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SATURDAY, November 3*
GEORGIA STATE GAZETTE
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INDEPENDENT REGISTER.
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FREEDOM of (h« PRESS, and TRIA Lbp JURY, ,» remain inviola., forever. C&Hmim If G,* t U. T
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■ AUGUSTA: Printed by JO H N E. SMITH,. Printer to the State , Essays, Arhelet of lntellirencfy
Advertijements, &c. will be gratefully received , and every kind of Printing performed*
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In Court,
OCTOBER TERM, 1787.
ORDERED, That the Chief Justice’s Charge,
together with the Preferments of the Grand Jury,
!>e published in the next Gazette.
JAMES BULLOCH, C. C. C.
Gentlemen ts the Grand Jury,
HAPPY in the opportunity of meeting the
Grand Inqued of this refpeftable county,
1 dial], without trespassing on much of your time,
proceed to lay before you those things which will
principally command your ferioirs attention.
The awful crisis to which our confederated na
tional affairs have been reduced, (and which has
treen regretted by every friend to the Union) point
ed to the necessity of revising the Articles of Con
federation ; a Convention has met for the purpose, »
but the veil of secrecy with which they have
thought proper to cover their proceedings, puts it
out of our power to fay what they are; however,
the many illudrieus characters who compote the
greeted part of that august Assembly, gives a well
grounded hope that a liable and efficient frame of
government will be the result.
v' It is a melancholy truth that criminal business
lias lately multiplied in this part of the date be
yond all probability. To prevent offences, and
to punish offenders, is the foie objeft of our cri
minal |law; and the latter cannot be effedluated
without your concurrence: You will therefore
enquire with diligence in order'to discover those
who have wantonly broken the peace, or didurbed
the public tranquillity, within the body of your
county; by proper exertions the guilty will be
puniffied in an examplary manner, and the wick- 1
cd deterred from a repetition of like offences.
The security of person and property is the fird
and great end of the social compaft; to protest
these, each individual is bound to tender his per
, fonal services when necessary, and to contribute
a portion of his property. Taxes are an indif
penfable ingredient in every free government; in
curs they cannot be imposed withont the content
of the citizens, nor applied to any purpose which
they may. not know. This county has been fore
mod in paying of taxes, and her citizens have
performed that duty with more than
those of any other. If all will exert themselves
•with equal puncluality, our finances mud very fooh
be so produ&ive as to emancipate us from our
quota of foreign and all our domedic debts.
The Tax Returns cf the present year will be
laid before you; the law requires you to examine
and to express your sentiments thereon ; and I do,
in the mod express terms, give it to you in charge
carefully and minutely to use your bed endeavours
‘for the difcovenng of frauds, (if any there be)
or concealments of taxable property. This is your
duty, and what your fellow-citizens have alright
1 to expeft at your hands. \
I felt myfelf so fully impressed with the neces
sity of collefting the taxes of the present year
without partiality, and without fraud, that I or
dered it early to be published in the Gazettes, that
the returns of taxables and taxable property, to
gether with a lid of the defaulters, would be cer
tainly required at the Superior Court in each
county. By this means the returns will be uni
* form, and the Colleftors obliged to account in the
' Treasury before the expiration of the time limited
*■ by law.
Courts Martial have lately become lb frequent,
that an inquiry into the conditutional and legal
grounds of such proceedings mnd be naturally ex
pcftcd among * people j# the full enjoyment of
civil and religious liberty. Such tribunals are
most certainly neceflary when the militia are in
the held, or on duty; but if they (hould be in
flituted to take cognizance of men’s condnlt in
their private capacity of citizens, they will be
found dangerous to the liberty of the people ; and
the sooner luch aflumed authority is checked, the
more secure will we be in the enjoyment of our
natural rights.
y/ The manner in which the police of this town
has been lately conduced, is truly praise-worthy;
though the Wardens are very limited in power,
we can view with pleasure the effefts of their dili
gence, not only in this Court, but almost every
part of their jurifdittion.
The necessity of keeping the public roads in
good repair, is so obvious as to be comprehended
by every capacity; but as the modes hitheito
adopted have proved ineffett al 1 t ke thisoppnr
tunity of suggesting an amendment :—lf survey
ors be appointed, whose duty it ihall be to mea*
sure the roads, and return on oath the mimbei of
negroes neceflary to put and keep each mile in
repair, the Court will have it in their power to
apportion the negroes, in such manner as the state
of the roads will require, and the number of ne
groes will permit; by this means all will be eblig
' ed to do an equal portion of labour according to
their ability, and none will be opprefled.
