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SATURDAY, September 3, 1796,
THE AUGUSTA CHRONICLE
GAZETTE of the STATE. -X
FREEDOM of thi PRESS and TRIAL by TIJR V r rr. c r
xrxx.by j u is. y shall remain inviolatk. Lonjtitution of Georgia.
AUGUST A : Printed byjO H N E. SMITH, Printer to thk State,- Egays, Articles of Intelligence, Adver
tifernentSy C3V. zw// e gratefully received, and every kind of Printing performed. [Price Three Dollars per annum
Mr. Smith,
I HEAR Mr. Somebody has given you the trouble
of publilhing a fntcr against the proportion for
convention, &c. 'Sec.
And I have heard, that his flippancy has given
such offence to some of your fubferibers, that they
threaten to withdraw their names.
But is not this too precipitate ? Such withdraw
ing is a declaration for laying under restraint the
press, which fhoula be free. And if a people take the
trouble of forging their own chains, do they not
invade the province of Imprudence ? Whenever a
people commit this trespass, they are lure to pay
fmart -money, one day or other.
This is not meant in excuse for this Somebody's
attempt. Os that, reports are not very much in
its favor.
The proportion was thought to be very incffVn
five. Neither wasit founded on absurdities. The
impoflibility of persuading all men to think alike,
was not attempted. The principal objert was, by
frequent collision, to wear off that roughness,
which has often wounded, where no wound ihould
be. given : And to change into the friendly warmth
of brotherly love, that coldness, which often freezes
up the milk of human kindness, so honorable in
man, and so essential in a Chriffian.
Whether endeavors to promote such difpofttions;
cr attempts, like that of Somebody, to prevent
them, be molt worthy of public approbation/ the
public will eaftly determine.
Altho’a free prels Ihould be preferred ; yet there
is a great difference between free and licen
tious.
Every master of a press is supposed to possess -the
powers of a Roman Tribune. When pieces are
calculated to create difeord; to bear falfe witness
againiff a neighbour; to corrupt youth, and the
unwary, or tend, generally, to loosen moral ob
ligations,—in all such cases the master's veto may
be, happily, applied.
Butt, at any rate, they Would do well to conu
•der, tthat the publication of such a piece, may and
probably will, do an injury, for which no recom
pcncc can ever be made.
This, tho’, is thrown out only as a hint; and not
obtruded as advice.
I am an old man, tottering over the grave. But
until I fall into it, I wifli for quietness and peace.
As I wilh all men well, I foinetimes offer a bit of
cdvicc. If felly pass b >'» nnrrguarded; lam
forty for their miftake.-—lt may be fatal. But if
the wife in their own conceit, endeavor to torture
it on the rack of their ridicule, I breathe a palling
sigh, and wilh for that time, when a mifchicl to
communities lhali not be found among the children
of ' MEN *
Mr. Smith,
SOME time in June last, I declined taking the
Southern Centincl, on account of the scurrili
ty it contained lince the detection of frauu, and
total defeat of the Yazoo party; who had vainly
imagined, they would enrich thcmfelves with the
property of this state Their wanton attack on
government, and scandalous News-paper publica
tions, of most notorious faifehoods, and bale ca
iu.nnies, of the moss refpertable characters; the
mere overflowings of the froth and fury, Utuing
from the fermentation of disappointed avance and
ambition, is fuflicient to draw on those producti
ons, and mat paper, the contempt of every friend
1 0 order, truth, and justice.—-Though, by chance,
•the other day, one of those papers came into my
hands, in which I saw, under fictitious signatures,
some remarks made on the addrels deliveie on
the 4th of fulv, to the militiaof Columbia coun
ty, which I have the honor to command-— I con
tefs, that address contains my real sentiments, de
livered in the language of truth and fmcerity ; for
public information’; and to the judgment o- the
virtuous and difintereffed part of the communuj,
it is submitted: Bu; as for the assertions ot that -
disappointed, and defeated party, and their hire
ling scribblers, I equally despise them and their in
vidious publications. It any ot them, t oat are
worthy of my notice, will throw off' the maU, and
come from behind the fkreen, and (hew themselves
in the face of day—if they, or either of t.iem,
will presume to deny the truth ot that adureU, an
iubferibe their name, I will then treat them, a:.d
GEORGIA.
their produrtions, with every attrition which they
merit.
