The Louisville gazette and republican trumpet. (Louisville, Ga.) 1800-1809, November 20, 1802, Image 1

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Volume IV.I SATURDAVxt^ ___ IcKu A r > NoVIM B T. fc cc, *rso2. [Xo. iBo> LIBERTY IS OUR MOTTO >VJVO TRUTH OUR GUIDE. LOUISVILLE, (GEORGIA) PublHhcd every Wednclclay, by AMBROSE DAY & JAMES MELY, State Printers, at 3 doi:ais per aan. lieic Ell.iys, Articles of Intelligence, Advertifemcms, &:c. ike. arc thankfully received, aiid 1 HISG in all its variety, is executed with ncatnci&and difpacch* COMMUNICATION Of his Excellency Governor Tattnall, to both Houles • of the Leg! flam re, flu his re figning the government of «. the Hate. Fellow Citizens of the Senate, end of theHouJeof Representatives, IT will appear extraordinary '•that I fhould addrefs the Legif itture of the Hare from Savan nah, and not as ufual from the Executive office a: Louifville, the Seat of Government, at which place the conftituted au thorities are annually convened on the firft Monday in Novem ber, for the purpofes of legifla tion, and where the prefence of the Chief MagiHrate of the (late, *s confequently indifpenfably neceffary. The imperious caufe however being known it will not be confidcred a derelifbon of duty, or a want of zeal for the public good. In the month of June lad I Was feverely attacked at this place with a copious difeharge of blood from the mouth, which znufl have proceeded from a rupture of fome veffel near the vital parts, and which threatened my immediate diffolution, and has fince left me fo weak and debilitated that I am incapable of fupporting a ride of more than three or four miles on a fmooth road. In fuch a fituation and under fuch circumftances, with no profpefl before me of bettering my health, without going abroad and feeking it in fome climate favorable to the removal of the difeafe, I feel it fellow citizens a duty incum bent on me to refign the govern ment of the Hate into your hands-—and I requeff this may be confidered my refignation accordingly'—in order that by your immediate choice of ano ther perfon to fill the office of Governor, all obftacles to the operation of the fcveral Depart ments of the Government may timely ceafe. And whilft 1 feel myfelf conHraincd thus to aft, I beg of you and my fellow ci tizens throughout the date to be allured that were I bleffed with diffident health both duty and inclination would forcibly urge me to a continuance in office for the conftitutionai term : in deed were this not the cafe, I fnould be deficient in gratitude to my country for the diftin guifhed marks of favor and confidence I have fo frequently experienced, which claim, and I trufl I may be permitted to add, fecure my lading affeftion and devotion to her lervice.— Feeble as I am at prefent being THE LOUISVILLE GAZETTE; AND REPUBLICAN TRUMPET. almofl Incapable of writing, and at a chdance from mv office, to which it would be neceffary to refort for various information, I (hail be compelled to abridge very confiderably my obferva tions, and to notice only fuch fubjefls as are the mod promi nent. A purchafe of land having been made by the United States Commiffioners from the Creek Indians, at the treaty held in June lad, the particulars ofwhich as to fituation, boundaries and quantity I have direded to be laid before you, and ftiould the fame be ratified by the proper authorities, it will red with you gentlemen to determine upon the difpofidon to be made of the ceded Territory; and I beg leave to exprefs a hope that large mo nopolies bv individuals may be guarded againft, the baneful ef fects of which are already too vifible in our country, and the hiftories cf other nations anci ent and modern furnifh abundant proof of the deftfudive confe quences of thefe encroachments upon the natural and common rights of men. In republics dpecially monopolies ffiould be carefully avoided, for as large Handing armies are rppofed to both the fpiric and the fafety of them, it is neceffary to inertafe the firergrh of the nation by that kind of population, which will not only produce numbers but fuch for defence as feel an interefl in the foil. The Militia Laws of the Hate require revillon. '1 he ad cf 1792, with the addition of fun dry claufes taken from aftsfub fequently paffed with a few cor redions, might be framed into an efficient fyflem ; as there at prefent exifl a variety of laws on this fubjed, and claufes of fome repealing parts of others, and in fome inflances in terms lo general that doubts arife as to the extent of the operation, they are rendered complex ; whereby both officers and privates are lubjeded to many errors. A committee of military men fe leded from the two branches of the Legillature for the purpofe, would by devoting a few hours to this highly important fubjed remedy all the inconveniences complained of. And whilil we have in view the .militia of the Haie, permit me earnefily to recommend to