com
mercial demand for currency.
This looks well on paper, and might work
well in practice, if there were enough surplus
capital in the Confedoraoy to convort hun
dred dollar bills into interest bearing bonds,
and'lay'them away as iovestment os fast as
all the paper mills in the country oao make
the paper, and all the engravers gut print
upou it the likeness of a oirculatiug medium
aod un army of Goverumcnt c.erks ciu sign
those promises to pay. But here lies the diffi
culty. Whatever may be the ooufidenco of
capitalists in them securities, the country
devastated as it is by a destructive war, can
hoc yield surplus capital for permanent iu
vestment, a* fast a* hundred dollar bills, or
thousand dollar bonds, oan be manufactured
Prior to the commencement of tho war, the
surplus oapital of the South was invested in
State Bonds,Bank Stock, Railroad Stock,Bond*
of Corporations. &c. Since that -time most ui
the surplus kgs been invested in Confederate
Bonds; and our people have not now. probably
the half of five hundred millions ot dollars that
thay can spare, to invest in any securities., how
ever dcsiraole. This ii.easure’might afford par
rial acd temporary relief, by inducing some capv
ital not no v empotyed. to seek ' investment in
these bonds. But if the war g- es un, and the
government A under tbe necessity of issuing
two or three, millions of dollars a dty of its
notes, lor the next one, two or three years, it
mus be admitted, that we have not tho capital
to at’Stirb them a* fast as they si-e issued; -nd
tbe indorsement could only cause a temportry
suspension .of the depreciation which must fol
low our overissues, for the ultimate payment of
Mil no adequate provUiou is being* made.
t^governmemcoufd/unafhe debt at home.
the Confederacy .the Constitution impose* upon | he can probably purchase the svaa property
Congress, which ia the power which ereates the with the nlnety-ave dollars which remain u
havo assumed' _ „ I
the Confederacy, the credit ot each Siate is at
once placed below thp credit of the Confederacy;
and as each would then be liable foras much as
.Again, if the effect will bs lo level the could reasonably be expected ever to piy, ; the
credit of the respective States would bo placed,
not only at a low point, but very nearly upon a
level with each other. This would be injustice
to those States which have maintained their
credit at the highest, point.- Take for instance
our own State. It may be truly remarked,
without disparagement to other States, that the
debt of Georgia is less in proportion to her re><
sources than that of any. other State in tbe Con
*, , w • # OV/UILVB lUBU IUU* UI AUy. u»uw* SH MIV won
furthermore, if the indorsement of the, federacy, or indeed, any other upon-the conti
)QlCu6rfttfi daht. hr thft I nnnt Th’a /innscnnotirA f« that tipr oretiit i,
nent. The conssqaeuce is that her credit is
worth a higher premium in the market tban the
credit of any other State in ths Confederacy.—
Her people are therefore entitled to tbe. benefits
of her economy, her wise'manageineut, and her
far seeing statesmanship. If she and her other
States now indorse the -Confederate debt, her
credit ia at oaca Disced upon.a level, with Cons
federate credit, if not below it, and very- nearly
or quite qpon a level with that of all 'the other
States. Ths result is, than. the peopr-e of the
other States reap the benefits of her better credit
to which the people of Georgia are alone enti ;
tied. This would bo injustice to the people of
Georgia, and to creditors who. have invested in
her securities and are entitled to the benefits o*
her superior credit in the market, li.it.is said,
her people .should make sacrifices for the cbm"
mon cause; I reply, that no. Statehas responded
rftore promptly to every oall madeby£ontedsrats
tbe l
a heavy premium in its favor, after the iodor&e
mcnt, baring the calculation upon the fact, that
State credit is uow worth a large premium,when
compared -with Confederate.
To show the fallacy of this conclusion, it is
only necessary to inquire why tbe bonds of ins
dividual States command this premium. The
debts of moat of the Stafes are now small, com
pared with tbeir resources and their ability to
pay; and capitalists naturally conclude, that in
case ot failure of the Confederacy, or ultimate
repudiation by it, tbe State would pay the indi
vidual indebtedness, resting upon both legal and
moral obligation, witb no lurtber legal obligation
lb in that theirpeople submit to such taxation as
may bo imposed by Congress to raiee tbe money to
pay tbe dobt. Georgia’s seven per cent, bonds are
sai l to be worth 40 por cent, premium, iu cur*
rency, in the market. Why! Because her ic-
aonrers are great end her debt is smell. In
crease her indebtedness to one hundred millions
and her bonds will cease to caromand a premium
If we adopt either of the proposed plane, her
debt may soon exceed this sum When the
Stales have committed themselves to the policy
and have indorsed the present Confederate debt,
ox have Indorsed $500,000,000, they must extend
their endorsements as future exigencies may. in
the .opinion' of the government^ require, until
they havo endorsed all future issues to be made
by tbe government. The advocates of the plan
wijl have much stronger reasons lor claiming
the extension,when'tbe States ure once commit*
ed to the policy, than they now have lor claim
ing the first indorsement. It is like a whirlpool
from which, when tbe States have once placed
themselves within its power, there is no return.