But if their feelings, their principles, and fpirir,
are such; as will not admit of fair play ; 1 (hall
conftder them beneath my notice. They may be
permitted to growl in the daik, to snarl, rage, and
(hew their teeth,—-but dare not bite.
T he people of this state have too much under
standing to be duped, by the fcrrbbling of a cbmbi
nation of men who luik in secret, to wound the
feelings of those who oppose their wicked (pecula
tions, and endeavour, to calumniate the charaders of
those, in whom the people would confide. It is
evident, the sordid and feltiffi views of this party,
would lead them to faertfice truth and jultice, go
vernment, and laws to the accomplishment of their
horrid project, ofgrafping the weffern territory ;
and wresting from the citizens of this state, that
invaluable property, to enrich themselves.
Citizens of Georgia,
Permit me to warn you against such men, who
are not only making every exertion td ft rip you of
your just rights, but are lowing the feeds of dif
fention, daringly refilling the force of truth and
justice; breaking through the bounds of moral
reditude, and endcavouiing to eftablilh the molt
ruinous and diabolical principles of (peculation, in
opposition to reason, induftiy, and BuaeUy.
When such abandoned principfl|jPfre publicly
promulged——when the rage of an avaiiticus, and
disappointed party, induces them to Attempt to
interrupt the order of government, it behoves you
then to rouse with proper indignation, and crulh
such a party, and establish justice From whence
is it that the public mind has been thus agitated,
your laws insulted, and the state dishonored-—-
who were the authors of this calamity ?
Was not accursed (peculation the cause, and
that combined Yazoo party the authors and pro
moters of the mifehief ?
Have they not had the most unparalleled impu
dence to revile the last legislature, whole disinte
rested labours brought into public view their
horrid, corrupt, and collusive tranfadions; anJ
whole wisdom counteracted and overturned their
nefarious fyftein of monopoly, and unrighteous
(peculation ?—Whence is it that those scurrilous
News-papers have teemed with such absurd falti
ties, and black calumnies ?—is ii not to deceive
the public, to gratify their malignance, and, if
poflible, establish their fraudulent plans ?—{Jewaie
then, my fellow citizens, of those men vyhofe in
terests and views are repugnant to your intcreft,
the quiet of society, and the dignity of your go
vernment; their intention i 3 cbvicufly to alineate
the confidence of the people in the present govern
ment, and those charaders opposed to them, to
create distrust, disorder, and confuffou in the state,
and if poflible, obtain a majority in the next ie
—Then would justice be subverted, and
the principles of unrighteous (peculation, would
triumph—the facrod privileges of the republic
would be infringed w ith impunity; and those vul
tures would prey upon the rights of the people, and
rolling in pride and luxury, would look down in
dignant, on the virtuous, honest, industrious ci
tizens, whom they had wronged—human nature
fnudders at the evil conicquences that would flow
from such a fyftein of corruption—-the voice of
reason calls aloud on you to oppose it—-you are
im; elled by the genius or liberty, and love of your
country, to do it. . f ,
It is my unalterable determination, whenever I
fee the liberties of my counny invaded, or the fu
cred rights of the people intiin wd, to raise my
voice againff it, and regardleis of man, or the
combintuons of men, my unremitted exertions
f.-all be continued, in the cause ot truth, of ju
stice, and of my country.