your attention the adoption of means whereby they may be armed and equip ped for adua! fervice —the moft if not all of our fiHer Hates have already attended to this highly effcnrial object—the principal tar which has hitherto* and which does HillexiH to the citi zen 1 providing themfelvcs with mufkets and accoutrements, proceeds from the utter impoffi biliry, more particularly in the upper country of pufehafing them at any price*—to remedy therefore this evil, and to ren der the Ripply as fpcedy as pof fible, and the caliber of the mufficts of one fize throughout the Hate, I would recommend thatprovifion be made to enable the Executive to contrad for one fourth at a time of the num ber of mufkets, horfeincns pif tols, fwords, &c. required— which ffiall under his directions he difpofed of in different parts of the Hate at coft and charges j and the proceeds again vetted in another fourth of the quantity required, and thus continued till the whole are provided.— 1 am aware that doubts will arife as to the fufficiently rapid falc cf tie arms, &c. but if the rffi res will rigidly enforce the penally of the lav/ on all delin quents fc long as a mufket or ether article required remains unfold at the fue or depofitc neareft to his dill rift, I have not the lead doubt of rheobjeft being very fhortly attained, it is but reafonable alfo to prefume that a large proportion of our fellow citizens will readily per ceive their convenience as well as interdt confulted in the mea fure. 1 have reafon to believe there will be fundry propofitions made for fupplymg the Hate with the arms, &c. one has already been received from Mr. George Wheeler, of Virginia, which I have direded to belaid before the Legislature. At the extra Hffion of the Legiflature held in June laft, Charles Harris, efq. w as defied Judge of the Eaftcrn DiHrifl, in the room of Judge M‘Aliil ter, who had refigued ; fince that time, there has been no court in that dill rift, Mr. Har ris having declined accepting that appointment. This fitu ation is not only injurious to the inhabitants of that part of the Hare in general, but has no doubt been productive of feri ous injury to individuals as well in a civil as in a criminal point of view. Thofe charged with offences are deprived cf a fpcc dy enquiry into their innocence or guilt, and fuitors fo unrea ibnably delayed that it almcft amounts to a denial of juHice, and ruin often follows as the ultimate conHquence. Unplea fant as this fituation of the Dif tnffc has been, I have not had it in my power to afford relict. Gcnderr.cn ca whom the nubile rnuld confide the important duty of deciding upon the lives and fortunes of their fellow ci ties cannot be induced to abandon their private purfuirs, and devote their time and talents to the fervicc of the (late with out a juft and rtafonable com** per. far ion, nor ought it to be expelled, their lalaries fliould at leaft be fully adequate to theif expeaces which I am perfuaded is far from being the cafe ac prefenr. Hence 1 have not been able to fill the vacancy occa- Honed by the refignacion of Judge IvLAliifter, and the fub fcquenc rcfufal of Mr. Harris to accept* Whilft upon this lubjeft permit me to rcconi** mend to your lerious attention the melioration of our criminal code. The handfome and learn ed manner in which this fubjefr has recently been difelifted in the public tribunals of the coun try and elfcwhere, fupera de die ncccftity of my entering further into it upon the prefent occahon, than merely to bring it before you. Several lifter Hates in the Union afford a happy iliuftration of the fyftcm I would recommend, and prove to rny mind beyond the poftibllity of doubt what J think nu.ll now be [generally admitted, that fanguU nary punilhments do not anhver the end propofed. Let us pro fit then by the experience of others, and adopt a fyftcm of criminal jurifprudenre conib nanc to the nature cf our fice and happy government, and more confiftcnt with the prin ciples of humanity than the one now in' force in this ftate. The importation of negroes into this flate, from our lifter Hates, particularly thofe cf North C arol i na, V i rgi nia and M ary land, has incieafed to an alarming extent. The induftrious and faithful Have is fcldam to be purchafed, more efpecially at a low price j we are not therefore to fuppofe that fuch are intro duced here for fale, on the con trary the fpcculacor finds it his imereft to feck. tliem in jails and other places cf confinement, from whence on account cf theif infamy of charader they arc purchafed very low—fuch con fequcntly are thofe generally to be bought here. There doe a exift a Taw prohibitory cf this traffic, but it is in fact rendered nugatory and of no avail—the deicdhs ate lb well known that I need not mention them. X am decidedly cf opinion, that the Legiftature will confute the true inteteft, peace and fafety of the ftate by palling a lav? fufficlently coercive as to penal