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[VOL. I.]
AVGUSTA- PRINTED BY DANIEL STARNES-<k Co. WESI' END OF BROAD-STREET.
PROPOSALS
B y DAN IE I. ST AKNF.S S’ CO.
t h SJforftbm a rvetilySvmtfafu
; / InTHI CITY OF Al GUSTA,
TO BE ENTITLED
Mirror of the Times.
'THE universal promulgation of
,h and the general diflribution of know
]fd-e‘ are objeA. of the firft importance tn
•very couutrv where liberty ha. left trace.
rfh / r footlfep*. under every government
*fci,h consult. the happine.. of Man
■ K-owlfdgc,” fai<l the Great Lord Bacon
power, united with yirtue” it certainly
j, liberty. Where ignorance reign, there
vice triumph, and delpoiilm g iverna. A*
iwcom- « enlightened authority will be j
iimitcsl & nmr lity restored—Km wle«'ge & 1
virtue are the bales of freedom-the one |
ntflrnvSE-* us in our right., t' e other teacbe., j
uJ nir dune.; the iirlf she-v. u . how to con- I
‘trudt the heft poll' lc o-m <'f government, |
Ibc Est require* us to < bey i w'-er
tf ,t. it i. therefore advamag. o’. every where, j
ihut in a yrfwblit i' o abfolu*e y ne<efTary
correct information llicud be widely
d fifeil and eafiiy obtained : For tb.reWi
p s fieyit who govern. ‘They ne»er inten
t:on.>iiy choose bad leader, or approve wrong
ranfures, yet they are liable to error—give
them true details and they will judge cor
ral,— fo r on plain gnu m/s the people al
vovo from just opinions : whenever they mis
take their own intcrefts ’ti* owing entirely
to want of intoimation in the many or want
i.f hot.efty 'n the f-nv. But txt rjivc politi 1
cal information is not to be acquired without 1
much labour, and few have leifurc to fhidy
the lvf. mi, compare the opinion, and pe
rufetic pag p s of Locke, Sydney, Gibbon, 1
Fiume and V ittel. If an acquaintance with 1
the true principle, if government and duties
•f a citizen could be r equired only from 1
huge folios A diffnfe treatises, it would be 1
fcldrm fought or if fungi t, the p’ough, the
h»tclit r , and the law must flaod flill. Seme i
cheaper and easier merns of fati.'ying curi- '
efity a d procuring inform«tion muff there- i
lore be looked for ; and where i« intelligence j
clieap'nefs and cenvenicnce unit d with more !
advantage, than in the closely rin’ed col- I
amr.i of the humble News-p,per? pur 1
countrymen appear l'o well c> i.vinred of ;
the ufefulneL of pei it dical prints and have
fa wry liber.dly encouraged them, that we
dtera it unneccfiary to infiA or. thrir merit,
and almoil I efiute to request public patron
age for another Newt paper eftablilhmcnt.
We can pr. nnfe little except what atten
tion, lionelty & intluffry can perform. The |
principles ol «nir Paper, like our own, will be J
Republican, “but the fame freedom of opin
ion * ich we claim for ourfelvet, we wilh i
all o 1 hers to enjoy.” Civil and Religious ;
liber yis the birh right of cvry man, and ,
he who will not extend the lame indulgence ;
to mi nartiei, and all fe<£t, which be willies I
for I,i» own, is already or deserves to be a
(lave,
To support Religion and morality will
htoiirpriue— to encourage literature our
ar.dcsvor—no communications calculated to
do either will be ref u fed ; no bint will oc
“fghiJed In a free country it i< neeelTary
L«t the Uw fhonld be neither vague nor !
■nitnown. »!! public adfs of the State leg- I
ture, will therefore be puMilhed as they I
v®eto hand. |
(he MIRROR OF THE TIMES will be ;
cptn t 0 aU "ho canvass public m.afure with |
Oftncy ard in examining the condudt of j
as i fßcers of goveroment—it j
»'u w l Ao Party but my Country,
/r -"J Ut 7rutl>"
CONDITIONS.
I The MIRROR OP THE TIMES will be
pv.Wiflicd every Monday, on • a royal
fleet of an excellent -quality, and good
tL 1 ,iC P ri « to fubfcrfcer* will be three
follcr* per annum, paid half yearly in!
«*iivancr .
111 The price lor advertiGng will be fifty
!, ui . t 8 F €r fy’mre for tbe firfl iniertion
. ,ll,rt y iev « n a(J d a half for each con
tinuation.
