Newspaper Page Text
Twenty Ycsrs Ago.
I met a girl the other day,
t*m>e twelve years old or so.
The image *?a nymph I loved
Some twenty years ago.
The blushing elieek. the sparkling eye,
The hair of raven flow,—
Ah, how they set my heart, a blaze
Some tw enty years ago !
Iispoke—her answers did not much
’ Of wit or wisdom show—
But thus the lovely Mary talked
Some twenty years ago.
■\Vhnt! could a shallow heart like this
Mv heart in tumult throw ?
I must have been a little green
Some twenty years ago.
I met the lovely Mary since—
Her charms have vanished though—
Her wit and wisdom are—the same
As twenty years ago!
I looked upon her faded check,
Unlit my felings glow;
And thank her that she seorned my love
Some twenty years ago !
Fond bov*! w ho now wouldst gladly die
To please some simpering Miss—
God knows what /Auk wilt think ot her
Some twenty years from this !
[Home Journal
Lines lo the Bear Departed.
UY II LIZZIE. SIMMONS.
We listen for thy footsteps.
At the early h.cak of dawn.
When the d. wy pearls are sparkling
On the leaflets of the law n :
And we hear the Spring birds warble,
And we think it is thy own,
But we know tis but a passing dream.
Our singing bird is gone.
We miss thy merry laughter.
When we take the morning air.
And beside the household altar
We can see tliy vacant chair
And a sadden’d thought steals o’er us.
For the loved one is away.
And the silent tear falls slow ly
When we gather round to pray.
We miss thy kiss at even,
When we lay us down to sleep,
And we think of thee who slumbers
In the grave-yard, while we weep,
But the night-star beameth si ftlv
On thy lowly place ot rest,
And the lily-buds are weeping
O'er thy cold and silent breast.
We dteam of thee at midnight
When the giios-tly winds sweep hv,
And dusky clouds of darkness
O'er spread the smiling sky.
When the thunder’s peal awakes us,
And the lightning’s fiery dart
Piav thro’ the stormy cloudlets,
Then we think of where thou art.
Wc miss thee in the noonday
And at evening’s holier hour,
When the night-birds sadly siogeth
In her ivy mantled tower;
We miss thee from our heartstone.
Where are youthful ones and fair,
We miss the Iront our household band,—
We miss thee every where.
[Baltimore Sun'
Major Brown’s Coon Slory.
BA’ HAZEL GREEN, KRU.
“I was down on the crick this morning,”
said Bill (fates, “and I seed any amount
of coon tracks. I think they’re a goin’ to
be powerful plenty this season.”
“Oh yeas,” replied Tom Coker, “I
never beam tell of the likes before. The
whole woods is line with ’em. If skins is
only a good price this season, I’ll he
worth somethin’ in the Spring, sure’s you
live, for I’ve jest got one of the best coon
dogs in ail Illinois,”
“You say you never heard tell o’ the like
o’ the coons/” put in 3Iajor Brown, an old
veteran who had been chewing his tobacco
in silence for the last half hour. “Why,
you don’t know ennytbing ’bout ’em ! If
you’d a come here forty years ago, like
I did, r.m’d a thought coons! I jest tell
you, boys, you couldn’t go amiss for ’em.
We hardly every thought of pesterin’ ’em
much, for their skins weren’t worth a darn
with us—that is, we couldn’t get enough
for’em to pay the skinnin.”
“I recollet one day I went out a bee
huntin’ Wal, after I’d lumber about a
good while, I got kinder tired, and so I
leaned up agin a big tree 10 rest. I hadn’t
much more’n leaned up afore somethin’
give me one of the allfircdest nips about
the seat o’my britches, I ever got in my
life. I jumped about a rod, and lit a
runin,’ and kept on arunnin’ for over a
hundred yards, when think, sez I, its no
use a runnin’, and I’m snake-hit, hut a
runnin’ won’t do enny good. So jest
stopt, and proceeded to examine the wound.
I soon seed it was no snake bite, for thar’s
a bloodblister pinched on me about six
inches long.
“Thin, sez I, that rcther gits me! What
in the very duce could it a bin? Arter
flunkin' about it a while, I concluded to
go back, and look for the critter, jest for
the curiosity o’ the thing. I went to the
tree and poked the weeds and stuff all
about; hut darned the thing could I see.
l’urty soon I sees the tree lias a little split
a runnin’ along up it, and so 1 gits to look
in’ at that. Dreckly I sees the split open
about half a inch, and then shot a agin;
then I sees it open and sliet, and
open and shet, right along as regular as
a clock a tickin’. Think, sez I. what in
all creation can this mean? I know’d I’d
got pinched in the split, hut what in thun
der was a makin’ it do it? At first I felt
orfully scared, and thought it mout he
something dreadful; and then agin I
thought it mouteu’t. Next I thought about
bants and ghosts, and about a runnin’
home and sayin’ nothin’ about it; a
and then I thought it could’nt he eanv
o’ ’em, for I’d never beam tell o’ them a
apesterin’a feller right in open daylight.
At last, the true blood of my ancesters riz
up in my veins, and told me it ’ud be
cowardly to go home, and not find out
what it was; so I lumbered for my axe,
and swore I’d find out about it, or blow
up. When 1 got back, 1 let into the tree
like blazes, and puifv soon it cum down
and smashed all to flinders—and what do
you think? What, it was rammed and
jammed plum smack full of coons, from
top to bottom. Yes, sir, they’s rammed
in so dost, that every time they breathed
they made the split open.”
The Lemmon Case—A Wrong to he
Rliigtcd.— The judgment in the Lemon
case finally determines the fact that the prop
erty of gentlemen from the .South, is not
secure fora single moment with the opera
tion of the lawsof New York. No matter
about the intent. The master may not
mean to sojourn for ail instant on soil /if
that State; he may be driven into it by
stress of circumstances; hut if iiis slave
once comes within -the grasp -of a New
Y'ork tipstaff, the confiscation of his prop
erty must propitiate the wrath of a virtu
ous community. There is no longer any
such thing as protection under a common
Constitution, or comity among confeder
ated States. From the sublime elevation
of her moral superiority, Newlork looks
down npon Virginia with horror and con
tempt. We are pirates and outlaws, whom
the pious people of Gotham may despoil at
pleasure. Shall we submit to this reproach?
tshnll we endure this wrong? Does the
affront admit of no retaliation? Is the prop
erty of citzens of New York to he safe un
der the protection of our laws, after a sol
emn judgment by the highest judicial tri
bunal in New \ork that within its jurisdic
tion the property of citizens of Virginia may
he confiscated by legal process? Can our
Legislature devise no means for redress of
the grievance and resentment of the wrong?
We submit the subject to their consider
ation.— The South.
CeargU Animal Conference. v Lumpkin and Green Hill—G. G. N.
APPOINTMENTS OF PREACHERS FOR 1858. McDoncll.
The Georgia Annual Conference of the
M. L. Church, South, closed its session at
Washington, on Friday last. Below we
give a list of the appointments of the
Preachers for the ensuing year, copied
from the Avgusta Dispatch.
Athens District—J. B. PAYNE, P. E.