When the amount indorsed becomes, os it soon
must, an enormous sum, ths effect of tho in
dorsement will be to bring down Statu credit,
even below Confederate credit, and not to bring
up Confederate oredit to the present level of
State oredit.
It is again sold, that the proposed State
indorsement would enable thj Government
to negotiate its bonds at a premium, and that
there is a sufficiency of foreign oapital to ab
sorb aUour'issues. The sufficiency of capi
tal in that case is admitted; but the inquiry
is, would tbe indorsement induce its invest
ment iu these bonds, at a premium, or at per,
or eveu near to par?
We are engaged in a gigaatio war. Our
pons are blockaded . The great powers of
Europe refuse even to recognize us ns a Gov
ernment. Oar expenditures art enormous
which cause our debt to accumulate rapidly’
and we are not oolleoting taxes (sufficient t ’
pay interest; muoh lesido create a sinking funx
for the ultimate extinguishment of the prin
cipal. Iu this state of things, loretgn card
tktUts refuse to invest iu Confederate seeari-
ties, and the credit of the individual States
is far. below par in fofoiga markets How
then is it to be reasonably expected that the
indorsement of the Confederate bond* by the
States will give them u value in foreign mar
kets, wLioh is attached to neither the credit
of the Confederacy nor of the individual
States f While tbe war and tbe blockade
last, and while w» refuse to snbmii. to tax
ation sufficient to retire a reasonable propor
tion. of our paper issues, it is vain to expect
that we ean fund the debt abroad, without tbe
most ruinous sacrifice, no matter how often
the paper is indorsed by the parties now.
morally bound for its payment.
Buti; may be said, if ihe States aro uow
morally bound fur tha payment of tho debt,
and their people are legally bound to submit
to the neoessary tax for that purpose, when
imposed b/ toe Confederate Government,
'why not indorse tbe bonds and let the States
take upon themselves the direct legd obliga
tions to pay t To my mind, there are very
obvious reasons way it should net be done.
^ While the consttt utional obligation rests upon
(he people of the States, to submit to the taxa
tion imposed by Gongress, to pay the debts of
liability, the sole responsibility of devising the
means and assessing ths irxcb necessary to dis
charge the obligation. This is as it should bo-
The power ii thoiGyvornment that creates the
debts should hare resting upon it tho responsi
bility of providing-tho moanB fir its payment,
and of imposing the taxes lor that put pose which
may be necessary. The people then know how
to hold their agents to a proper accountability.
Suppose, howover, the States indorse th debt,
and pledge their individual faith as States, for
its piyntent at maturity; and Congress, afraid
of its popularity, doss not wish to take the re
sponsibility, to.nssess the tax to meet it: What
follows t The States, to maintain t heir indlvid -.
ual credit, must themselves assess ond collect
ths tax. and make the payment. Congressmen,
finding that they could in this Way avoid.xn tin*
pleasant responsibility and retain their places
with'less difficulty, would, after having con
tracted the debt, .when pay day came, turn over
tho responsibility to the Legislatures or the
States. Thus we should have one Government
to spend the money and another chnrgablo with
the responsibility of fairing it Congress would
then occupy very much the position of the rieh
man’s prodigal son nt college, who. having no
responsibility about footiug the bill at tho em)
of the year, feels very little, concern about tho
size to which it accumulates. w
Again, sad experience has shown us that tl»
tendency of onr Gevommont is to consolidation,
and that tha central Government is ever ready
to usurp ns much undelegated power as tho
States will consent to lose. As tho central
Government grows stronger, the States grow
weaker, and their just rights are disregarded
Now, 1 can imagine no one a-et or tbs States that
will tend so much.to strengthen the central Gov*
eminent, at the expense to them of tho loss oi
their -just powers- and tho adoption of rite policy
now proposed, which binds thorn individually to
provide for the payment of ell tho debts whifih
Congress may choose to contract, but may not
bo willing ro impose the taxes to pay. Tho con
summation of-tbe policy is the complete consol
tdationof the Government, making the States
the imro burden bearers of the central sope-
rior.
