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Volume I.")
PcBi.ISHI.iI WKBKur,
BY
JOff.y A M VIUHLTOX
PRICE TUHVE IM i LI. Alls PKB ANNCX, HALF
PAID IV ADVANCE.
To the People of Georgia.
CONSCIOUS of having difeharged
with zeal and ridelity, the arduous du
ties u has been the pleasure of : lie Le
gtfl i cure to assign me, and enfeebled by
dfieafe, the relult of laborious exer
lions to promote the public welfare ; I
had determined to bear in fiience the
unmerited and uncharitable reproaches,
v.i*h which lam affiiled I wes sen
sible that the misrepresentations of art
fui demagogues, m'ghr for a season
mifUad the judgment of honed men ,
hut relying on the libeiality and intelli
gence of the people, I bad reposed in
the conviction that time and reflection
would be alone lullicient, to ettfure a
just decision upon my pubiic conduct.
Thar such will be the result, lam (till
fully perfunded •, but the very extrordi
nary presentment of the Grand Jury of
the county of Wilkes, which has re
cently appeared in the public papers,
{and which, as I appiehend, was pro
cured by piatifible reprefenution, un
der the tjuife of ’ patriot il'm having for
their obj,*r\ perfi.-nal aggrandizement,
and the gratification of a mean ami ma
lignanrfpiri: ) would seem to impof
on rne the ta k of prefen ing to the pu
blic, a fair exposition of rne levera! sub
jeefs of comp'aint.
The Act of Congress, changing rhe
mode of compenfafing the members,
appears to conftuute the principal
ground of displeasure For my vote
in its behalf. I am denounced as un
worthy of your confidence. Sentence
of condemnation is promptly pafT and
upon me, without examination, and
Without a knowledge of the fact* and
circumstances, which were indiipenl?
bie to a correct decision ; while long
.><! ‘"ervicec in times of nation
al difficulty arid adversity—while a life
of upfuilird integrity, and difinrerefted
devotion to the public weal, which can
not be dented me, and which ought to
have fhieided me from vague and un
founded fufpkions, are totally forgot
ten. Bur, fellow citizens, the object
of this address is not to complain It
it to furnifh a full and frank.develop©
ment of th- fe proceedings, which have
produced so much excitement among
you.’
Cong refs affenbled at their !aft fef
fron under (he moit aafpiciou: ebeurin
ft a c es. Ihe dorm of war had pass
ed away---the n> bh exertions of our
cour,’i v, had become the ‘heme of eu
lofty/through ’-nr the evdoz- and world
o irrevenues,••ve’-e unexampled, and lie
penp e profperoas aid hap ov At such
a time, not to nr. fit by pad events
not to provide ‘or the future, agairift
the recurrence of < vilg which experi
ence ha i disclosed, would have benray
ed 2 want of political faggeitv and fore*
cafl:, unworthy the reprefon'a'ifes of
the American People. Fo dovife and
perfect a general system of po! ; cv, cal
culated to pet pVtuate the blelfitgs of
our free confutation, and to, prepare
for those viciflruder in human affai-s,
wh ch are the lot of nations, became
Our obvious duly. The ta k was one
of no ordinary character, nor was if to
be performed without great delibera
tion and active diligence. Never rid
the national legifl iture labour more in-
Ciffvitly and probably never during ti
ny fcffioa, was more important busi
ness trap fact ed Among the various
subjects which attracted our attention,
va- the •.ompe.-ifation of the members.
When the prelent confti ution com
menced its eziftence, it had been fix
ed a r fix a day, during ti at
tendance of members, and rhe fame
sum was allowed for every 20 miles, in
going to, a.d returning from the feat
of government. At that period the ne-
CetTirv expenses of a representative
were equal >& ab ‘at half ct thole
which are now incurred. This fail is
fufcepfible of unquestionable proof.
* „ . t v„ h lenor-nt of ibis fart, or cares not what means he eropbws o delude the people; Without citing the numerous instances diving almost every session, in which
H The autbo. nf Ji- p*‘ j ’ u s , • ■ i r: <■ -s will be sufficient to shew that congress have, bestowed “on the several officers ot the general government an
additional saUry also. \.. h ‘ % llVjtPO n oi p,,, Treasury. at g 2,000, mu of the Attorney-General, -*t 3 15)0. Vn Vet v.- . ■•>;* twelve yen ■ sag >, irtrr as mg the a.ilarv oc the
* : “L* ,?uf Sun- and of \l Tasms ta fcJ-jOO. if War and Xavy.'o % 4,500 ;of the Comptroller to I). 35-JU, uv\ ot ‘.lie Attof.tey-Gcnewl to U.jJM). luC law was Uuuted m its dur*ton |; i 4
** -1.
THE NEW S.