Augusta Station—St. John’t Church,
J. Slvcy.
St. James Church—E. W. Spear.
Trinity Colored Mission—J. II. Reese.
Savannah—Trinity, W. H. Potter.
Andrew Chapel — W. P Pledger.
Wesley Chapel—D.C. R. Wiggins'
Caper’s col. miss—To be supplied.
Isle of Hope—J. M. Armstrong.
Springfield—P. C. Harris.
Sylvania—D. W. Calhoun, one to be
supplied.
Scriven col. miss—W. B. McHan
Waynesboro—W. J. Cotter and G. G.
Smith.
Burke col. miss—R. J. Harwell.
Louisville—T. E. Pierce and G. I).
Dunkin.
Richmond—Thos. Boring.
Warrenton—J. Lewis.
Sparta—J. A. Caldwell.
Hancock—F. F. Reynolds.
Hancock col.miss—J. Jones.
Columbia—J. II. Grogan.
Athens Dist/ict—-A. I'. M.\NN, P. E.
Athens—II. II. Parks.
Athens col. miss—,J. C.Xeese.
W.-ukinsville—W. II. C. Cone, and A.
T. Williams.
Factory mission—II. Cranford.
Madison—W. IL Foote, and Joseph H.
Echols, sup.
Morgan—N. B. Ouscley.
“ col. miss—M. II. Hcbhard.
Greefisborougli—G. C. Clarke.
Lexington—R. Land and J. W. Rey
nolds.
Washington—J. O. A. Clarke.
Wilkes—J. S. Dunn.
Lineolnton—W. I’. Arnold’
Elbcrton—John W. Knight and W. 11.
Moss.
Broad River col. miss—A. J. Deavors.
J. L. Pierce, President Madison Female
College.
W. J. Parks, Ag’t Emory College.
Dahl unci'a District—D. D. Cox. P. E.
Dahlonega—T. T. Christian and J. P.
Bailey.
Clarkesville—N. II. Palmer and R. II.
Waters.
Carnesville—W. T. Norman and W. A.
Parks.
Gainesville—W. Brewer.
Canton—W. G. Allen.
Flijay.—W. F. Clonts.
Blairsville—J. W. Brady.
Murphy—IV'. B. Bailey.
Hiwassee and Clayton miss—J. Cham
bers and J. V. P. Morris.
Atlanta District—W. R. Branham, P. E.
Wesley, Chapel and col. charge—C.
W. Key.
Trinity and Evens Chapel miss—R. B.
Lester.
Atlanta Circuit—S. C. Quillian.
Decatur—M. F. Malsby.
Lawxenceville—J. W. Yarbrough.
M onroe— R. W. I -ovett.
Oxford—J. W. Talley and C. A. Mitch
ell—A. Means supplied.
Covington—II. J. Adams.
McDonough—Albert Gray.
Powder Springs—A. Dorman.
Marietta—T. II. Jordan.
Roswell—I. N. Craven.
W. J. Sasnett, Professor Emory Col-
lege.
G. J. Pearce, Agent American Bible
Society.
Rome District—J. C. Summons, P. E.<
Rome—W. M. Crumley.
Cave Springs—W. Anthony and W. T.
McMichael.
Etowah miss—To he supplied.
Cedar Town—J. W. Traywick.
Alatoona miss—J. Strickland.
Cassville—L. J. Davies.
Calhoun—J. II. Masliburn.
Spring Place—II. P. Pitchford.
Dalton station—J. M. Dickey.
Dalton circuit—G. Hug-lies
I. aFa yette—A. IV . Rowland and S. A.
Clarke.
Dade—To be supplied.
Lookout miss—To be supplied.
Summerville—IV. M. D. Bond.
R. F Jones, Principal Cherokee Wes
leyan Institute.
D. Kelsey, Professor, Cassville Female
College.
LuGrange District.—S. Anthony, P.
E.
LaG range—J. E. Evans.
Troup—W. A. Florence.
West Point—.1. IV. McGehce.
Greenville—L. Rush and II. IV. Dixon
Zebulon—J. R. Littlejohn.
Griffin—C. R. Jewett.
Fayetteville—II. H. McIIan_
Newnan—E. P. Birch.
Palmetto & Col. Miss—J. W. Turner,
one to be supplied.
Carrolton—J. T. Ainsworth.
Villa Rica—M. IV. Arnold.
Jonesboro—G. II. Patillo.
Ilarralson Miss—IV. J. Wardlaw.
C. W. Thomas, Chaplain U. S. Navy.
IV. II. Evans, Agent LaGrange Female
College.
IV. G. Conner, Pres’t LaGrange Female.
College.
Macon District—.T. II. Glenn. P. E.
Macon, Vineville and city Miss—J.
Boring and T. II. Stewart.
Col. Miss—IV. S. Turner.
Clinton—P. M. Itaybun.
Monticello—J. B. McGehce.
Jasper Col’d Mission to he supplied.
Eatonton, Milledgeville and Bethel—
Lovick Pierce and J. T.Norris.
Perry—G. A. Fulwood.
Ocuiulgee Col. Miss—J. Dunwoody.
Fort Valley—D. Blaloc; Col. Mission to
he supplied.
Cuiloden and Knoxville—IV. F. Cook.
Culloden Col. Mission to he supplied.
Forsyth—M. A. Clontz.
Forsyth Col. Mission to lie supplied.
Jackson—D. R. McWilliams.
E. II. Myers, Editor S. C. Advocate.
(). L. Smith, Pres. Wesleyan F. Col-
lege.
F. X. Foster, Prof. do
J. Blakely Smith, Agent do
John W. Burke, Agent Tract Society.
Columbus District—.1. II. Hinton, P. E.
Columbus—A. M. Wynn, J. M. Austin.
Girard and C. Charge, II . D. Shea.
Starkvilleand miss—A. J. Doan.
Oglethorpe—John 1’. Duncan.
Vienna—J. E. Seutell.
Hawkinsville—T. IV. Hays.
Isabella miss—E. J. Rentz.
Hawinksville col. Miss—To be suppli
ed.
Sandcrsville District—D. J. Myrick, L. L.
Strange.
Irwinton—IV. S. Baker.
Jeffersonville—A. M. Thigpen.
Bublin—D.E. Starr.
Jacksonville—IV. C. Rowland.
Reidsville—IV. F. Conley
Hincsvill—T. S. L. Harwell.
Darien—L. B. Payne.
McIntosh miss—R. N. Cotter.
Bryan and Bulloch—B. F. Breedlove.
Emanuel—Miss J. G. Worley.
The Diliuihuses of London-
It is rather more than two centuries since,
when 20 hackney coaches; were first per
mitted to ply for hire in the streets, or rath
er at the inns, ot London. In the year
previous to the late alteration in the li
cences, the Government derived a revenue
of 5340,000 from the duty of hackney car
riages. This will aford some notion oftlic
increase in the number of these vehicles
which has taken place since 1025. It is
curious" to watch the rate of progress in
earlier times of this class of public vehicles.
