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junj 16, i ysy. KEORGIA STATE GAZETTE ■ O R - I INDEPENDENT REGISTER. - ' * ■ ■■■■■ ” 11 » - - - - - - - ■ ■ • ?RE SS t aud TRIAL by JUR Y, to remain inviolate forever. Conjiilvlicn ttf Georgia* ... ■ t | T JGU ST A: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Printer to the States F£ il )' s * Articles ts Intelligence* Advert foments, will be gratefully received, aid every kind of Printing -perfumed. MMf. PRINTER, |l T is with fame difficulty I persuade mvfelf to B become an author iu your .paper on the pre ftt occasion ; however, I hope, the ferioufnels B the lubject will plead my excufc, and what may B offered will neither be imputed to arrogance or ■ dangerous presumption. 'At a time like this, fcen our country growns under the severe prefiuie B a bad Ccuji.tutiouy and that conftitutiou aided Bid supported by fume who call theinfelves/i/Wr ■ this country, in direct violation of the lecoiu- Bendatious of the supreme power of this state, the Wtgiflature •—I fay, at a time like it becomes Be immediate duty of every good citizen, who Bs fought and bled for their independence, (in checking the ravages of a cruel and brutith enemy) jtO hep forth and tell his honest countrymen what fe the real happiness of the people, by established Irefidents, supported on the broad basis of plain ■talon and truth. J Whatever may be adduced by the several Bithors iu opposition to the recommendations of Be Legillature, I hope, and hill feel, we have Brtue enough to support pur laws, and our Af fcmbly. For what doth it avail, however good the Bws may be, if the yare not supported ?—Then, if Be pay an implicit obedience to the sovereign flower, surely we will not diftegard its recom- Bendations by a contemptuous conduct.—Shall Bie man put up, and bring forth his /ingle opinion Bifupported but by the mere flights of fancy, in Bppofition to the colle&ive wisdom of the state, Bpported by die inherent right of a free people ? my countrymen, fuppoit your freedom and ■pur laws, and diftegard the man who attempt m advise you from it. I would ask every one of Bit seriously, that Ihould you be so unfortunate ■ pofiefs an evil, would you not willingly get rid ■ it when in your power ? Then, iball we argue Hd fay we know we have a bad constitution, and lie afraid to remedy it, left we get a worse one, Btd the attempt is dangerous. Very sublime rea- Bn indeed ! We are become so contemptible, as B be afraid of trusting ourselves. —O, my coun- By, whcie is all your boasted virtue now? ißhere has that difmteiefted valor and honor fled, Bhich supported you through a trying war, and went hand in hand with true fortitude ? Let us step pbrth, my countrymen, (endeared by the tender fjfcjpnneftion of friends and brotheis) and a Cert our tights in a fteadv determination, yet to be fne t dby acceding to, and signing the recommendations the Legillature, under a full reliance that, that Iklonc, is now the only remedy left far us to bebe jjjefited by. Much might be said to support the ■ecommendations of rho House j but the matter has beenfo fully difculTed by your Representatives, (die whole Houle being unanimous on the qucflion) too fureiy spoke your language, and had your good at heart, that I lhalf not take up your time by argument in their favor ; nor will I gratify any pedantic inclination I may feel, by a laboured ex poftulat.on on the fubjedt; for lam well aware, that to endeavour to contravene the sense of the Resolves of so dignified a body as the House of Afiembly, is to do an injuflice to the sacred obli gation in which we aie ail, or ought to be bound to each other. The arguments, however, made use of by Virginias, I cannot help taking notice of: In rcfpcit to the firft article, I take it, it never was meant “ merely to alter the mode” of appoint ing the Executive, but what was comprehended by every individual, I believe, in the House, and, which I am sure was the intention of the Commit tee who brought in the report, to mve/i a nega tive' power in the Executive, which would add dignity to that department, and be of fulficient energy to give it consequence :—Whereas, at pte fent, it is common for the House to appoint thole members, whom they think have the mo ft leifurc on their hands, disregarding the abilities of the persons so appointed. Were they to be appointed by the people, there would be candidates for the Aftembly, and canditates for the Executive, and the people would then vote accordingly; those of the molt executive abilities would be put in that department;—for I do aflert, that it availeth no thing however good the laws may be, (as I said before) if they are not decisively carried into exe cution, and which, in my opinion, is not of so trifling a consequence to this country. Again, in reipelt to the lecoud recommendation, he fays, “ that lhould a county which sent ten Rcprefen “ tatives be divided, and each part so divided sent “ five, then the burthen for the support of the re ** presentation will be equally as great as when ** the whole sent ten.” This to be sure is a plain question indeed, and requires no great rhetoric to find out. However, suppose the question was thus put, and we will then find that the quejlion is a goodxne : Every body (who has been but a little while here) knows that this state labours under the great grievance of too large a representation, then we will suppose that all that county which now fends ten members, no matter how divided (in quarters if you please) ftiould only sent four, and two for the Executive, —I wonder if this would not be diminiftiing the representation, and save the little which has from time to time been col lege d into the treasury. As to the third exception which Virginias has made, I confefs, I am not | I.avvye; enough to s:ncr fully into its m?rit3 or TIIE demerits ; and if his heart is full as well governed as his head appeals to have lecn, l make no doubt but feme of the objections might (laud good - Yet I would alk if we do not tepol'c an equal conj.- den.e in the Hoife of Aficmbly, as <u* are now about to ao it in ike ftt-flr, when vve fuffer them to make laws for us. And, in the name of eommo i jetiji, how can that be a death warrant to our liber ties, when the government of the law is no tnorcr than executing what the AU'emhly has said lltall be } and it matters not, how or in what manner the law is executed, so the coufequences ate the fame. Therefore, upon the whole, I know that it is ueceifary to alter the confl.tution for the fafe ty of the people, and which if not tone, will in fallibly end in a mod dangerous and lUtittioi t republic ; and as I (land as independent as any ina i in this country, in refpeft to my political prin ciples, I hesitate not to declare, that I fee nothin,; foalarming in signing the lecvmmeuclations of the Houle :—Nor were we adi.ated by any fear, on \ mote serious and trying occalion than the prefeiu, the /e-vet iig turfd'Ves from the ujurqat ion (f Great - fir.turn. —“ When the gales of liberty blow too boisterous, the political lulls may he reeled, and a bad pilot'be thrown over board;” and when we labbur under a grievance, the duty we owe to God, to p'jftrity , and to curfclnjes, demands a ic paratiou :—“ Hut when the hctmfman has to » inudi power, nothing but an infurreftion amon; the crew can save the political ved’cl.” So on the other hand, ty inveffing a negative power in the Executive, is equally dividing the power of that body r and which will lave helnjman , crew, and all. I am Hill for adviiingthe figtiing the recommen dations of the Iloufc of Aflembly, as follows: First That the boundaries of the counties ihould not make any part of the constitution. Second. That the number of Representatives from the different counties be diminilhed, and that the mode of appointing the Executive be altered. Third. That the time and manner of holding the Courts, and adminirtcring justice be left to be re gulated by law. A SOLDIER. FOUND. UNDER the old ftorc house which formerly belonged to Nathaniel flicks, deceased, a Quantity of CCRDUROY. Wliofoever lias loft the fame, may have it again by applying to the subscriber, proving his property, and paying the cxpence of this Adverti.emcnt. A3IA CLAY. May 27, Tr2‘. [No. XXXVIII.j