Newspaper Page Text
AKQELS’ FOO 'ITIIISTS
Every little lilmhicM,
Evory deed ot love,
Every littlo uction,
Prompted from above;
E'en a cop of water,
Iu nin great name glveu
These are angels’ footpiiuts
Leading up to lieaveu.
Evovv little sacrifice
Made for others’ weal,
Every wounded brother
Thai wo stive to heal,
E’en a word of kindness
To misfortune given
All are angels' footprints
Leading up to heaven,
Then lid angels lead us
Wheresoe’er they would;
Eton let tiemi teach ns
What is for our good;
May they crons our pathway
When from heaven they roam;
Let us follow alter,
Footspriuts leading home.
Funny Wuj land.
PL ANT YOUR STAKE.
Tlfnty years ago a young man,
without capital other than his own
energy, might have conic to Flotilla
and taken up government land in
what uru now the garden spots of the
State. His qnaiter see,ion there
pre-empted would now ho ■ oitli fif
ty or one hundred dollar.- ■ aero. —
lie would have neighbors and friends
about him, schools and churches
within reach, railrords past
his doois, and -the while machinery
of modern existence daily made a
part of his life.
The young man of to-day looks at
this growth and wonders vaguely
why lie could not have come upon the
stage of action a few years sooner,
while there were yet untilled lands,
llut does any sane person for a mo
ment imagine that from now hence
forward there is to be in this wide
domain only silence, stagnation and
wivck ? Is not the progress of the
n< xt thirty years to compare favora
bly wi h the past? Asa whole, is it
not more than likely that heavy will
be the regrets of the young man who
to-day, in this year of grace ISBO,
blukcs off the dust of Florida, and
seeks new fields for tho next thirty
years ?
In this matter of winning a cotn
pctcntonce, and being one’s own
master, it appears evident that there
is room out of doors for energy and
hope; room in in each county of tho
State lor active young men;
places where a few dollars will enable
one to get a foothold, to cling, and
hew out his patli to success. Day af
ter day, and dime after dimo, we
have seen men save enough to make
a beginning for themselvos. They
set their stake, and they worked, incli
by inch nearer, until tho hour of tri
umph came as it always does for
those who toil wisely,—Florida Lis
patch.
Cuthbert Appeal: '‘The protract
eel drought in this section lias injured
cotton to a degree lardy ever expe
rienced by our planters. Immedi
ately after planting a drought ol sev
(ral weeks set in, which seriously
retarded the growth of c< ttou,
when a season was had sufficient to
produce a “bottom crop,” since
which time not Giiongh rain has fall
en in many sections to mature the
fruit formed, and the plant is now re
ported dying. From reports the
present cotton crop will fall short of
last year’s thousands of bales. Po
tatoes, peas ami late corn will also
bo short indeed. S’ill the planters
arc hopeful, and as fast as a bale of
cotton is ginned and packed it is
sold, and tho proceeds aj 1 to the
. settlement ot debts —where an) are
outstanding.’’
Dtraglassvillo Star: “Two weeks
ago Mr. 1). W. Prince sent Tom Ar
nold, a negro man, with a cow to At
lanta to sell. Arnold carried the cow
•to Atlanta, sold her, pocketed the
money and left lor parts unknown
Nothing lias been heard of him, ex
cept that lie sold the cow tor nine dol
lars.
Newnan Herald: Judge Buchan
an, judge of the Coweta circuit, the
Democratic nominee for Congress
from this district, hi3 resigned his
judgeship and will stump Jiis district
Up to the close of the campaign. The
judge will mako things lively for Pou,
and bo rptumdd to Congress by a
larger majority than has ever been
given to a*y Democratic nominee
since tho war,
* __ -r— T**£ , u
Tv. A. SINGLETON, Ed■ <1- Trvp'r.
VOL G.
Lotter of Rev. J. R, Respess, of Tay
lor COunty, to tho Savannah
Itocordor.
IJuti.f.r, G.v, \ng.-13,18’8.