In 1052, an Act ot Parliament was passed
limiting the number of hackney coaches
to 200; two years later, the Londoners
were allowed to have MOO coaches, but by
no means more than 000 horses to work
them. Seven years pass over, and the
numbei of hackney coaches was allowed
to he 400; and at this number they remain
ed for thirty- three years, when’ in 1094,
there were actually permitted to he 700
hackney coaches plying for hire in the
streets of Loudon. Queen Anne further
increased the number to 800 in 1715, and
graciously permitted200 hackney “chairs”
in addition to the coaches. The 200 chairs
grew into 300, and George I. authorized a
further addition to their number, bringing
them up to 400; and in 1771, the coaches
were increased to 1,000. Thirty-four
years ago an innovation, long and stoutly
resisted, was made upon the time-honored
hackney coach, with its two sleepy horses
and its venerable “jarvey.” In Paris,
a one-horse cabriolet had for some time
been known, but all attempts to introduce
it into London proved fatal, until Messrs.
Bradshaw and Butch, the latter a member
ofParliament, a barrister, and a chairman
of Quarter-session, obtained a liscense for
eight cabriolets, and they were started at
fares one-third lower than those of the old
hackney coaches In 1S32, all restrictions
on the number of hackney coaches ceased.
An attempt was made in 1S00 to introduce
into London a larger vehicle than the hack
ney coach, somewhat resembling one of
the present omnibuses; the project ’Howev
er failed; and it was not until the month
tf July, 1S29, that the Londoners had an
m opportunity of riding in Shillibeer’s om
nibuses, which ran from Greenwich to
Charing Cross. The first omnibuses were
drawn by three horses abreast, and at
th, after great opposition, the “buses”
became generally adopted.
At the present time’ there are upwards
of 800 omnibuses, running along various
routes iu the metropolis, and, of this num
ber 595 are the property of a single and
mostly foreign proprietary—the London
General Omnibus Company. Of the
value of these vehicles, and the amount of
profit which they realize to their owners,
some notion may he formed, from the tact
that <>00 omnibuses, with horses and har
ness and goodwill, were purchased by the
company for a sum of 52,000,000, or for
very nearly $3 500 for each vehicle. A
quarter of a century has sufficed to in
crease the traffic requirements|from 100 to
more than 800 omnibuses; and a company
employs profitably a capital of one million
in working three-fourths of the vehicles of
the metropolis. So, many of the omni
buses being thus under one management,
considerable facilities are afforded for
day. The “wear and tear” of each omni
bus amounts to 81.371 per week, and of
the harness, 81.50 per week.
The 595 omnibuses run over 6G differ
ent routes, and for facilitating the traffic,
“correspondence offices” are established
at Whitechapel, Cbeapside, Bishopsgate,
Regent-circus, Notting Hill Gate, Edg-
ware road’ Brompton, Highhurry, and
Holloway. By means of this arrangement
a person may travel from Kilburn to Chel
sea for sixpence, from putney to Blackwall
nr Hammersmith to Holloway(the distance
in each case being eleven miles) for six
pence, and 25,000 persons avail them
selves each week of these “correspon
dence” offices. The average weekly re
ceipts from the whole of the omnibuses
is $57,500; but the state of the weather
materially affects the receipts—thus a very
wet day reduces the amount received by
from $1,500 to $2,00 per day. On the
22d of October, owing to the continuous
rain the receipts fell short of the usual
amount by $1,900. These omnibuses
contribute largely to the general revenue
of the country. The Government duty
and licences for the last year were $165,'-
000, while a sum of $90,000 was paid for
tolls on the different roads run over by the
omnibuses.—Bell’s Life.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, 1
sr-7. \
>y
their work in I
Factory—Miss. IV.W Tidwell, C. L.
Hays, sup.
Cnsseta and Col. Miss. T. H. II bit by,
M. llainby.
Buena Vista and OoJ Miss—G. Bright
J. M Bright. ■
Flint River Col. Miss IV. Brooks.
Talbotton—J. Harris.
Butler—J. 31. Marshall, E. W. Rey
nolds, sup.
Talbot and Col Miss—S. Davenport, J.
B. Freeman.
Thomaston—IV. G. Parks.
Hamilton and Col. Mission—L. L. Led
better, W. IV. Watts.
Wbitcsville—R. A. Conner, J. Rush,
Sup.
Upson and Col. Miss—D. (J. Driscoll,
M. Bellah.
Americas District—J. B. Jackson, P. E.
Americas— IV. J. Scott.
“ Circuit—D, Crenshaw.
Sumpter Col. Miss—A. H. Ogetrce.
Terrell—D. Williamson.
Fort Gaines—J. B. Wardlaw.
Cuthbert and Emmaus—J. H. Harris.
Stewart—J. T. Turner, G. W. Yar
borough.
Chattahoochee col. miss—E.N. Boland.
and for the
collection of many useful and interesting
economical facts respection the traveling
portion of the metropolis. The 596 om
nibuses of the company ran i in London,
in the week ending October 31, not less
than 222,77!' miles, or nearly ten times
the circumference of the globe, and they
carried not less than 920,000 passengers,
which was equal to two and a half times
the population of Liverpool, three times
that of Manchester, four times that of Bir
mingham, five times that of Leeds, seven
times that of Bristol, and eleven times the
whole population of Hull. Assuming that
the remaining one-fourth of the London
omnibuses, not belonging to the company,
carried an equal propoition, we shall have,
as the traveling portion of the population
of London 1,115,000 persons. The pop
ulation of London, at the last census, was
2,302,000, so that a number equal to very
nearly one-half of the people of London
ride one journey in an omnibus in each
week. In a fortnight, the whole popula
tion of London would he moved in the om
nibuses now running in the metropalis.
The vehicles are worked by 6,225 horses
more than the whole of the British cavalry
engaged at Waterloo. The avevage cost
of each horse is $150, making a total value
of nearly $1,000,000. The harnes cost,
on the average $60 for each horse, and
the omnibuses $600 each in building. The
provender for these troops of horses is
somewhat startling in its aggregate, and
the quantities required will serve to con
vey an idea of the exertions necessary to
be made for a commissariat department
for the movement of an army in a foreign
country. A week’s allowance of food, for
the horses, consists of 430,265 pounds of
chopped hay, clover, and straw—equal to
242 loads; and 693,253 pounds of oats,
barley, and beans, or 2,376 quarters; and
175 loads of straw are required for the
bedding of horses. Formerly, the omni
buses of London were in the hands of
nearly a hundred proprietors; and there
were more than that number of establish
ments where the horses were kept. This
company has established immense depots
where the provender is delivered and pre
pared for the horses. Steam-engines of
great power cut the chaff, and work appli
ances for mixing the food, at a great sa
ving of labor and money. The largest of
these depots is in Bell lane. It has been
in operation for the last fifteen months, and
has supplied daily rations for 1,840 horses,
and there have been cut up, mixed, and
distributed fro in j this establishment each
week, 72 loads of hay, clover, and straw;
713 quarters of bruised oats, barley, and
beans; and 50 loads of straw have been
supplied as bedding for the horses.
