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V ' . -y • r 'J . Wm* ' ”'tK" ./V,V* ■. W •.. * - 'V'\~2’-V --SATURDAY, Jaw 14, (78K r GEORGIA STATE GAZETTE G . R INDEPENDENT REGISTER. .i 4. ’ • ■' „ ... „ , „ , -J, t ,ai « : * **■*'.• 4 .‘‘■l- ''' I l ' > - r — ■ - i.,.,—■■■■muiii.i ' asasacaasagaggaaßß^ FREEDOM of the PRESS, and TRIAL by JUR Y, to remain inviolate forever. Cenfoitmfim ts Gmgia - - / ; ’ '"" 1 " . "* 1 1 "' 11 '* - - AUGUST A: Printed by JOHN E. SMITH, Print* to the State-, Pfays, Articles ts . Intelligence, Advertifemeyti; &c. will be gratefully received, and every kind of Printing performed. , - i J* •%- + , v (Concludedfrcm our laji, No. LXXXIX.) A circular Letter from his Excellency Gene ral Wafliington, Commander in Chief of the Armies of the United State? of Ame rica. .« , , ... : (CIRCULAR.) Head-Quarters, Newburgh, June 18, 178 J. S I R, ‘ THE ability of the difch*rge the debts, wtyich have been incurred in its defence, is not to be doubted ; an in clination I flatter myfelf, willno(be winting; the path of our duty is plain before us: ho refty will be found on every experiment to be the best aftd only true policy. Let us then &s a nation, be jtift; let us fulfil the public contracts, which Cohgfeffc had undoubtedly a right to make for thepbrpofe df carrying on the war,' with the fame good faith we sup pose ourselves bound to perform our private engagements. In the mean time let an atten tion to the cbearful performance of their pro- ,| per bnfinef3, as individuals ahd as members of society, be earrieftly inculcated on the citizens of America} then will they flrengthen the hands of government, and be Happy under its prote&idn. Every one will r6ap the fruit of his labour; every one will enjoy his own acquifirions, without moleflation add without danger* . In this flfte of absolute freedom and perfeft security, who Will grudge to yield a very lit tle of his property to support the common in terests ol society, and ensure the protection of government i Who does nOt remfember the frtqiient declarations at the commence ment of the War, that we should be complete ly fatisfied if at the expence of one half, we could defend the remainder of our pofleiTious ? Where is the man to be found, who wishes to Tcmain indebted foi* the defence of bis own person and property to the exertions, the bt a yeryandthe blood of others, without making one generous effort to rppay the debt of honor and gratitude ? In what part of the conti nent fhatH we find any man or btfdy of men, who would not biuth to stand up and propofc measures purposely calculated to fob the fol dierof his flipend, and the public creditor of bis due ? And were it poflible fucba flagrant inftjShce of injustice could ever happen, would* it not excite the general indignation* and tend to bring down, upon the authors of fucb mea sures, the aggravated vengeance of Heaven? Jf after all, a spirit of difnnien, or a temper of and perverseness should manifeft iifelf in any of the Rates if such an tmgra cious disposition should attempt to frufirate all fbe happy effe'fts that might be expected to flow from the union j if there should btf a re fufal to comply with fcquifitions for funds to difeharge the annual iutereft of the public debts, and if that refufal should revive again all those jealousies and produce all tbofe evils which are now happily removed ; Congress, who have in all their tranfaftions shewn a great degree of magnanirnky and juflice, will stand juftified in the fight of God and naan ! < and that slate alone, which puts itfelf in op pofitionto the aggiegate wisdom of the Con tinent, and follows fucb mistaken and perni cious councils, will be refponfibie for all tfaf confequances. For my own past, conscious of having aft ed while a servant of the public, in the man ner I conceivod bcft-luiud to piotaoie the teal *• , THE *. ‘* A t n . . •% : •'Jr - interest of my .country; having, in conft queoce ot my fixed belief, in some measure pledged myfelt to the army, that coun try would finally do them complete and ample just ice, ahd nbt wilhing to conceal any in stance of my official conduft from the eyes of the world, I have thought propter to transmit to your forcellency the inclofed colletlion of papers relative to the half-pay commu tation granted by Congrtffs the officers of the army; from these communications, my decided fehtiments will be clearly compre hended, together with the coriclufive reasons, which induced me, at an early period,,to re commend the adoption of this measure in the most earnest and serious manner. As the proceedings of Congress, the army, ihd mvfelf, are open to all, and contain in my opinion, fufficient information to remove the prejudices and errors which tnay have been entertained by any, I think it unnecessary to fay any thing more, than just to observe, tbap the resolutions of r ongrefs, now alluded to, are as undoubtedly and absolutely binding upon the United States, as the most solemn ads of confederation or leciflation. As to the idea, which, I am informed, haft in some prevailed, that the half pay and commutation are to be regarded merely in * the odious light of a pension, it ought to be exploded forever: That provifiotf fliould be viewed, ,sis it really was, a reasonable com pensation offered by Congrefs* at a time when they had nothing else to give to the officers of the army, for services then to be performed, it was the only fheans to prevent a total