I K i ’ e , pil f' er w >' i delivered to Town
iLffh' r ' at ,hpir P'afciof abode and
in 6 i' r l *' e crun,r T will be dene up
Office^ 1 * 5 deliv,irt ‘ i at thc Poll '
I*o TICK.
perlon having any dc.
mandh againlt ihe FRaic of Da
' l l Aifv/tom Eeq. | a(e of War
county (it-ceased, are re.
1 io rerdri in ihcir ac !
(j br s . ari( j ,hose indchtrd are :
fK A loifciita io make im- I
payment.
MA HY NEWSOM, ad,nV
Ju, y 3t
final notice. I
SUBSCRIBER noti. I
, :j j'* sircars to him that I
ir c ' r notes ana accounts
t|\ !, ir,?e<i h - v the day !
ls , cni f>er next, they will be j
l 0 ,'^‘ niln «tely H ut m lutt lor j
ltc *ion,
. •"’NATIIANVAS.Si.tt. 1
u .
MIRROR. OF THE TIMES
From the Georgia Argus.
Fellow-Citizens—Govern
ment is inflituted for the com
mon good, for the protection,
prosperity, and happineh of the
great body of thc people, and
not for the profit, honor, or
private interell of any one man
or class of men. The people
alone have therefore an incon
feftible, unalienable, Sc indtfea
fible right, to inititute govern
| ment, and to reform, aiter, or
| totally change the lame, when
i their protection, lately, and
I prolpenty require it. lnpol
| feflion of ihele ineOimable privi
leges under our form of govern,
mem, and believing that a large
mojoruy of the citizens of this
It ate are ever on the watch to
prelerve them, and that their
iirft wilh is their country’s hap_
pinels, I am induced to lay be-
I foie them a lew obfeivations,
l 7
I which I hope will be conlidered
coolly and dilpalfionately. i
l am fully aware ol the danger
, / O
ol altering lorms of goveinmem
1 or their conltiiuiions, Sc that the
uemoft circumlpection and cool
deliberation lhould always pre.
cede luch alterations, when
j made in our conltuution, which
j breathes the (pint of republican
ism and is intended to guard a
! gamft accumulation of power
tn the officers under us govern
ment. 'lhe exception in the
I iauer part of the hi lt lection,
fir it article, and the exception
i hi the eleventh lection ol laid
aiticle are incoulident with
the tenor of the initrument and
may be at lome time unlels ie'
j pealed, fatal to the rights of the
‘ people. The eleventh lection
I lays “ no person holding any
mditary commillion or other
appointment, having any emolu
ment ot com pen lation annexeu
! thereto under this Itate, oi the
|U. Sutes, or either of them,
I • xcepi jultices of the interior
i court, jullices of the peace ana
; officers of the militia or any per
j lon who has had charge of public
monies, ” dec. “ itiali have a
feat in either branch of the gen.
etal afiembly.
It will readily be preceived, I
have no doubt and as it tie
j qoently happens, mull long ago
! have been perceived, that by
this fettion powers ot a legilla
live, judicial and nnltuaiy na
ture may and have been exei
ciled by the lame per ion ; ner
ther have 1 any doubt bur that
theie powers will be acknow
ledged mconlilteni with repub
licau principles
-1 have no desire or wilh to
dictate to the legillaiure, or peo
ple, but would only beg leave
io lugged the propriety ol lub'
! Ituuung in place ot exceptions
jin the eleventh lection that
i anv per lon holding any appoint,
ment under this itate or the L.
States, any olhcqf of honor or
profit, and being elected in
either btanch of the general
, afiembly 6c accepting the lame,
i the oliice cm appointment which
they bcfoteheld llr all be conli
dered vacant, and that no one
ptrlon liiall exctcile, hold or en
joy two oiitces or apponunents,
at »he lame tune, uituer lhi*
Itaie, Sc tliat no membtrol eith
er bianch ol tbe gci»eiai «• Hem.
bly, Hr all be appointed to an)
i cilice ul houot,or ptefit, du
“ HOLD THE MIRROR up to nature.”— Shakespeare.
ring the time for which he was
eleOed.”