Under the system of rcgnlar feeding
adopted by the Company, the horses have
greatly improved in their condition, and
the live stock is now much more valuable
than when it first caine into possession of
company. Each horse runs, on an aver
age, twelve miles per day. The daily
cost of the rations of each horse is rather
more than 50 cents, or for ihe horses of
each omnibus, ten in number $5.25, the
other expenses, such as horse keepers, ve
terinary service, shoeing, and others,
bring up the total expense for the horses
of each omnibus, to $6.50 per week. 'The
amount of manual labor employed in con
nection with these omnibuses is very large.
The number of men ! constantly employed
as drivers, conductors, and horse-keepers
is not less than 2.300, of whom the drivers
receivefrom $1.25 to $l’50,the conductors
$1.00, and the horse-keeper 75 cents per .
[Written expressly for “Porter’s Spirit.]
Reveries of an Old Bachelor—Babies.
Martin Farciiiiar Tipper, in his
“Proverbial Philosophy” (an imposing ci
tation hy-the-hy), says, that “A babe in a
bouse is a well-spring of pleasure;” a very
harmonious line, 1 acknowledge, but nev
ertheless untrue. Ilad be said his babe,
it might have been true; but a babe in
eludes the babe as a race; and I deny
most positively and unqualifiedly, that my
babe “is a well-spring of pleasure.” To
be sure, he’s got enough “spring” in him ;
but then, again, he’s never well, at least
so my wife says ; and indeed she accounts
for all his little eccentricities, by the pa
thetic appeal of “baby’s so sick,” and so
am I. If ever I were sick of anything in
this world, its of that confounded baby of
mine. There lie sits staring at me now
with his vacant eyes, a perfect well-
spring of slobber and inarticulate sounds.
Put him in the crib, and lie’s perpetually
slobbering and crying, and if lie falls out
of it, lie only slobbers and cries the more.
He’s never contented, either with his lot
or his cot.
My only consolation is in his future
growth. Notwithstanding lie’s all groan
now, they say, that when lie’s grown up
e’ll he more pacific iu his tendencies,
that he won’t have so many colics, and I
won’t have so man)' sleepless nights.—
Butin the interim, yes, the interim, while
the baby’s growing, what am I to do? Am
I to be sacrificed to his necessity of growth?
Is there no hot-house bed where lie may
he forced into length, in place of cribs,
where he can’t be forced into supineness?
If he were a girl, I’d make him “a Daugh
ter of the Regiment,” but being a boy,
that, of course, is impossible. Every
morning that baby wakes rue up at four
o’clock by sticking his finger in my eye.
If I spank him for it, he cries ; but if I
don’t, lie sits on my breast, grinning like a
young hyena, shouts “papa,” and then
makes a dive foi my nose. After suffi
ciently recreating himself in this pastime,
he generally winds up by pulling my hair
out by tlie roots, and—I spank him, for
there’s a limit to human endurance. Iiis
mother, so far from being my ally, smoth
ers him with kisses, and tells me I’m “so
cruel.” IVhen I was a bachelor, 1 used
to smash the Hies that bothered me in the
morning, and this human fly I only spank;
yet am I condemned by its mother, who
hugs the squalling brat, and delivers her
self of an idiotic address to our infant, the
>urthen of which is: “Naughty papa.”
“Did e naughty papa hip e little baby?
Naughty papa! Sail mamma hip naughty
papat
with similar interrogatories, in
similar dialect. A pretty example that to
set before a child! Bah, I’m sick of“e
little baby!” One day he falls down
stairs, another day lie falls down ctoiro.
another day he swallows a pin; some
times the scarlet fever, and sometimes the
mumps. At present lie’s in daily expecta
tion of the whooping cough. IVhat a luil-
aballoo we’ll have then! Not content
with whooping all through his hitherto
short career, he intends to introduce a
cough—probably a hollow, reverberating
cough. An interrogatory suggests itself.
Could I ever have been a baby? Could I
through
if so, my
for I’m going throu
Happy, indeed, is
course
position is
ever have gone
sprouts!” Alas!
doubly afflicting,
another course now.
the lot of the bachelor whose second child
hood is postponed to a late period of his
existence; whereas the married man en
dures a second childhood in his prime :
and may all bachelors take warning by
tliis recital of my sufferings, and take care,
in shunning the Charybdis of single life,
not to run upon the Scylla (silly) alterna
tive of marriage. II.
Anti-Bacchus.—Drugging liquors is not
a modern idea. The practice has prevail
ed from time immemorial. Pliny affirms
that calamus and ground oak, together
with numerous other ingredients,were add
ed to the juice of the grape to render it
aromatic, medicinal, or stupefying. Homer
mentions of potent drugs being mixed with
wines in those early times. The potion
which Helena prepared for Telemachus
and his companions, was at once soothing
and stupefactive. To impart these qualities,
Homer says: “She mingled delirious drugs
of power to assuage grief, to allay rage,
and become tiie oblivious antidote of mis
fortune.” Pliny says Androcydes, a phy
sician renowned for wisdom, addressed Al
exander in these words, “O King, re
member that when you are about to drink
the blood of the earth that hemlock is poison
to man, and wine is hemlock.” The He
brews mixed powerful ingredientst in their
wines, such as spices, mynh, maudragora,
apiates and other drugs. Isaiah speaks of
the “cup of trembling.” “In the hand of
Jehovah,” says the Psalmist, psalm lxxv,$
“there is a cup. the wine is turbid, it is full
of mixed liquor,”ect, “He has filled me
with bitterness, lie hath made me drunken
with worm wood,” Lam. iii, 15. It is re
corded of our Saviour “they gave him to
drink wine with myrrh, but he received it
not.” It was the practice to give drugged
or intoxicating drinks to prisoners condem
ned to death, in order to render them less
sensible to the torture they endured.
There are many other passages of Scrip
ture to show that drugged liquors were
common among the Jews. All nations
since the time of Solomon, have mixed
poisonous ingredients in thier wines. Wine
drugged, in tlie Bible is said to “bite like
a serpent, to “6ting like an adder.”
A Bcrrvtiful Extract.—There lies in
the depth of every heart that dream of our
youth, and the chastened wish of man
hood which neither cares nor honors can ev
er extinguish, the hope of one day resting
from the pursuits which absorb us; of inter
posing between old age and the tomb,
some tranquil interval of reflection, when
with feelings not subdued hut softened,
with passions not exhausted but mellowed
we may look calmly on the past without
regret, and on the future without apprehen
sion. But in the tumult of the world, this
vision forever recedes as we approach it;
the passions which have agitated our life
disturb our latest hours, and we go down
to the tomb,like the sun in the ocean, with
no gentle and gradual witiulrawing of the
light of life back to the source which gave
it, hut sullen in its fiery glow long after it
has lost its power and its splendor.
Milledgeville, Dee. 22, ltJT
To the Senate :
I return tlie Mil entitled “An act to provide
against the forfeiture of the several bank charters
in this sftate, on account of nou specie payment,
for a given time, and for otter purposes therein
named,’’ without my sanction.