Editor Becouder:
Tho political opinions of an ob
seme citizen as mysClf are perhaps of
but little importance, so that I would
not intrude them upon tho public
wore it not that I feel it duo myself,
and those friends who attach tome
little value to them, to give the rea
sons wliy I cannot vote for Gov. Cel
quilt for the next Governor of Geor
gia. You know, and my Iticnds
know, that 1 was an ardent support
er ol Cos quilt prior to the recent Gu
bernatorial Convention, and did what
litile ! could to secure a delegation to
the convention in Lis behalf. I was
a Colquitt man in preference to any
of the otliei candidates before the
paity, becauso I believed him to be
a persecuted man—one whom the
politicians sought to destroy without
a cause. I did not prefer him be
cause I thought he was a better Dem
ocrat, or because I thought ho would
make a belter Governor than either
of them, or than many other distin
guished Democrats of Georgia would.
My preference was purely a personal
one, and whilst I yet esteem him as
a friend, I ilurc not prefer him before
Ihe unity of tho party or at the sacri
fice ol piinciple. Wlieu I voted for
him at our primary election as my
choice of them all for Governor, no
principle was then involved; but to
vote for him now would be, in my
view, sacrificing a principle and tho
unity of the party to a personal pref
erence —just what, it seems to me.
the majority ot the late convention
did. Therefore, I cannot vote for
him, because to do it would be infi
delity to the trust committed to me
ns a freeman and citizen. I hold the
convention committed a crime in re
fusing to make a nomination for Gov
ernor. I could and would have vo
ted for Colquitt if at first he had
been nominated by a majority, but
not after the cont’cutiou had bound
itself by a two-thinls rule. I say
they committed a crime because in
making no nomination they left a
disputed succession ami all the train
of disastrous consequences inciden 1
to it. The least it can involve in our
form of government is strife, bitier
feuds and party instruction. Our
government is a government of par
ties, npen which is involved tho duty
of naming our rulers and their suc
cessors, and when tho delegates ol
the people, selected for that purpose
and invested with that power, refuse
to do it, they are guilty of criminal
negligence, for which the people
should hold them responsible. I
charge this gu.lt upon the majority
party of the convention, because it
should be laid at the door of that
party or fraction which could, with
out a sacrifice ol party or principle,
have prevented it, ami which, to per
petrate it, made a sacrifice of princi
ple. The majority voluntarily and
of their own accord adopted tho two
tliirds rule, binding themselves to
make a nomination, and by a two
thirds majority. It was their privi
lege to do that or not to do it, just as
they chose; there was no compulsion;
but after they did it, it was not their
privilege to set aside, but their duty
to abide by it; there was then com
pulsion. It is my privilege to go in
debt; it is not my duty—that is to
say there is no compulsion. I may or
may not, as I choose; but if 1 do go
in debt, it then becomes my duty to
pay my debts, and it is not. my priv
ilege to do it. I am bound, and so
was the convention by the two-thirds
rule; and having voluntarily bound
themselves, they could not, withou
violation of principle, throw oil their
obligation. There has been a good
deal of talk of high moral principles
in connection with this contest, but
it scorns they were forgotten ill tho
heat of passion, that tho righteous
should not swear deceitfully; and
'.hough they swear to their own hurt,
they should no' eh rage, but stick to
it. There is another tiling that, m
my judgment, savors of a bad spirit
■BUENA VISTA, MARION COUNTY, GA„ SEPTEMBER 8, 1880.
[in tho njajorify. Imm. diatoly upon!
the heel of i-he two-tldr.ls ride they
pa srd by a majority that what Ims
boon cub'd “a gag law,’’ saying in
effect that no man should lie nomi
nated save s nio one ol the ciwJL
dates then before the body, which was
saying, as the sequel proved, Hint no
man in the State save Gov. Colquitt
should be nominated; that no man
should bo chosen for Governor of
Georgia unless lie had announced
himself for that positi, n and had
sought it. Is that a principle of tiio
Democratic party, that a man who
gets an office must always seek it ?
Was it ever a princij lj of the party
before ?
As lo flic minority, I know not the
spirit that actuated them, but can on
ly judge them by I licit’ fruits, and
their conduct was right in tho letter.