Fellow-citizens, let us examine
for a moment the powers velied
in lome of the civil and miliia.
ry officers, and lee whether
they are congenial with thc fpir it
and genius, of a free people.—
We (hall not attempt to Ipccifv
the poweis which each officer
may exercise, hut only bring in.
to view the power of one or two
grades of our officer*, which
are surely extraordinary, and
dangerous, We will begin with
the over gtown power of the
jullices of the inferior courts,
(exclulive of their judicial pow
er, which is very g*cai) they j
have the power of appointing
all the jullices of the peace, the
conltables, and (with the jultices
ol the peace which ihev have
bciote appoint mettled) the col* '
lectors, and receive s of taxes ; 1
they correct and revile the pr*-
• V hh and admit or iijctt
whom they pleale. The pof
leiliou o| theie extenlive powers
when men are or may be un.
der the violence of party Ipir
it, ate certainly dangerous; and
indeed, when we tonfidci how
far men may be hurtied beyond
juHice in the accomplilhmerrt
of lelfifh interest ; and that men
in power under the influence'
ol party Ipiiit, ate entirely re'!
gardlelsof merit, ve lhall trem.
ble at «he influence olan info-,
rior court. They may proHL
tute the offices withVr their gift
for party purpoles, aid may ex
tend their gigantic influence, so
far as to preclude a cTizcn from j
a lair trial in a civil r uit at law.
Clothed with the a>ove pow,
ers, if they ate then jeleCted to
a leat in the legdliure, they
have the filling all vacancies
in their own body - 3 voice in j
the appointment ofgovernor, I
ienaiors to congrels the tua.
jot and brigadier geierals, and
a *i other officers ol it ie.
so theie illulftiols justices
inulf candidates tor lie above
oflicct. pay the moil profound
court—-they have alfo>an equal
power, to declare lawi uncon
Hitutional with otthc
luperior court, (Io muchlcom
plamed ot, of tale) of f>vhich 4
power I lhall laty nothing.l
W e come now lay a few
words of military olficersl-mi
ittaty laws through ail ag|s of*
the world have been of neoeffity
arbitrary, as well in republican
governments as ariiiocraiic|thai
the love ot power is predojnui*
ant in man, we could adlduce
numherlefs proofs from thftear*
hell ages down to medern Eon
aparte ; and as no man is itiial
hie but ail itable to err, theie
leems an abfolutc necefetty,
that all free people lhould be
extremely cautious how they
admit into their ly items of go.
vernment, any thing like mili
tary preponderance. Look at
the militia law of 1807, you 1
will find the colonels of the re
giments (looping to the power
ol captains ofdiltriCts, Io far as j
to appoint the day lor cornpa. ;
ny multers for each diltritt, ]
under pretence of teaching them
thc military evolutions, when it j
is well know n that two thirds of
the colonels are as little ac.
quaimed with military tafclics,
c.s the captains- Tbe infer
ence is, that other motives inllu.
enced me officers who were in
* the legillaiure at the pa fling of
1 this law than the public weal,
artd these motives probably
were that the colonels might
| have a pUufihle pretext for go.
ing through the county, conve.
ning the people in small ntim
; hers, and with more ease and
lucccls canvas for a feat in the
legilDturc, and tha*, when va~
■ fancies lhould occur, appoint
I theinlelves major or bragadier
S general, or judges of the tnie'
; nor court. Ihe afcls of the
j laU legillature, plainly evince
this, there being no vacancies
at the commencement of their
lellion, to devtde amonglt them,
j they (in their wi dom) created
! a new brigade of officers, which,
the better to accommodate them
lelves, took on them to appoint
the colonel—a practice emiielv
j contrary to the pioceedings ol
any former legislature.
Fellow citizens, recoiled that
the civil and military officers
ate appointed lor file or good
behaviour—to remove a judge
of the inferior court mult be bv
a
empeachmeni, or an addielsof
two thirds oflhe legislature to
the governor; of the efficacy
ol this mode, in luch gales', a
good fa tuple is lurniihtd by the
recent trial of Echols, Simms
! and Flournoy. A military of.
I hetr can only be removed by a
court martial, compoled of offi
cers of his own body, or an ad
dress to the legislature as above.
Fellow-citizens, it is in this
way that ail republics have fal
len except our’s. The people
j unwarily deliver up their power
to their reprefcniatives, a id this
power, as it were, inlenlibly ac
cumula'es until they are lulli.
ciently itrong to Duild up an
arbitrary government on the
j ruins ol the repubic. It is ve
ry rarely leen that any m<u>, or
let of men, will voluntarily re
linquilh powei or beneht for
puoiic good. io piove this
a Her t ion, lee whether the de
sired alter anon in our conltiiu
tion can be procured in any o
ther way than by force. Fel
low-citizens, I would recom
mend, mar, before you elect
your legtflators, you demand
ot them an unequivocal declar
ation of their lentiments, ami e.
left thole only who are »u iavor
ol the propoled alteration, I
am well aware oflhe oppoiition
this will meet wall lome
of the civil and military officers
—it will curtail their powers,
and they will conlcquently be
oppolcd to u ; but 1 am lully j
of opinion that there is patriot- J
ilm and underttanding enough
among the people to poih lor
the alteration as loon as poiii
ble, to prevent greater dangers.