Our banking institutions have exclusive privile
ges conferred upon them by law, which are very
valuable, and which the laboring masses are pro
hibited, under a heavy penalty, from exercising,
upon the same terms upon which the hanks exer
cise them. The banks are permitted bv law, with
out bond or security, to loan their credit, or, in oth
er words, their notes as money, and to charge in
terest upon them. Tlie laboring man, whatever
may he his occupation, is denied this privilege, and
is subject to indictmeut and punishment as a crim
inal it he attempts to exercise it. He can receive
interest only npon the capital which is the income
of his labor: and upon.this lie is permitted to
charge only, legal interest, or seven per cent, per
annum. The laboring masses produce the capital.
Indeed, all capital is the result of labor; and that
system of legislation which establishes a favored
class, and confers upon them privileges denied to
others, by which they are enabled to enrich them
selves hv taking from the laboring masses the in
come of their labor, is not only unjust, hut contra
ry to the genius and spirit of our government.
I think tt will not be denied by any, that our
present system gives to a favored class immense
advantages over the great body of the people. As
an illustration of this principle, tw o in-.-ii work
with their hands, the primary mode of makingcap
ital, till each makes a dollar in gold or silver. One
loans his at interest. The law of our 8tate per
mits him to receive only seven cents for the use of
it cue year; and if lie charges mere, the law de
clares the excess to he usurious and void.
The other applies lo the Legislature, and obtains
a charter, conferring upon him hanking privile
ges. liv this charter, it is made lawful for him to
pay his dollar as capital stock into the hank, and
to issue upon it three paper dollars. The hank is
permitted to loan these three paper dollars at inter
est, and to charge seven per cent, upon each of
them If he were to loan them for one year at le
gal interest, In- would receive for them twenty-one
cents These three paper dollars are based npon
the one dollar in gold or silver, and the hanker in
fact receives the twenty-one cents interest upon
his one dollar in specie, while the person w ithout
banking privileges receives only seven cents inter
est upon his dollar. Hut. the banker is not content
with twenty-one percent a year, or three, times the
amount received by bis neighbor, who is without
hanking privileges. He will not therefore loan
his three paper dollars (his own notes) a year at
seven per cent.; hut he will loan them at thirty
days, first deducting interest out of the sum loaned,
if the borrower will also pay one half, one, two or
three per cent, a month usury, under the name of
exchange. And even this privilege, since the
banks have suspended, as a general rule, is allow
ed only to cotton buyers or speculators, and is de
nied to the merchant, farmer or mechanic. He
cannot get accommodation, it matters not how good
a note he can make. This debt to the banker must
be paid promptly, or renewed at the end of the
thirty days. If permitted to he renewed, the in
terest must be again discounted and compounded,
and the usury, under the name of exchange, ad
ded. If indulgence is given fora year, the note
or hill must be renewed, the interest compounded
and the usury added, twelve times during the year,
or every thirty days. I.speak of the usual number
of days allowed in bank. It may be hut sixty
days, while it is sometimes ninety. This increases
the interest received on the banker’s three paper
dollars, or one silver dollar, to twenty-five, thirty
or thirty-five per cent., dependent on the amount
of exchange or usury added each time the note or
hill is renewed. Hut the banker is still not satis
fied with t his per cent, upon Iiis dollar. The law of
his charter, as bank charters exist in Georgia, au
thorizes the bank to issue three paper dollars, or
incur three dollars of liability for every o e dollar
of capital stock actually paid into tlie bank. Our
people seem generally to understand the law of
our bank charters to be that the bank must at all
times have in its vaults one dollar in specie for
every three dollars of its liabilities. This is a great
error. The law of the charters does require that
the liabilities of the bank shall not exceed three
dollars for every one of capital stock paid m, hut
it does not require that it shall be kept in the bank.
I refer to the literal construction of the law, and
the one practiced upon by the hanks. The stock
may be paid in in specie, and the banker may is
sue three paper dollars upon every silver dollar so
paid in, and the next week he may take out the sil
ver dollar so paid in, and may use it in shaving
notes or in other speculations; and while he is
making twenty-five, thirty or thirty-five per cent,
upon the three paper dollars, based upon the one
silver dollar, supposed by the people to he iu the
vaults of the bank all the time for the redemption
of the bills, lie has probably made ten or fifteen
per cent, upon the silver dollar taken out of the
vaults, and used in speculation; making the whole
profits, which, without a violation of the letter of
Iiis charter, the banker may have received for the
use of his dollar one year from thirty to fifty per
cent., while the laboring man, without banking
privileges, is permitted by law to receive only sev
en per cent, for the use of his dollar for a similar
iength of time. Is this justice 1 Is it right .' I
deny that it is light to givo to a hank, or to any
other corporation, such unreasonable and almost
unlimited privileges. It may be said that the
banks do not issue three for one, and that they do
not till make the profits above described. This
may be true. I spouK of ihcir pilrilcg<- s , <*i>J
what, under their charters, they may do. and
what, it is believed, is often approximated if not
exceeded in practice. He who will read their
charters and observe their practical operations,
will, I doubt not. admit that the above is no exag
gerated statement of the workings of that legal
ized system of speculation, oppression and wrong,
dignified by our law with the name of banking.
The question arises here, what consideration
have the banks given, or promised to give the
people, for these valuable, exclusive privileges?
The answer is. they have pledged themselves to
furnish a paper currency, at all times sound and
convertable into specie on demand, without regard
to the price the specie may cost them when needed,
or the sacrifice which they may have to make to
procure it. The privilege of loaning their own
notes as money at par, and of receiving interest,—
compound interest—and even usury, under the
name of exchange, npon them, often enables them
in times of prosperity to annss large fortunes; and
in consideration of these advantages, is it not their
imperative duty, in times of adversity, to abide by
their part of the contract, and to procure specie to
redeem their bills at par, and thereby afford relief
to the people, no matter what it may cost them !
After having enjoyed these ad outages, is it right
that they be permitted, when the pressure comes,
to suspend, close their doors, retire into their splen
did mansions, lock up their specie in their vaults,
let their own bills depreciate, buy them up through
their brokers at a heavy discount, causing distress
and actual suffering to many a poor debtor’s fami
ly ? and when the storm is past, step forth in the
sunshine of their .own prosperity, with enlarged
wealth, while they coolly survey the ruin which,
by their speculations and their had faith, they have
scattered all around. I deny that this is right.
Specie is now worth a small premium in the
Northern market. IQ paying this, our banks can
purchase enough with which to redeem all their
bills, and can resume specie payment immediately.
This would restore public confidence, stop the de
cline in the price of cotton, which has already fal
len from seventeen cents down to ten or eleven
cents per pound, sinie the banks have suspended,
and which will continue to fall, unless they , re
sume. and would also restore contentment, pros
perity and happiness among our people. The
hanks refuse to do this, because it would cost them
some sacrifice, and rather than make this, they pre
fer to let their bills depreciate in the market. This
causes our people, who live remote from banks
and cities, and who arc occasionally forced, to ob
tain specie, to pay as high as ten per cent, dii 1 -
count upon the bank bills to get the coin; but if
lie banks are forced to resume, this sacrifice on the
part of the people will not be longer necessary.