WASHINGTON, (georgia) FtfIDAY, JULY 19, 1816.
Indeed. I appeal to your own candor &
recollection to fay how much more,mo
ney was worth, or in other words, how
much more,an equal quantity of money
would purchase in the year 1789, than
at the present time. The value of mo
ney, like the value of every other ar
ticle, is incre-ifed or diniinifhed by va
nous circumstances. It has been gra
dually depreciating for years pdt j and
it ts as unreasonable to imagine, that
because fix dollars a day were formerly
a fuvfieient competifrion, rhe fame a
mount is (till adequate, as it would be
to fay, that fix dollars will puicliafe as
much cotton now, as they would have
done four years ago I know, that even
since I firlt became vour reprefenta
live, the expences of living in the city
of Wafh’ngton, have increased fifty per
cent. For board, 1 then paid ten dol
lars a week, and now I pay fifteen.
The price of keeping a horl'e was then
three dollars a week, and now it ts
from four and a half to five—generally
the latter
Was it'ever supposed, that the firft
law pafT and bv Congress, for compenfa
ting i;s members, was of a character so
iacred that no occasion ccul<l jultify the
alteration of its provisions ? The law
was paffeJ as other laws, and fubj'-ct,
like ctie.n, to fucli modifications, as
-i'ne and circumstances might fugged
l here h nothing more n >vel in chan
ging the compensation of the public
functionaries ‘hanin amending fiatutes
in general. Have not the date Legif
larure fou’>d it necessary to increase
‘he cotnpeufanon of their members,
since the pay of Uongrefs was otiginal
lv fixed ? Has not CongreU long since,
and from time to time, ir.crcafed the
salaries of mod of the public officers,
which had been considered adequate at
the time the offices were created •[ All
those things have been done, while the
National Reptef-natives have ab
stained from inorefiag their own com
! penfation until found policy imperioully
demanded it, and the fiuiation of the
country permitted it, without inconve
nience to the people.
It has been jodly said, that a good
government badly adminifiered, mav
be worse than a bad government well
administered ; .and as well mght you
expect to find men capab’e of u ana
gii g a ship judiciously, who are unac
quainied with her machinery a, to im
agine that the divetfified and complica
ted.cqncerns of the government of thi
U S canbe lately committed tothe hands
; of ignorance & inexperience. The im
i portat.ee of experience and a thorough
’ knowledge of the nature ar.d hiitory of
| government iri general, and of our own
in particular—of the progress from
i time to time of our relations with orh
er countries, and of ;he policy, bo:h
foreign and domestic, bell calculated
; to advance the national prosperity, is
! too manifeft to need il'aftration. And
I may add, that inleg flation as in oth
er purfuus, be a man'* talents what
i thev may at the commencement of his
political carter, practice and obferva
tinn are indispenfibie, to make him an
able and ufeful Ratesman. If rhefe
pi fnion- are true, (and I am persuaded
they will not be denied,) I submit to
ycur candor, whether at the morrtent
when c ingress were Engaged in eftab
j lifhing die great principles of pubiic po
-1 licy, upon which might essentially de
[ pend the future deltiny of the only
free government on earth, thev could,
’ with a: a dereliction of duty,-have o
verluoked so great an evil as the p*obi
ble exclusion of experience and talents,
from the councils of the nation or so
far as on ihetn. have neglect
ed to apply a remedy. In times ot war
and great national calamity, it is ex pec
j ted of every patriot, that regardleH of
personal cor.fiderations, his services
| will be devoted to the public welfare,
i But, little does he know of human na-
I tute, V/ho believes, that while the na
i fion is in profound peace, and the peo
| pie reaping unexampled wealth from
personal attention to their private af
fairs, any citizen, who i not a nabob
in riches, or who is not without com
forts at home, will for a series of years
so far forget his duty to himfelf and
family, as to facrafice to the public his
dome flic happiness, and neglect the im
provement of his private fortune, with,
ut due compcnfation It would be
uureafon.ible to expect it—unjust to
ask it. That the love of fame, and o
ther honorable incentives, might under
the former rate of compensation induce
many men of intelligence and patriot
ilni to enter the councils of the nation,
is admitted ; but it is not less true, that
a few yean, fetvice (and when too, stu
dy and experience have qualified them
to be mod ufeful to their conitituents)
are i efficient to convince them, that
poverty*at home, or retirement from
the pubfic concerns, are their only al
teuratives. I’his fact is substantiated
by the history of congress. Mod of
those who were members when I was I
firlt honored wiih a feat in that body, j