They made concessions, yielding
thi ir own personal preferences and
giving the mujoiity tho selection of
any two or llncc dozen distinguished
Democrats lor whom they would cast
their yotes anil harmonize tlio par
ty. Could not they have saved Ihe
unity of the party by naming such
men as Gen. Lawton, Judge Craw
ford, Jackson and Stephens, all
good and true Democrats ? Thus the
majority had the opportunity and
upon them devolved the duty ol pre
serving the unity ol tho parry by
yieldiug a personal preference with
out any sacrifice whatever of princi
p'e or manhood. To this they were
bound by their own action in passing
the two thirds rule, when it was scon
to bo clearly impossible to unite the
minority upon Gov. Colquitt. But
they persisted, and sacrificed the uni
ty of the party to their personal
preference, and violated the covenant
they had voluntarily made in the
two-thirds rule, and have said to the
people of Georgia that they prelcr
Gov. Colquitt to tho Democratic par
ty. This action I cannot endorse, nor
ought it to be endorsed by the Dcm
ocraiic party of Georgia. The mi
nority are not responsible for it, be
cause they could not help it, save as
a sacrifice of their manhood. They
vielileii their personal preferences and
left the selection of the candidate to
the majority, excepting Colquitt on
ly, and the majority had agreed, in
effect, that if they couldn’t nominate
him by two-thirds, to mako a nomi
nation by two-thirds of some good
Democrat. That is what the conven
tion met for, and what they ought to
have done. As to Gov. Colquitt’s
vindication, he was nobly vindicated
so far us the majority could do it by
tl eir ballots, and could have afforded
to have made his aspirations a peace
ofhring to the party that had so
greatly honored him in the past, and
in that very convention. That they
had a majority is nothing, as they did
not liavo tho majority they agreed to
have to make a nomination. If they
lacked ever so litile, that littlo was
as great an obstacle as if it were
twenty t' : mes as big. I grant it pre
sented a greater temptation to do
wrong and violate their plighted
faith than a less majority would, but
the glory of resisting the temptation
would have been in the same ratio.—
Saul lost the kingdom of Israel by a
very littlo lack. lie was commanded
and assumed to do it, to slay tho
Amalekites,oxen,shaep amlall.tospare
nothing, and he came very nigh do
ing it; he only lacked a very litile; he
spared a few sheep and oxen, and
them not for himself, but to sacrifice
to tho Lord. When the Prophet Sam'
uel went down to inspect his work,
Saul went out jubilantly to meet liiim
exclaiming: “I have lull filled flic
commandment.” “If so,” grimly
said the prophet, “what means the
bleating of these sheep aiul lowing of
these oxen which I hear?” There
fore. lie lost His kingdom, and had as
well have done nothing as what h■■
had dime for all lie did amounted to
nothing for the lack oi a little tic
didn't do; because the lack, or what
he didn’t do, showed that he had
done all that lie did do m
tho wrong spirit. This, I honest
ly believe, was the way the majority
did iu the convention, and I emmet
VN. DEMOGBATIO T’.A.IVIIX.'Y IISTEWSPA.3P.T3R,,
follow them. These nrirfny reasons
for n >t being a Colquitt man, though
[ wan one a low days ago';. Did Sam
uel change in rejecting Haul, even
though lie had chosen jMA anointed
him ? If I liavo T utn not
know it; I have found out the tacts,
and the right must act upon them.
J, 11. lIESI’E.Si.
Concerning Mr - Respess, •
AND HOW UK STANDS ON THE CANDIDA-
C , 'j? COLQUITT.
Butler, August 24.—Editors Con
stitution: I saw in tho Savannah Re
corder of tho 20ih iust. a letter from
the Ilev. ,J. R, Respnss, of this place,
in which he cltims to have changed
from Colquitt to Norwood, and gives
lie reason why. Will you allow the
undersigned a little of your valuable
space to notice that aiticlc? In the
first place, it is hard to understand
why the gentleman went so far from
homo to publish Ins communication
(miles he bethought himself of a
well-known scriptural adage), whin
wo have a paper hero in our town
and quite a number in tho surround
ing towns anil adjacent ciiics, cither
of which lias a larger circulation in
out" county than the organ selected.
Why was it necessary to have writ
ten the letter ? i.s the question at last.