Why do the banks refuse to resume The answer
is, simply because it is to their interest to keep up
the panic, drive down the price of cotton and eve
ry kind of property to the lowest price, then grasp
it into their own hands, and thus grow richer upon
the misfortunes of others, produced by them for
the purpose of speculation.
I affirm that our banks which have suspended
and so continue, arc guilty of a high commercial,
moral and legal crime, of a commercial crime, be
cause they have brought the present crisis upon
the people, for selfish purposes, when there was no
great necessity, and when by’spending a few thou
sand dollars of their immense profits in the pur
chase of specie, the suspension could easily have
been avoided. By refusing to do this, they have
destroyed public confidence, deranged commerce,
caused our great staple to fall several cents in the
pound, by which our planters have sustained a
loss of several millions of dollars, and the value of
property throughout the State 1ms greatly depreci
ated. The credit of the State abroad has been in
jured. while general distrust and depression has
been the resuit. They have been guilty of a moral
crime, by violating their contract with the people
in refusing to meet their solemn promises, when
they acknowledge—nay, even boast of theii abili
ty to do so, thereby doing the grossest injustice to
the laboring masses wlio have confided in them and
been deceived by them. 'They have been guilty of
a legal crime, by wilfully and knowingly violating
and setting at open defiance a positive statute of
the State, making the price of our property, the
price of labor, the happiness and welfare of the
people and the law of the State all bend to their
interest. They are governed solely by their inter
est and it is their interest in times ot prosperity to
expand and extend their circulation, raise the price
ol property, stimulate a spirit of speculation, and
involve the country in their debt as much as pos
sible. In times of adversity when every man not
a hanker is obliged to redeem his promises, no
matter how much sacrifice it nmy cost him, the
banks refuse to meet, their obligations because spe
cie is worth a premium in the market, and they are
not willing to make a sacrifice of some of their large
profits to get it to redeem their hills. They there
fore suspend till the pressure is over. They demand
Gold and 8ilver or its equivalent from those in
debted to them, and sell their property no matter
how great a sacrifice if it is not paid. And if the
property gees at a ruinous sacrifice, they will in
crease their speculation by appointing an agent to
buy it for them. In the mean tune if the billholdcr,
who is their creditor presents their depreciated bills
at tile cod-liter and demands specie, stating that ho
has labored for the bills and has received them at
paras money: That tlie purchased property when
property was high owing to the hank expansions,
and m this way involved himself in debt. That
owilig now to the bank contractions property has
fallen till it takes twice as much to pay his debts,
as it did a few months ago. That his property is
about to be sacrificed and that he cannot pay in
bank hills without a sacrifice of five, tenor twen
ty per cent discount upon them. The Hanker re
fuses to redeem the bills, and turning away calmly
replies, IU hare suspended. The consequence is
the billholder lias to make the sacrifice which the
banket had premised to make, aud ought to make,
but will uot make, and pay five, ten or twenty per
cent discount on the hills of the bank to got the
specie. If anyone proposes to compel the banker
to comply with Bis contract and redeem the bills
or forfeit his charter, it is at once said that this
course will ruin !he country, as the banker will he
offended and will refuse to let out any more of his
depreciated bills if forced to keep his promise to re
deem those now in circulation.
Stale have net asked for by public meeting
otherwise. ™
T hey did not ask to he relieved of one tenth
the w hole value of their property, an I ?!, ,.
be a little hard to convince that they are benefit'!,
by the operation. The farmer sold his prod,
for one hundred dollars in bank bills, which befc
the banks suspended were worth to him one i,,° re
dred dollars in gold. Since the hanks have *
pended the bills are only worth ninety dollar.^
gold. He has lost ten dollars by the susp.'-„siJ a
Ihe argument to convince him that it is foj- )•
benefit may ho able and ingenious, displayin' 3
much learning and eloquence, to which he Jo
probably reply; Before the banks suspended !
had one hundred dollars, I have spent none
since the banks have suspended I have only ,,'i,, .
tv dollars: I understand the figures but do not
the benefit. It is again claimed that the snso V
sion w as necessary to enable the banks to famish
their hills to the cotton buyer to purchase the pr
cut crop; that the crop could not otherwise be ao'.l
and that it would not be possible to get it to mar
ket if the banks were compelled to resume sp^, io
lion. Cotton is worth in Liverpool 15 to I? ccnt
. , , .. . . , ... t per pound in gold; it is therefore worth in OeorJ,
htnee the establishment ot our bankiug system ! just as much iu gold after deducting the Jo t e
Georgia the country has already passed through transportation atd insurance to Liverpool. Th
two or three periods ot distress .if the character
above described. These have been periods of
speculation by the Banks, and they have amassed
fortunes, while the people, the laboring masses,
have borne the loss. In each of those periods the
apology has been made for the Banks that they
were obliged to suspend. This raiy have been
true at :he time, but the blame lay b' hind this.
They were not obliged to have indulged in those
erpool.
manulacturers need the cotton.
They have the gold to give for it. Wo have tit
cotton and want tiie gold.
There are ships plenty and their owners want
the freight. If there were not a hank in Georgia
our cotton would still find its way to market. Ami
if we would not take the depreciated hills of alls .