11 ’ ; JESSE SANDERS,
Fellow Citizens,
THE various applications whic.i have beer.
made to me by my political friends and
foes, relative to the appointment whic.i uie leg. -
Jature honoured me v/»:h; the former fio n pri.iti
ple, the latter from convenience, foltciting me m
accept the appointment, has induced me to lubm..
the following:
I was not, according to tar Vcmanve .ert;-
ir.cr.is of fume, defied a j«d£c to k::: a .vu.tor,
or a Few. I did not solicit, nor become a can
didate, for the appointment.
Knowing that fucceflive l.giflaturrs will, until
the meeting of your convention, poflefs as much
power as the present, whereby that part of the
proceedings of the celebrated legillature of 1794,
which your present legillature have configncd to
oblivion, may be again revived; which I do not
only believe will be attempted, but know, that if
poflible, will be carried into effefi:— -As such
it is not your interest, from the part which I have
taken, for me to have accepted of the appointment;
and accordingly, I notified the legiflatur* whillt
in fcllion, that I was not disposed to accept—-
which notification was, by the representative branch,
referred to the executive department.
The legiflatuie having adjourned, I waited on
his excellency the governor, to whom I gave it as
my opinion, that he was not authorifed to aft on
my letter, which was to him referred, and that he
might expeft to hear from me again on that fubjert:
—That it was impossible for courts to -be held
generally the firrt term :—ln as mu.h a9 all the
former judiciary ads were repealed by the present;
which would not, in all probability, be printed
until near the close of the firil term—to hold courts
in some counties, and not in others would be inju
rious—to try the citizens by a law which they had
not a reasonable opportunity of knowing—would
be o; preffive, and that a judge would be of very
TitTc or no fervicc the firlt term, or wprds to that
effort.
Under these impreflions I returned to my refi
dcncc, considering myfclf under no further obli
gation until near the close of the firft term ; ex
cepting, that I Ihould be officially called on. And
then, in either case, which Ihould have firfHlap
pened, no fuller, than to have officially notified
his excellency, that I was not disposed to accept.
In as much as the executive department have ta
ken order in the premises, I have withheld any
further communication on that fubjert :—And do
hereby inform you, that if it was the plcafure of
every man in the government, that I should ac
cept the appointment, I would not do it now, nor
at any time subsequent to the notice which 1 gave
tie legillature of my non-acceptance; and fur
ther that if there was an appointment offered to me,
once every day, until that you eleft members to
represent you in convention, I (hculd not confidef
myfclf jultifiable in accepting any of them ; ex
cepting such as my county men may honor me
with if they Ihould be so dipofe 1.
JAMES M'NEIL.
Angnfl 29, 1796.
Henry Smerdon & Co.
Have just received at/their store, at New-Savannah,
A GENERAL ASSORTMENT OF
Seasonable GOODS,
Amonijl whit h are the following, viz.
SUPERFINE and second cloths
Cafimcres and coarfc do
7 8 and 3-4 Irilh linens
M jflincus and dimities
Do printed
Ladies and gentlemens fancy hats of all kinds
Callicoes and pocket hunJkerchiefs
Mens and womens i&ncy riob’d, plain fuk and cot
ton hose
Lawns and lawn handkerchiefs
Strip’d and clouded nankeens ,
India do.
A (mail nfljrtmcr.t of ftationacy
Also cutlery, ironmongery, crockery, Sec. with a
va-iety of articles too tedious to enumerate.'
A L S O,
Sherry and Ter.eriffe wine, Cogniac brandy, sugar,
te i, coffee and chocolate, turpentine and crowa
snap.
wT L L B E SOLD,
On '.Veinsflay the z iff of September next ensuing,
A LL and.'fine,idir the pe final ejta'c of Jofepk
L‘{lie, dec. at the plantation whereon I live,
in C .lamina county ; the conditions will be made knoi.it
or. the day of foie by
J MARY LESLIE, Adndx.
Augv.fl 1 3, 1796.
[Vol. X. No. 517. J