From his standpoint, lie is “an ob
scure citizen,” not in politics, and re
moved from the turmoil and strife en
gendered thereby. Certain!} - lie does
not desire to injure, unnecessarily,
his personal friend, Governor Col
quitt, or to stir up additional-strife
among tho already
ple, was it done because hurtviews
had been solicited, or his position
assailed? Not by tho Recorder in
Savannah, to say the least of it.
lho reader is left to his own conjee
ures to solve tho mystery.
The honorable gentleman says,
“he was an ardent supporter of Gov
ernor Colquitt prior to the recent gu
bernatorial convention,’’ I would
like to ask how long before, or rather
how long at a time? Does he re
member, I wonder, what position In
occupied in tho beginning ot this gu
bernatorial race? I think he does,
and his candor and love of truth will
cause him fo admit that he was in
that position known in political par
lance “as on tho fence.” He does
remember, and will readily admit, I
know,that at tho Ist meeting appoint
cd in our county to cleet delegates
to the convention, a number oi gen
men approached him, (knowing his
position, as they thought,) and
urged him to allow his name run as
a Colquitt delegate, and ho rufased,
giving as his excuse, the thing is too
close; I can't tell how the county will
go.’’ This may not bo the exact lan
guage, but the substance of what
was said. In this county at that
time—or rather at that meeting,
which was a small one—it was diffi
cult to till who woul.l carry the l ,
Colquitt or Hardeman; but the zea|
of i lie Colquitt followers was such
that “they proved their faith by their
works,” and the gentleman was re
assured, and continued to be “an ar
dent” supporter of Colquitt. About
this time, (I have forgotten whether
before or sinco the meeting rifered
to) his excellency, Governor Col
quitt, appointed Governor Brown U,
S. senator, by way of parenthesis
a wise appointment, still, it enrne
“liko a clap of thunder from a clear
sky,” and produced considerable
commotion, viz: indignation meet
ings, denunciatory letters, etc. So
great was the excitement that there
was a general shaking among those
not well established in the faith, and
some of the knowing ones predicted
that the appointment was the hand
writing upon tho wall that foretold
ihe doom ot Governor Colquitt; oth
ers predicating their opinions on the
Stormy demonstration that lollowed
the announcement, of the sain-, sail
it had set in motion a breeze Dint
would culminate in a poliiical cy
clone, which would sweep Colquitt
and his littlo band into oblivion. 1
would liko to enquire where this ar
dent supporter of Colquitt was (lur
ing tins time, and if his voice was
ever once raised in !iis behalf ? No,
would bo his truthful answer, and it
he told all, lie would further say that
on the streets in Butler, in this coun
ty, publicly, and with emphasis
“I said I would not vote for
Colquit 1 .” In a short while the
stir m passed over and tho political
horizon cleared np. then reason ro
son resumed her sway and a reaction
followed in Colqiiit’s favor, and once
more we.find our honored, but some
what vaccilating friend an ’‘ardent
snppoitcT of Colquit, ’ and to his
credit be it said he remained an “ar
dent supporter of Colquitt” until the
second meeting ol cut people in the
county at which time the delegates
to the gubernatorial convention were
elected, the election having been pos
ponccl until this time. This meeting
ing was a large one—several hun
dred persons present—and the issue
submitted to the people was Colquitt
or anti-Colquitt, and colquitt carried
tlie vote nearly four to one. Then
delegates were elected by tlie same
body to tlie convention. This gen
tleman was so enthusiastic at lies
time that lie was affected as one o.
the delegates to the convention, and
for tlie express purpose of carrying
ing out the will ot the people as ex
pressed in the meeting. This ho
knows. It is a well-known fact here
and also to tlie members of tlie con
vention, that he did not go in per
son. Now, the question is why did
he not go in person and discharge
the Unties he owed his constituency,
and at the same timo show his de
votion to him whom he claims as his
.‘personal friend,’’for by obeying sim
ply liis instructions he would have
performed the delightful service of
honoring a friend. It may be that
he had an excuse lor not going - to
the convention, but what excuse has
lie for criticising so harshly the work
of others gratiously performed for
him ? I did think, inasmuch as be
failed to go, he would have remained
quiet, and ncquiscsed greatfully in
what was done, but in this supposi
tion I was mistaken;
Again our distinguished friend
says; “I was a Colquitt man because
I believed him to boa persecuted
man, one whom tho politicians
sought to destroy.” Who were the
politicians then ? They will rejoice
over one recruit now. Iu tho next
sentence I find this language: “My
preference was purely a personal
one.” Now which -of these sentences
would he have us accept as embody
his truo sentiments, we certainly
can’t take both. lie goes on to soy:
“When I voted for him at our prima
ry election as my choice of them
all for governor no principle was
then'involved.” Here ho admits
that Colquitt was his choice against
the field, the word “all” embraces
as much. What principle is now in
volved that was not at that time?