Ponded hanks for it. we should soon get gold for it
wild sp ■dilations, which caused them to expand j It is true this would cause some delay, aud wonl i
their paper circulation beyond their ability to re-! be to some extent injurious, but not injurious to
deem their promises, and iu this way to have pro-| the planters who are generally but little in debt
duced the state of things which obliged them to j and who arc not forced to sell as it would be t'
suspend whenever payment was demanded.— those speculators, bankers and brokers, who have
The Merchant by a course of high living and over- ■ so long lived and even grown rich upon the labors
trading involves himself in debt beyond his abiii- of the planters, who when they say that’a certain
ty to pay, and closes doors, or in bank phrase measure will ruin the country, usually mean th it
suspends. He receives but little public sympathy. | it will injure them. The very delay which snecu-
Ail agree iu condemning his course of extrava- lators say would ruin the country might lay th'
gance and folly. Hois blamed not so much for j foundation for direct trade with Europe, cutting u s
closing doors, as for the course of extravagance loose commercially from a State of dependence
which involved him in the necessity of closing j upon thp North, which would be worth to tlio
doors. Our banks in this case were under no South half dozen cotton crops. But it is not trim
such necessity. They suspended as a speculation, that the banks would refuse to furnish their bills
Iu 1811) w hile the people were paying through to buy cotton with if forced to resume specie pay-
one of those periods of distress, above alluded to,'meat immediately: they would in this (as they
they determined to protect themselves if possible J always are in all other cases) be governedby their
against such a state of things in future. Aud j own interest. And their interest is to furnish
through their representatives they passed a law
requiring the Banks which had suspended to re
sume specie payment within less tluyi two months
after the passage of the Act. And requiring all
the Banks of this State in future to redeem all
their liabilities in specie on demand or presentation;
while forfeiture of the charter was provided as the
penalty for a violation of the law. The people
relying upon this plain statute as well as the com
mon law which takes away the charter of a cor
poration which abuses the trust and palpably vio
lates the contract upon which tiie charter was ob
tained, supposed they were secure against future
bank suspensions. On account of the value of their
corporate privileges, it was believed that motives
of interest would prompt the Banks to make out
of their large gains a sacrifice, if i.ecd be, suffi
cient to enable them to procure the specie and re
deem their bills to save their charter-*. It was not
then believed that the banks would have the pow
er to violate the law with impunity, and to dictate,
the terms of their own pardon. Since the passage
of the act of I81D tlie number of banks and tlie
amount of banking capital in the State have
greatly increased. As their number and capital
have increased, their power in the State and their
influence over the legislation of the country have
increased. Who has not observed within the last
few years tlie increasing influence of our wealthy
corporations over our legislature? When their
interest is at stake, outside pressure becomes very
strong upon the law-making power and is too
sensibly felt. With this state of things existing
in Georgia the recent bank suspension occurred iu
New York. This naturally caused a pressure in
Georgia, owing to our commercial connections
with New York, and made it necessary for our
banks to suspend, or mak a considerable sacrifise
to get tlie specie to meet the run likely to be made
upon them. The banks at this time claimed and
still claim to be entirely solvent, with large
amounts of gold in their vaults. Several mil
lions of gold have beeu shipped into the conn
try during the present suspension which could
have been purchased by our banks for a
few per cent premium. It is acknowledg
ed that their profits for the past few years
have been large. It became a question therefore
whether they would make the sacrifice necessary
to eaable them to get the gold and redeem their
hills, or—whether they would suspend, let the
loss caused by the depreciation of their bills fall
upon the people, and rely upon their power to set
at open defiance the law forfeiting their charters,
and even to compel its repeal till such time as
may suit their convenience. T hey chose the lat
ter alternative and it is said that many of diem
have suspended. In this state of things they ap
pear before the Legislature not prepared even to
grant terms to the people, much Jess to ask any
from them. They refuse to submit to any restric
tions upon their former chartered privileges, or to
give any assurances that the country shall be
protected against the recurrence cf such a state of
things in future. They demand an unconditional
pardon in the form of an Act to legalize their ille
gal act of suspension, till such time as it may suit
their convenience to resume. They accompany
this demand with the threat that they have tlie
power aud the will to do the people a great injury
if an attempt should be made to execute the law
which they have knowingly and willfully violated.
This issue is boldly tendered, and the question
made, shall the banks govern the people or shall
the people govern the banks? Shall the law he
executed or shall it be set at open and uncondi
tional defiance? shall only the poor and the weak
he compelled to obey it while the rich and the pow
erftil are permitted to disregard it at pleasure? In
my opinion the richest corporation should he com
pelled to obey the law, as promptly and implicitly
as the humblest citizen in the State While I
have the responsibility of its execution I am de
termined to know no man or association of men,
and that all shall bow to the authority of the law
without regard to the wealth, power or influence
which they may possess None are so high that
they shall be permitted to place themselves above
the law. And if the proper case is made hy proof
so as to authorize me to act, I shall order proceed
ings against the wealthiest bank, or othered char
tered monopoly in Georgia, as soon as I will
against the humblest individual who has disre
garded aud violated the law. It is claimed by
their friends that our banks are well managed, hut
that the suspension was unavoidable after the
Northern banks suspended, and that any other
course would have ruined the people. How is it
if this be true, that nine of the -South Carolina
banks, most of the Alabama banks, all of the Ken
tucky banks, all the Louisiana banks and four or
five of the Georgia banks have stood the shock,
and are still redeeming their hills in specie? And
why arc not the people of Louisiana or Kentucky
uined? It is a little remarkable that that those
Banks in Georgia, which have not suspended have
been persecuted as ‘Wild Cats,” by the friends of
the very bonks which have suspended. It is
thought to bo very unpardonable for any one to
doubt tli.- solvency or good conduct of any of the
banks of Augusta or Savannah or any of their nu
merous agencies. While they wishing to monopo
lize the business in Georgia, feel at perfect liberty
to make war upon -the interior or country banks.
There is a clause in the Constitution of Louis
iana denying the Legislature the power, directly,
or indirectly, to pass any law to legalize a bank
suspension. The consequence has been that none
of their banks have suspended. They preferred t<
make the sacrifice, get the gold, redeem their bills,
and save their charters. Had there been a similar
clause in our Constitution, it is believed that our
solvent banks would have come to a different con
elusion, as to the necessity of the suspension.—
But it was said before the Northern Banks resum
ed that our banks were obliged to suspend to keep
the Merchants and banks of the North from draw
ingall the specie out of their vaults. This agree
ment was more plausible than real. They have
not enough of our hills to enable them seriously
to injure us in this way. They can only get our
bills to the extent that our Southern Merchants
pay promptly without suit. They do not all do
this. H our banks continue specie payment” the
Northern Merchant must pay specie or its oquiva-
their bills to buy the cotton if the planters will
take their bills for it. They furnish their bills to
the cotton buyer at legal interest and probably
one or two per cent a month exchange (usury )
making fifteen or twenty per cent iutorest. Tho
cotton buyer, the friend and probably the ag-ntof
the hanks, deducts this out of the price of the cot
ton and the planter loses it. The buyer ships the
cotton and turns over tlie bill of lading to tin- Bank
of which lie got the hills. The hank controls tlio
cotton, orders it sold and in thirty or sixty da>s
has the gold, or sterling exchange as good :is gold
in its vaults in place ofthe bills. In this way the
hank not only makes a large iv-r cent upon its bids
hut replenishes its vaults with specie in their place.
And if the bank is redeeming its bills in specie so
as to deserve public confidence the bills may not
be returned for mouths by tlve planter to demand
the specie. But the hank makes sufficient profit
by the transaction to justify it in paying the neces
sary premium to get the gold, to redeem them im
mediately if required. There is therefore
no foundation in tact for the alarm that the plan
ter could not sell his cotton, should tin- banks Ire
forced to redeem their hills in specie, or iu other
words be forced like individuals to act in g.tod faith
and pay according to their promise. But it may !>.-
said that this may cause a decline iu the price of
cotton. Without admitting the fact it h a suffi
cient reply that the planter con atford to take a
smaller nominal price, if he gets gold or bank hills
convertable into gold on demand, than he can take
in suspended bank hills, at a heavy discount. And
he will make money by the operation.
When it is claimed that the hanks cannot let
out their bills to bnv cotton unless they are per
mitted to suspend, this if true is an admission that
they have not the means at present to redeem the
bills now out in the hands of the planters and oth
ers, aud as they are not able to pay their debts al
ready contracted according to promise, it is gravely
proposed as a remedy to lot tls-m contract more
debts and get the products of the country with
their promtsrs to pay. as they have not the means
with which lo pay, and let them in this way make
the money out ofthe speculation, which they nnko
upon the planters cotton, with winch to pay the
planter at some future day. For this purpose it is
proposed to give them the privilege to suspend tiii
the I5tb day of November ii2xt. This- it is said will
prevent a pressure, as the banks will let out their
hills freely during the suspension and they cannot
during that time be called on to redeem them.