I may bo mot hurts with tit* remark often
made, that*it. is no time near to defend the
rights of Slates, or to maintain principles.—
State Bights and oonstitutioaai principles atu
tho iftine in times of war as In times of peace;
and should ..be maintained at all times, and
under all oiroumstances. Power once usurp
ed, with acquiescence, is never relaxed but at
the point of the bayonet; and We should not
forgot that rights surrendered in war are
never regained in peace, v e should, there
fore, do no not tending to destroy the States
iu one grand consolidation, uud lay the folia
daliou of a central despotism Jtpou their
ruin*.
Having gtretr some of the reaeona which
sitLfy my mind, that the .hopes entertained
by the ^advocates of State indoi cement, that
tbe adoption of tbeir policy would retire toe
excess of tfae currency, aud reduce it to a
healthy gonditiou are entirely delusive I
may bit asked if there is no remedy for the
evil. My opinion,is, that so long as the war is
carried on in-its present magnitude, requiring
the amount of daily expenditure now made,
and the demand ft>r ail the ueoejsaries iif life
exceeds ths supply as far a* it now does,
there is no complete remedy for tho present
evils, of high prices and redundant paper
ourrenoy -There is one rente ly, and only
one, whioh can mitigate the evil, inspire con
fidence in the stability of the debt, and in
duce the investment or. surplus capital of the
people of other Governments, as well as our
own, iu Confederate bonds. That remedy is
taxation by Congress, sufficient to pay the in
terest upon the whole debt, iu gadd or its
sonic reasonable time. Convince capitalists
everywhere that this is the settled policy of
the Government, and that our people arc rta-
dy to submit to it, and make all the.aaorittoes
nece sary to carry it out, and Confederate aa-
eurities will be sought after in the market,
and mes* of onr excess of circnlalioaTuode-i,
Without the question being onee aske-l, weth
er State indorsements have been-written upon
the bonds.
In place of the indorsement ot the bun-la
of the Confederacy by the States, l, there
fore, reoommend aa our response to be made
to the propositions of our sister States, and
as tho Georgia policy in which their w.t-epera-
Uon is respectfully asked, the passage of: a
joint resolution by the General Assembly, ur*
ing the Congress of the Confederate States,
in view of the full magnitude of the crisis, to
route-up with nerve and firmness to the die
charge of its duty, by tbe’assessment of a tax
adequate to tho purpose* above mentioned ;
and pledging the people of Georgia to a
prompt and cheerful payment of tbeir pro por
tiou of it. If this be done, I have no misgiv
log* about the result. The good, common,
practical aen--.u of the people, which is seldom
properly appreciate t by politicians, has al-
ready grasped the question. Tab petplc un
demand it-. Every practical, business ntan
knows that-paper promises, wiih paper in
dorsemettts, cau never sustain our oredit, as
long as we appropriate and draw hundreds of
millions of dollars annually from the Trea«a
ry, and return nothing to it. No matter how
many expedients we may try, wo shall be
constantly driven back to tho same point, -
Government has but one way of raising money
to reduce its indebtedness, and that is by tax
ation, direct or indirect. And as ou ; r ports
are.blockaded, so that we cannotmise money
by indirect taxation upon imports, we have
bo alternative left but dlreot taxation. A?
long as wo attempt to conduct this war,'aud
maintain our armies- upon paper promises
alone, we must expect to endure 'all'the evil*
ot depreciated credit, inflated currency, and
high price*.
European Governments aro already hjnvinced
by the gallant aeeds of our arms, that we can
never be conquered as long as wa can keep aud
oiainiaia those armies j but they, very well un
derstand, that tho financial question underlies,
and ts the foundation upon which the whole
structure is built. Thus far our policy has been
suoh, os to afford them but little evidence, that
this is with us a aura foundation. Whenever
we iiavetfpnvinced them that We aro prepared to
make the sacrifices necessary to establish a safe
and permanent financial system, we may expect
both recognition and credit. Till we hive done
this, we cannot reasonably expect e.ither.