He says, “To vitc fer him now would
be sacrificing a princip'e and the uni
ty of the party to a personal prefer
ence just what to me it seems the
majority ol the late convention did.”
Surely the gentleman Joes not intend
to charge infidelity to the party, and
a want of principle to all who will
vote for him at the coining election,
but l hat is what lie says, nnd I reck
on he is willing to stand by it. Now
I say Unit those who voted for Col
quitt (at least one) did so because lie
was Ihe exponent of the principles
which they honored and cherished,
and which were born with our party,
first promulgated by Jefferson, nurs
ed and nurtured by each successive
ANNUAL SCnSCRIPTION . $2 00
; gem ration from that timo to this,
and will be ns long as fredom is pre
served in this country; while he ad
mits that lie voted for him “purely
(rom personal reasons.” “F.rat cast
out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then slialt thou sec clearly to
| east out the mote out of thy brother’s
eye.” Onco more lie says: “I hold
that tho convention committed a
crimo in refusing to make a nomi
nation for governor.” If so, lie is
the lir.-t mail to “turn state's evi
dence,” and as ho is ‘particeps
eriminis, he had a right to do it
He certainly ins forgolt m that he
was a legally elected member ot tho
convention, with power to select his
own alternate, and that tie did ap
point ids alternate and instruct him
too. Now it is evident that lie is
mon-ally and legally bound by the
acts ot his agent, if tho agent aclou
only within the scope if his agen
cy.
Now, I don’t think any other
members of that convention will
plead guilty, neither do I think a ju
ry composed of the people will find
himself alone in his Confession and
not corroborated by the surround
circnstanccs: if he had confessed, I
don't think he would have been found
guilty on t hat line. All that remains
to be done is for the Sentence to he
passed. This leave for the people
to do, and would respectfully recoin
menu to mercy. Now, Messrs. Ed
itor, I desire to say that this article
is not intended as a reply to the gen
tleman’s document, or in answer to
ilia argument, for that has been done
over and over again to the satisfac
tion of “tlie majority,” but simply
to do justice, tnat both sides might
know where tho gentleman original
ly stood who now claims to hav*
changed.
I submit w hat has been written
with kindness and in good humor.-
Albert A Carson.
A LILY OF THE VALLEY.
One day our dog Towser was a
lyin in tho sun and a trine to sleep,
but the flies was that bail he couldn’t
cause ho had to catch eni, and bime
by a bee lit on his head and was
working about like the dog was bis’n.
Towser he held Lis head still, and
when the bee was close fo his nose
Towser winked at him like he sed you
sec wh.it tni3 buffer is tloin; he
thinks I’m a lily of the valley which
isn’t opened yet, but you must wait
till I blossom and you will see some
fun; and sure enuf Towser opened
1 i> mouth i O' y fri
ten, the bee, end the bee went into
Towser’s mouth; Then Towser shot
his eyes and his mouth, too, and had
begun to make a peaceful smile wen
the bee stung him, and you never see
a lily of tho valley ack so in you
life. —Little Johnny's Essays,
Savannah News: “Personalism,’’
as Mr, Iliil calls it, must indeed run
high in our politics when a distin
guished and honored citizen liko
General John B. Gordon is greeted
with hisses from an audience he had
been invited to address. We cannot
believe that respectable citizens of
Columbus had any part in such dis
graceful conduct, but the boys of our
sister city t-hould be admonished
against such an exhibition of bad
manners by the reflection that tlie
Creator itas endowed only two ani
mals besides man with the power to
hiss—tlie serpent for its venom and
the goose for its stupidity.