This is but a temporary relief! ft is like givingto
the patient an opiate to lull the pain for the pres
ent, without doing anything to- eradicate the dis
ease from the system. When tie- opiate passes
off, the patient is no better, but a little weaker. At
the end of the proposed suspension the banks in
order to resume specie payment, must contract
their circulation and restrict their issues. In this
way we have put off the evil day a few months lon
ger, but it must soon come, and come when we
may not have as great an abundance of produce in
the country, and when we may be much less able-
to meet it.
Better meet it at once,and pass through it as fast as
jjussiblc.
The hill proposes to legalize the snpension till
15th November next. This gives the suspended
hanks time to ask the same members of the same
Legislature who now legalize the suspension, to
grant still further time if the banks have not com
pleted their speculations, as the legislature-
will he again in session before that time. This is
quite prudent in the banks. It maybe said in
reply to this, the bill provides that upon proof be
ing made to the Governor, that there has been a
general resumption of specie payments by banks
out ofthe State of Georgia, then the Governor may
by proclamation require the banks to resume
within thirty days. The banks have been ingen
ious in framing this proviso. Wh t is meant by
a general resumption of specie payment by tlio
banks nnt of Georgia? All the banks of the
United States, of England, France and the world
except the Georgia banks, are ‘ banks out of Geor
gia.” Suppose the newspapers and merchants say
they have generally resumed? How long will it
take the Governor to get up the legal proof of this?
Probably as long a time as the hanks want. The
New York banks and a number of other northern
banks have already resumed specie payment. It
the banks intend to deal fairly with the people,
why set loth November next as the time for them
to resume in Georgia? The bill further provides
that no bank shall charge more than one per cent
upon any bill of exch tnge to which a proriso is at
tached. that this shall have no reference to fore.gn
exchange. This then leaves the banks to charge
as much as they please for foreign exchange (ex
change out of the State,) while it legalizes one per
cent on inland exchange. The banks do not dis
count notes. They will only sell exchange on
their agencies,for instance at one per c n n;
ii allicion no tha ler d interest or dissjunt.
This may be equivalent to more than 20 per cent
per annum on each paper dollar or note ofthe bank.
The bill is therefore a boon to tlie banks. They would
deal only in exchange and thereby realize these
large profits, and they would point to this act as
their legal anthority for so doing. The act pro
hibits them from discounting notes or loaning
money in any way at more titan seven per cent,
while it makes it legal for them to sell exchange
in such way as to realize 20percent, or more. Under
this act no borrowercouhl get a note discounted.
Hut he could get the money if he would give the
per cent hy purchashing it on a bill of exchange in
Savannah or Macon. This not only legali
zes suspension, but legalizes the most ex
orbitant usury: under the pretext of pro
to-ting the people against bank usury, but the lull
gives the banks th.: right to charge about as mm-h
usury as they please. The hill authorizes the
suspended bank to declare seven per cent dividend
while in a state of suspension, while a proposition
that the banks pay seven per cent interest upon
upon their bills in circulation during the suspen
sion was promptly voted down. This would have
been compelling the banks to do justice to the peo
ple This they would not endure. One other provision
of the act is held out as a boon to the people. That
is that the bank failing to redeem its bills
, . c x I. • t , .i . „ * uih u-iii.y laiiuiir iu iruwiji u* 11
lent for our hills, it they jret a larger amount . . , „ ° . . . . i <
*i . , . r demand shall nay seven per cent interest an«l t-.
than they receive from tlie prompt paying class ot - * * -- *- - - .
Southern Merchants. They make none of the ne
cessaries of life which we are obliged to have,
while they are obliged to have our sugar rice and
cotton, more especially our cotton. If they do not
get it, their factories must stop aud thousands of
their poor operatives must be thrown out of em
ployment.
Cotton will command specie or its equivalent
Our banks control the cotton trade, and if the poo-
per cent damages if sued to judgment. This h
the law now and the banks have made no conces
sion in this; and it is worth nothing in practice.—
The whole bill is artfully drawn and well calcu
lated to deceive.
But an appeal is made by the friends of t “
banks as a last desperate resort, to the fears ofthe
people, and it is said that the banks owe t.n
people only $5,000,008, or in other words nan
only that amount of circulation, and that the pee-
. . . x » t . I -1 .» • I VIIIJ Ulilt (IIIHIUIII VI IIILUWUHJU, UlIU !• ““ “ *
pie of the North run upon them with their hi Is p i e ’ , (nve the hanks *22,000,000. over four times as
tr.r srvcip. thnv have on v to romiiro snp(*n>. tor tin* 1 i . t “ .. 1. Ln so.
for specie, they have only to require specie for the
cotton and bring it back. It is not therefore the in
terest of the Northern people to enter into a war
fare about specie with the Southern banks. Since
the Northern banks have resumed, the tone has
changed, and our banks say that the fact that the
Northern hanks have resumed, makes it more dif-
much as the banks owe the people. If this he so.
it is a most conclusive argument against the hanQ
and shows how fearful an error has been commu
ted hy our legislature iu fostering a system wlm 1
is centering the whole wealth of the country in
the hands of a purse proud aristocracy built 11 P
and sustained hy the laboring masses.
Have the
tieult for them fo resume. They were insincere ^ined this Immens advantage over tlie
then, or they are insincere now. people by labor and fair dealing? Have the bai.k-
It is further alledged that our banks suspended , ers labored with tlu-ir hands? cultivated the s«r
in obedience to resolutions passed by public meet
ings held in Augusta and Savannah. I will not
stop to inquire how many batik directors or stock
holders or how many persons indebted to the
hanks and otherwise, under their influence or con
trol composed those meetings, or how difficult it
may he. cr rath 3r may not be, for those most in
terested to get up meetings of this character, hy
producing a panic and calling the meeting in the
midst of the excitement. I might inquire in how
many counties of this State outside of the imme
diate influence of the banks such meetings were
held. Again.it is said the suspension was for tho
benefit of the people. They did not seem to havu
anticipated tlie danger, and have not asked for tho
relief. Before ihe banks suspended the people
could pass their bills at par, since the suspension
in many of the counties most remote from the
banks, they are having to pay ten per cent, to get
specie for their bank bills. This Is a relief that
the people of the agricultural portions of tho
produced a blade of grass, or a stalk ot wheat, cm 1
' t |, e !a-
orcotton? They live in princely style on the
bor of the ptople and instead of tailing in .
the people for all the abundance of the P'*'”', 1 ”
produets which they use. they are enable'"
tiring the people out in their debt between ' -
and five times as much as they are indebted to t 1
people. With these immense advantages,
large resources at their command, the jrifrs ( »t *
people to them, should they have suspended r:u >'
than pay a few per cent premium to got g«" ' l
redeem tlfeir bills? The gold has been l ,u „ u
Europe to our shores for sale What excuse c.
thev give for having refused to pay the P rl ! ul , j
for it, and with it redeem their hills’ 1 l( . v s j
have done this out of their surplus incomes
ont any additional burden on the people.
But is it true that the people owe the Iinnks_ f ---.
000,000, and the Hanks only owe the people »• • “
000 ? If i( is true the Presidents and Ciuduers oi,„
Banks of Georgia have not so stated under oa :