Again, we loan almost nothing by submit
tiog to the taxation necessary to pay the in
terest and create a. sinking fund upon the
gold hasis. Whenever this be omes the set
tied policy of tha Government the deprecia
tion i* very nearly stopped, and the currency
left in our hands is worth almost or quite as
muoh as ail we bad was worth before the tax
To illustrate: Tha meqhaui; has one hundred
dollars of Gonfederate Treasury note* He
wishes to purchase a good cow sad calf, and
he finds ft will take the whole sum to pay for •*•}•M’-fri 6
them. The currency is still depreciating, and ""
at the end of the next three months it may
take one hundred and twenty-five dollars to
make the purchase-' A’- this point; suppose
the Govjnment asses*ca a tax of five per
cent- to establish the polioy above indicated,
and he is required to pay five dollars of bis
hundred to tbe ooUeotor. The efftorof this is
to absorb that much of the over issue, ond to
give confidence in the ultimate redemption of
the whole. This will at ouoa stop tho dec.ine
fa the value of the notes, andjn&y cause thiia
to appreciate. The consequence will be, that
his hand* after payment of the tax. la a
word, by paying back pill of'(he reduuiant'
earronoy into the Trearurv, »«•'*»<p the Jo-
predation of its value, and leave the balance "
in circulation worth as much .to. the pufeh-wo
of property as the the whole wae'worih before “
tho tax Was paid fiat ititppofee tbe tax Ui be
burdensome, ond to absorb* Urge propirtioh
cf oar burplu- moomr, is this a reason why
it should not be collected ? We mus st.lnnt
to burdens, and make bcuvy tiicritijes to *us-
tain the Government, maintain our credit,
and supp'ri our ortm.i-, *>r * i we .posae-s
mast go down together iu a ov-aU, ami in
volve us and our post vri<v in uviuiuoo ruin.
Before closing my inusrk* upon this subject,
I beg laeve to express my !i,m /unviciion that,
the policy advocatrd by «>••«•, of assuming the
Confederate tax. w hen assess <1 and ai-liuj/u to
to the debt of tbe State, instead «>t cef.ectin->
it, h88 already been carried an fir «s *, isi slates'
ntsnahip or tho exigcr-cei* <>t the times will per
mit. It ia simply shift tug the bunion from one
shoulder to auothcr. Or, in other words, it »•»'
an attempt, in m other form, to conduct tSie war
~upoa papet, without its costing us any thing.—
Wo have no rigut to turn overall ihe burdens of
he present gene atlmto posterity. This would
be as contrary injustice nnd sound principles as
it would be for Congress to contract the debt
and turn over to the Siam govt-rpmenia tho re- •
sponribilty H providing the means lor its pays
incut.
Tho-potioy ia exceedingly unwis- in li i* also;
that it causes tne S ate to borrow the present
Currency at par, to be p»id back, years hence,
with interest, in gold. What prudent mtui
would da this, iu tbe imut.-gctueiu ot bss own
affairs f Suppose one planter owes another-ten
thousand dollars, would he sell properi> nowbi
tho present high plies* in currency and pi; tin-
deb’, of wnulo ha h^d on to his property, and -
pay interest upoatno dobi ti’l the. war is over
sud the price or>y«t/thing is again csiimirut
upon the gold ba*5B,Rpd iben roll tiye .tin.*
much properly to piy ihe same . debt I f< t.«
adopted the latter alternative, we dttuld say hv
needed a guardian. If we aeree that this policy
would bo unwise In. individuals, we must not
fo.get that the State is but an assoeiaiion of iu-.
dividual*. When upou u questiou.ol this char
acter, we havo asc.eriainoJ what would be ^he .
interest of a. prudent individual, nr a small num
ber of iudivtduls, we have only to cnlafee . the
circle, and wo have the interest ot lUe'Siaie. -
This is a rule by which i have been guided in
the management of the finances of the Slate,
find I bfffisvo it tAbp the oajy true and a <cceas-
tul one.
Our people can now pay ff« 0 m'. Hie ns if
dollars in the j>r<<a-nl currency etsier than
thau thay can pay one million ia gold, in
What are usually called hard times, when
property is low and m >ney scarce. It may
be said, why not keep our property and leave
tbit matter to posterity t Wh j are to be pos
terity t Our obildren. F >r wbittware wt« la
boring t Oar obildren It', then, onr proper
ty is expected to desoeod to our cbiftlrna, why
accumulate a debt to hang over it aud descend
with it, by borrowing money nt the rate of
twenty penis far a dollar, to be paid back by
them out of property in gold, dollar ior dol-
ler, with interest. I trust this policy will
find very few advocates.
It is infiaitoly better for ui to submit to all
tho taxation, and make all the sacrifices nec
essary ts mffibtaio our Government and >ua-
taiu our credit, than to permit the enemy if'
ovorturu our Government, plunder nur hem os,
Insult our wives and our daughter-, confiscate
our property, and enslave ouroelve* nud our
posterity. We cannot avoid the one rOtoma
tive or tho other. Humbly imploring a con
tinuation of Divine favor, let us res.ilve to
stand in our allotted places, make al! the sac
i,«u4 piaut our entire trirei tn
God of Israel, who is “a very present help in
trouble,” and all will yet be well.-
JOSEPH E. BftUWtf
Fomsi’t Last Kxploli. -
The Chattanooga Rebel thus alltules: to
tin* litt© achievement of <Jen. Forrest :
This exploit of Thursday was signal.