Rome Courier: Unices early frost
or some unseen calamity befalls the
cotton there will be tho largest crop
ev. r grown in this section. There
seems to ba g neral apprehension
among the planters that they wt’,l
not bo able to ga her what grown’*
AN OLD FEUD. *
Louisville, Ky., Sept I.—A ripe*
ciul from Shelby city to tho Qonriar-
Journal says, Samuel Johnson was
shot nnd instantly killed by .VnmeH
Wheeler last evening at Danville
junction. This is lire culmination 1 of
an old feud which commenced in'
1859 at Libei ty, between Samuel
Johnson’s father, Bill Owsley, Jturns
Wheeler, ami several other pur tips,,
in which Johnson was killed by Owe*
Icy.
Young Samuel then a Itoy only
NO. 1
four years old, as ho grew older,,
swore lie would kill Owsley ami
Wheeler at the first opeoitTmitJy. / ,
Ow.-Ly died nine years ago, John
son met Wheeler for the first timo
last full, and at onco assaulted-him.
Bystanders interfered and prevented l
Johnson from accomplishing ItiS pur-
pose. Nothing more was thought of
tho matter until two months ago;
when Johnson appeared at Danville’
junction where Wheeler wits at work
and fired three shots at him,, without/
warning. None of the shots look
effect, and Wheeler made his es
cape.
Since then Wheeler annul' himself
and lias been on tho lookout for his
enemy. To day, Johnson, accompany
icd by three other .men; came to the
junction looking for Wheeler under a;
pretext of wanting to comoromisc
the matter. Wheeler not' believing
in their sincerity kept cut ot their
right, and finally went to hisromaml
Irom the window watched their move--
mcnls, nnd just as Johnson stepped
Irom the railrad’ upon the platform'
Lading lo the hotel, lie fired one
barrel of his gun loaded with buck
shot into Johnson's right side. John--
son sank upon tlie platform and died
in a lew moments. Wheeler was ar
rested and taken to Danville.
The first and second' volumes of
the official records ,ot the lde
war, publication of which' was au
thorized by Congress at its hot ses
sion, have been completed under’
the direction of Coi. Seott, of tho war
department, arc now in' the hands of
the publishers.
A Newport woman at a prayer
meeting turned to her husband and
whispered: ‘‘Father is very sick
and we must go home.” Though
they had left him-well, it was only by
the most nctive exertion that he w*
kept from' dying of cboleratnorbus.
Washington, Sept. I.— The - debt
statement issued to-day shows the
reduction oi the public debt during
the month of August to be $44,027.
167 59. Caslt in the treasury, $196,-
668,332 23; gold certificates, $75,*
979,000 00;.silver certificates,. $13,-
138,040 00; certificates of deposit
standing,. sll3, 000,000 00;. refund
ing certificates, $110,645,000; legal!
tender outstanding, $346,691,916.00;:
factional currency outstanding, $7,--
{ 181.995 37..
Oglethorpe Echo: “A visitor who>
attely passed through this county
says he found it lined with cotton—
seeing only one com field in thirty,
miles’ drive. The reason ol this is
our roads run on ridges, and farm
ers find that uplands pay bettor ini
cotton Let hint dbviabc to tho
right or left, and view the broad
bottoms of waving corn and he wilh
conclude that Oglethorpe comes as
near raising her own supplies as any
county iu Georgia. Upland com.
don’t pay one year in three. It
is a waste ol labor to plant it. Cot
ton pays much better,”
Gih.uiDix and Dr. 'l'annee.— Tho
Parris journal La France, organ of
ttlie celebrated Emile de Girard'n,
claims to have letters front this coun
try, anil it is supposed, from Dr. Tan
ner’s divorced wife, exposing tho
means by which, it is alleged tho fas
er defraud the’Amcrican people and
made them believe he fastod forty
days. Tlie supposed water that tho
Doctor took, according to La Fiance,
was an infusion of the well-known
mato, or Paraguyan tea, which is nu
ritous in a high degree. The Doc-,
Ii or will now of course go hang him
self, or floe to Canada to escape tl&
wrath of tlie crcdulonsAmericans,who
are already staggering uudor tho
weight of M. de Girardin’s ridicuL’.
—Savannah News.