de reliction to the service : It was a part of their hire; I may be allowed to fay, it Was the price of their blood, and of your indepen dence; it is therefore more than a common debt, it is a debt of hetaor; it can never be considered as a pension, or gratuity, nor can celled until it is fairly difchargCd. With regard to the difiinefion between of ficers and fotdiers, it is fufficient that the uni form experience of every nation of the world, ' combined with out own, proves the utility / amd propriety of .the diferimination. -Re- Wards in proportion tef the aids the public draws from them, are unquestionable due to all its servants. In some ijnes, the foldier* have perhaps generally had aft ample compen sation for their services, by tbe large bounties which have been paid to them, as their Officers will teceive in the proposed commutation; in others, if, besides the donation of land, the payment of arrearages of clothing and wages, (rn which articles all the component parts of tbe army tnuft be put upon the. fame footing) we take into the esti mate, the bounties many of the foldicrs have received, and the gratuity , of one yeai’s full pay, which is promised to all, pofliMy their fiiuation (every circumstance being duly considered) will not be deemed left eligible than that of the officer*. Should a further reward, however, be judged equi table, I will venture to assert, no man will enjoy grelUr famfaflion than mvfelf in feeing an exemptipn from taxes for a limited time (which has been petitioned for in some in stances) or any other adequate immunity or * commentation granted So the brave defenders of their country’s cause: But neither the adoption or rejection of this proposition will in any manner affect, much left militate agaigft tbe ad cf Congress, by which they have |K j sered five years full pay, in lieu of the I I. * k -&V y. i;':. - ; 4 -•- j ; - . £?, ; ' m!- 'wi #)'■ . ■!*.. ?i\ u, ENo- XC.J !■■■■—man i ii ■!■■■ in i —wmii i i mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm+mmmmmmmqf* pay for life, which had been before promised to the officers of the army. Before l conclude the fubjeft of public juf tire, I cannot omit to mention tbe obligations this country is tmddr to that meritorious class of veterans, the non-commifiioned officers and privates, Who have been difeharged for in ability, in consequence of the resolution of Coopt est, of the ajd of April, jyßx, on an annual pension for life j Their peculiar fuft ferings, tbeir Angular merits and claim* to that provision need only be known, to interest the feelings of humanity in their behalf: No thing but a pundual payment of their annual allowance can refctie them from the mod-com plicated ttiifery ; and nothing conld be a more melancholy and distressing fight than to be hold thoJe who>have shed their blood, or loft their limbs in tfie fei vice of tbeir country, without a Ihelter, without a friend, and with out the means of obtaining any of tbe com* forts or neceflaries of life, compelled to beg their daily bread from 4oor to door. Fuffec me to recommend thofo of this description, belonging to your state, to the warmest pa tronage of your £xcellency and you* Legis lature. It Is neceffafy to fay but a few words on! the third topic which was proposed, and which: regards particularly the defence of tbe public. As there can be but little doubt but congress will recommend a proper peace efta bliftimcnt for the United States, in Whicffi a due attention will be paid to the importance of* placing the militia of the unipn upon a regular and refpt&able footing; if this thould be the case, I Would bfcg leave to urge the great ad*» vantage of it in the strongest terms. The militia of this country roust be consi dered as the palladium of our security, and. the firft effetfnal refolt in case pf hoftility* It is eftential, therefore, that the firm* fyflem Ihbuld pervade the fHiole ; that the formation and difeipline cf the militia of the continent fiiould be abfolutdly uniform; anJ that tb# fame fort of arms, accoutrements, and mili tary apparatus, ftmuld be introduced in every part of the United States. No one who has oof lean ed it from experience, can conceive th© difficulty, expence and confafion, which re sult from a contrary fyflem, Or the rangements which fiaVe hitherto prevailed. • * , If, in treating, of political points, a great er latitude than ufOal has been taken in th© course of -this ad d refs, the importance of the crisis, and the magnitude of theobjefls indif- Ouffion, most be my apology, it i»« however, neither my with nor expectation, that the pre ceding obfervaiions ffiould claim any regard, excej t so far as they ftiall appear to be dilat ed by a good intention ; confonißt to the im mutable rule of justice; calculated to produce a liberal* fyflem of policy, and founded o* whatever experience may have been acquired' * by a king ahd elofe attention to public hnfineft. Her© I might speak With more confidence, fmm my afloal observations; and, if it would not swell this letter (already too prolix) be . yond tbe bounds I bad preferred myfetf, I could demonflrate to every piind, open to conviction, that in left time, and w * s b much left expence than has been incurred, the war. might have been brought to the fame happy conclusion, if the resources of the Continent could have been properly called forth: that I the distresses and difappointmenta which bare very often occurred, have, in too many sa«