v Permit me, Gentlemen, also to suggest the pro
priety of your examining into the condition of the
goal, and treatment of the prisoners. I am in
formed that the goal is in a ruinous date, and, 'if
not soon repaired or rebuilt, there will be an end
to imprisonment in this county. The charge of
maintenance for the prisoners has been fuffered to
become an intolerable burthen on the goaler; as
the goal of this county has been filled with cul
prits from almost every other in the state, and be
ing of such general utility, the expeoces ought to
be punctually defrayed
The depreciation of our paper medium is an
evil of the most alarming nature; it injures the
honest, and enables the designing to commit fraud
under the cloak and fantfion c£ law ; it carries a
deadly poison to the vitals of a republican govern
ment, because it deflroys every idea of virtue ; it
corrupts the morals of the people, gives a wrong
bias to the wavering, and elevates iniquity over
justice. This evil, however, has been attended
with one good confequence —every thinking man
in the state must now be convinced that there is
no real necessity for a paper money; blefTed as we
are with an extensive territory, a fertile foil, and
industrious citizens, the balance of trade is and
will continue in our favour; specie must of course
be introduced in fufficient quantities to answer all
the purposes of a circulating medium; the sooner
therefore our bills of credit be redeemed and can
celled, in proportion will it be to the honor and
happinels of the state.
The negleCt of the education of youth, is among
those evils which can rarely be remedied. That an
Academy has not been erefted in this county,
agreeably to the Constitution, must throw a shade
over the profpeCts of every friend to science and
his country; to us the rising generation look for
inftroftion, and, by liberally tforing their tender
minds with fcientifick and moral knowlege, we
will be expressing our gratitude to heaven for its
protection and bounty, since piety and virtue are
generally the offspring of an enlightened under
stand ing.
The cause of the repeated alarms from the In
dians, ought to be ferioufiy and impartially in
quired into by the proper authority, in order to
discover the crignal aggrcffori, and, if among
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THE
ourselves, to bring them to condign punifhroent*
for miserable indeed will be the condition of the
state, if any number of individuals can involve ,
ns in a war at their pleasure. In the difagrteable
alteinative of war (which I fear has taken place)
the Indians must ultimately be fubdtied, yet the
glare of not to divert trom the in
quiry, or remit the puniffiinent.
The principles of morality have been fb fully
and ably explained this morning by the Rev. Mr.
Lindsay, in his excellent sermon delivered at the
requcft of he judges, that but little room is left
for me to dwell on the fubjed j I will only ob«
l'erv., that, without morality, government can
dot exilt; we are therefore bound, by every ten
der tie, to promote and encourage Vi tue and
piety, and, by our belt endeavours, to fupprefe
vice aud immorality,
H. OSBORNE.
C.buthamy Ft Sober 2, 1787.
OCTOBER TERM, 1787.
WE the Grand Jurors of the County of Chat*
ham, on our oaths, present:
Firji. While we sincerely fymparhize with our
fellow-citizens on the frontiers, in the diftrelfe*
they mull unavoidably be involved in from tho
prefent'hoftilities with the Indians, and are deter
mined to tender them every support in our power,/ 7
we lament and execrate the causes among omfclvei
(if any such theie ne) which have couti ihuted to
bring on such a calamity: And we earnestly re*
commend to the Leeiflatureto make a Arid in*
qmfition on the fubjed, and to have aggreflur*
brought to condign puniihment.
Second . We stilt deplore and present the de
ranged Bate of our finances, and the contempti
ble situation of our public credit, (although it is
notorious that the relources of the date, by the
late investigation are fully competent to the dis- J
charge of her domestic obligations) which affefte 1
the whole community, colledivelv and i nr )f v i— j
dually, encourages fpeculatjon, idleness, and ex- J
travagance, and corrupts, the morals of the peo- j
pie. And we recommend that the public accounts 1
be brought ao abalajndtas speedily as possible, for I
the information of the citizens, by taking up and]
destroying the. paper currency, and all other fecu«]
riiies of the date.
Third. We present as a grievance, that tha]
poor of this county remain unprovided for, and I
that the burthen of supporting them refls on *1
few benevolent individuals ; and therefore recom-»
mend that the Legiilature establish a tax for theivl
maintenance, and that the Honorable the Superiota
Cburt be therein authorized to appoint one oil
more refpedable characters, in each diftrid, tea
receive the monies arising therefrom, who ffial'l
account for the distribution of the lame with th<B
Court every fix months. Jjj
Fourth. We present Gabriel Leaver, for de<B
ftroying part of one of the public wells, and foil
insulting the Board of Wardens in this town, para
ticulariy one of its members m the execution ol
his office. By information of Philip Minis, tb<fl
said member.
Fifth. We present, as a grievance, the greafl
number of (laves who are permitted to afieinbl l
on Sundays, and other days, contrary to law; an»BI
recommend to the Officers of the Militia to enforcifl
the Patrol Ad.
Sixth. We approve of the mode recommende«Bj
by his Honor the Chief Justice, for putting an>l
keeping the roads in better repair; but recointnenß
that the negroes belonging to Joseph Clay, Jobs
P. Ward, and Lyman Hall, Efqrs. and the efialfl
of Coloucl Harding, who were direded by tfca
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