Like most of the achievements of * our
mounted men, it evinces, great daring,
shrewd foresight and admirable nianage-
meat. It comes, to us-pleatan-tly upon the
heels of the unlucky trip near Milton.
Brentwood is half- way between Nash
ville and Franklin. 'An aitaok upon the
garr-sou stationed there had to be made by
a rtauk movement upon the enemy’s aii
vance, the line of which extends as far as
Spring Hill. Hence Gen. Forrest penetra
ted thirty miles into the heart of liosen-
crank’ camp, beat down an important bar
ricade, burned a chief causeway, captured a
large force and rode away. agaifii with his
trophies u> Columbia. No tool of the
kind has graced the arny of our .cavalry
since the splendid dash of the same great/
ch ef upon Murfreesboro’ last'summer.
The consequence will prove more signifi
cant th.au the more action now implies.
* e vt A-Uvei*tiHefttfetttw.
LKPARXMENr OF TENS . )
QtADQCtfcTElTXKS VIlUt.ST I'OfiT. V
- Attictm, Ma cftZI, 18CS )
OidscaSi *4
1. AU P-v3sp*-rt» saw >ut Inin tr«»e H<wi
arnrstokst. All pe.wonl are itrtd to havo m w ; tunw
attoi April lot uroxlso.
fly QTlltT r.f O W LEE,
Ct-mil's Po*i mill 1 . M
ISO fASKS RICK.
O N4 amtORFD AJtn FIFTV CASKS -VICK for
«»1> by
si*r3I-lw
SALMONS A SIMMON*.
AbttuiUH Slrdtt.
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IFHS tVii>nnnl wU! t-« p»tdP>rlb.»»pp.'<lit-u.iiir-of
X mi b y JoK, if iujRfd la any Jail In tit.
St»i«.«« th>t l g*t li<jn 3 m is *b nt VS >«.•* ■•!*.
w&Uh* ai,mt 16u prnuil*. dark complexion fir ttlA'A*
WeaatsJnF.SAth Inst, ft a.' h«d ui • btoari, i>a- *
VS. M WIL ON.
Upaitar, t nvty, 9 v, March £3, UC3. m*rJt lu
COTXON FOIL SALK.
O NR tasSra-i Aud »ix balu of C ttoo at W.*, llHut,
a a., for eels, x
JUS A MillBl', ,
S?-A.* ' K;:t.«vHtf,'T< liii.
A UUOil 91 .‘DDLS HSoPflU t’L.»fA.Ti'>it .
For Sole
T uts plftoa U Atimt7 »ifc« Stoni
wauj-tri, has > ( at d»ill Loo*a »lto evw
tocmt, all n-CMOitj oatl-wiM'sc >. a ti-.rtraU, gti-i, u»o
sod xood rarfUvj (UftW on b.
Thftis arc 733 a;.r.-s ot I.,n-!, aloat half of ii In •
tbe wo-mU, tal heavily umb-ftd. Ths place t* nr* d
C wdttion, o’.d h»» b«a weii attend'd md nic ; lj k ,t
up. a d hasati f urm : y p laced b.avy it ts T. o:o
I, a fair pjr portlua of bottom Is ad on ti.a place, tfi id’. 6'
co m oi «b:ob life »b «i- state «f culli ali " Ihi, Is
- rar*chariwto l»<ut U'piM C>uf<derile u «l.tn a
fodplubifoii u > r*<u>eW.p!lc< For farhx pai-
A M EDDIEUaJ,,
«t ths Ca H R I'o rt
marSitt
LOOK HZttK.
A H erUre, tnt<}ii/ebt Boy, of tlr e*e o' >4 or Ur
yeats, well qa*J ! a-d eft Auiitaet' C-'erk, c-n fl-d.
Oft3>-n:bjafp: l.ogattbtro*co mifi.-ti
’*• JfOTICK.
Ext* JmoVXD llwnr «l. No. l. r
Atlanta, U» . Mato'a v0, ISO* f
A LLeoJUttd nmAtftoalQgtheiaJslVMto bs to p.-lvote-
•-.p llaf'dt this Her pi al. aro hrr.bj > nit led to
repxrmmoiiaitli/• or be r.ported »i dejerten to Heir
‘ ■ H W. jlSi**,
ia rf'.jf H A O S, In Charge, /
xaaiST-lw