I will only cue one case to piove
the impropriety of any one
man holding more than one
office at the fame time. Ab
ner Sc i hornas Davis, of Mont-
I gomery county, (brothers) hold
or have held the following of.
ficevat the lame tune —colonel
and maj. in militia, clerk of the
fupertor, inferior, and court ol
ordinary, collector and receiver j
of taxes, county surveyor, and j
j both of them diftnd lurveyors,
in both the late purchaies--the ,
lefult you have fecn by the j
comptroller general’s ilatemcnt
publtlhed.
I he taxes of the county is with- j
held from the Hate lor five year*
MONDAY, September IS, 1809.
wholly, and two other ve» r s i*
part. It will readily hr perct-iv-tl
| how this business ih m;>n pcd uy
i the two brothers hold ng all .h*
1 important offices in ttie county
1 does not this defeat the w< 11 known
I policy of one rffice serving as a
I check on o'hers ?
Fellow-citizens, let us see what
benefits would most likely result
to us from this proposed altera
tion in the constitution, it would
ensure us legislators ol coo!, dis.
passionate and unprejudiced prin
ciples, who would serve only from
true patriotic motives, would en
act such laws as themselves woult:
i he governed by ; when they retur
ned home ; would not have the
power, both of making and enfor
cing laws ; and would not have the
power of giving themselves high
and important offices, whether ad
| equate to the duties or not —mil-
itary officers would rise on their
own merit, or their alertness and
s open or knowledge of military
tactics i and, in proportion to their
merit, let us raise them to offices
of honor and profit. Magistrals
would execute with promptness,
the laws on profane swearers,
gamblers and other offend, rs, who
so often disturb the tranquility of
°f civil meetings, and not fear to
incur the displeasure of sycophants
Irom whom they expect a vote in
some pending election. Ad the
unconstitutional electiooeerinj: bu
stle which has produced such eter
nal animosity between neighbors,
and sometimes blood shed, would
then disappear—harmony, friend-,
ship and social intercourse would
succeed. PLANTER.
N. 13. It is hoped the editors of
the different gazettes throughout
the state, will gj ve this a place in
their papers, as it equally concerns
aIL P .
william cobbett*
Wm. Cobbdtt, alius Peter P°r
Cupiite, is now the warm advocate
of ParliiTmf-niary Reform—of S?t*
I Francis Burdett and Wardle—and
| the opponent of political corrup*
cion. Will mericics never cease ?
On this subject he has address
ed a scries of letters to the people
of Ham shire- of which the first
present? a most serious and mon
itory lesson to the people of the
United States. — “ Some of you,
says he will have heard perhaps,
that while I was in America, I
wrote several pamphlets, some
under a feigned name, and seme
under no name at all. From one *
of these pamphlets, the London
ministerial new papert. have ex
tracted these words; ! For my
part, I am no friend of the Eng
lish ; I wish their island sunk
to the bottom of the seaV Having
taken this sentence, they tell their
readers, that it is quite natural
such a person ” should wish for a
reform that would lead to ievolu
tion. Gentlemen, Ido nol recol
lect any thing so foad-as this, ever
done or attempted to be done, b f
any writer in the world.
The pamphelt from which the ex
tract is made, was written for the
purpose , and the sole purpose of •
serving my king and country, and
that too at a time and in a place,
when and where no man but my
; self had the zeal to write a line
for such a purpose. In order to
give effect to what I was writing,
it was necessary for me to say
something, to diguise the fact
that it proceeded from an Eng.
gitshmans pea ; and that thia was
the case, there needs no proof but
this, that the government at home
caused this pamphlet to be repub *
lished in linglarid. Further, tor
; having written this & other pam
phlets in America, the government
here made me offers of their sup*
j p°rt, which 1 never accepted of.
j Upon my return from America,
i those offers were renewed, but a
■ gain rejected. I received ma ks
I of approbation. Jot theie writings ,
Iron* all lire men ti»su in power.—*
[No. 49.]