are now, in common with ‘he red of
you, devoting their time and lalenfs to
the advantage of themselves and fami
lies. With the present unprecedented
pre fpect of gain, and the correfp.md
ing iofs which mud he fudained by
ibe abfeuce of men from their home’ , a
cnnfrderable portion of the year, with
the fact that owing to causes beyond
oar controul. the rfti/amount of com
pensation had dimmdhed not withstan
ding the nominal rate was rhe fame ;
judice and the public welfare appeared
to unite in calling for h vifla'ive pro
vision Looking at the change in the
C'>ndi'ionof the country, it could not
cfcapn -he observation of men raking
enlarged views of national policy, that
the facrifices ‘O be incurred by a mem
ber, would drive petfons of moderate
fonunes from the public councils In
that event the competition would be
limited to the wealthy, (foch as frl
Huger of South Carolina,) and anoth
er defenprion of men, who have noth
ing to make home desirable, and as
little, to recommend them to rhe pub
lic confidence Is it pi ffible, fellow
citizens, dial you can beiicve such a
date of things would promote your in
terest, or advance the success of repub
lican principles ? According to my
conception of r he ful jr-ct, the basts of
those principles are equal rights and
privilegesand whatever has a tend
ency to >he direction of the govern
ment enclujively into the hands of the
rich, or oi any particular ciafi. of focic
ty, k anti-republican and ought to be
refilled. The Ita'esmeri who in th<’
public c ur-ciU have so zeaionfly and
so ably maintained their country's
cause, and who have so often received
from the people the encouraging plau
dit, “ well done thou good and faith
fu’fiwants,’'are for the molt part, in
moderate pecuniary circumstances
To enable the people of ‘.he United
Sta'esto avail ihemfidves of the fervi
te;i of ufeful men, in whatever ranks
they might b found, (which is the irue
republican doctrine) without subj- ct
ing them ‘o unnec- iTtrv and U’ jult ia
crafices, was the object of the act
changing the mode of compensating
the members.
It provides that instead of fix dollars
a day, during the ft (lion, each m ember
fhali be allowed fifteen hundred dol
lars a year, and travelling expenses as
heretofore For neglect of duty a pro
ponionaVe deduction is to be made,
rhe.fp ker of the House of Rep
rrfontat Ves and President of the fen
a'e are as formerly, to double
the'pay of a member. Upon the juf
ice of in creasing the compenfatlor., <Sc
at leall to the amount provided by the
act,, there was very little dives fity of o
pinion in, congress. The details of the
bill—the period when it fhonid take
etFect, and w-hether the increase liiould
be by the day or in the mode pTopofed,
were the principal subjects of contro
versy. Some gentlemen voted against
the mealute in consequence of its ope
ration not h-iv.tig been poltpoi. . *t
til the fth of March next, so ne frtux
their objection* to tne mode j and oth*
ers from the apprehension. tha: al
though the thing was right in iifeif #
the views of congress wounl b.‘ mis
reprelented, to the advantage of .he
cunning, and to the injury of the mer
itorious The few who occupied a
different ground, have never been dif
tinguilhed for Superior information : or
exiraordinarv patriotifmj nor is it more
difficult for the uncharitable to impure
to them unworthy motives, than to o
thers. I’heir opinions, therefore, aro
entitled to no more respect than the o
pinions of an equal number of mem
bers in general.
Is the compensation jufl in its am
ount, with reference bo h to the peo
ple and their reprefenratives i In the
determination of this queftton, a varie
ty of confidera’ions ae to ca tmy
soberly considered. To be represented,
at the expense of the reprefentaiive,
can neither be jult nor cotifo tnable to
our republican institutions- ; because,
thereby, all would be excluded from
the reprefen a ive of : fie people, ex
cept men of large fortunes .Such a
a Rate of things might be acceptable to
that class of society. but, I apprehend,
it wid nor !>.• dt fifed by an enlighten
ed community I elletm tlur c> ni
pejifanon juit and wife, which, whila
it avoids i.x ravagance, will eftab e a
ny man whom the people may elude to
eletl, to .erve them without g-.eai ac
rifices. lsuno facrifice on ih ■ part
of the representative, to do violence f
tile bell h npa hie -of our nature, to be
absent at a g ca; diflatice, and a great
portion of the yea-’ horn hn family 8c
domestic connfor ? At* ii fanri'y
fubjetfled to rto flier i’cet- ? I * 10
facrafice thar his personal arret mil
and exertions towards the adva 1 ce
ment of hi* private elta-e an 101 l l Is
the devorlon of *i* * ...p #l |.
etita to the public, wi.rth I t
put these quedhev sto ev r y dtfpalfion
ate man in the country, and la. k w he
ther it ia reafonabe to expect hit
competent men will iucur fucli face di
ces for any great leffgth of urie, w h*
rut due cnmpenfali a Whih tlieie
fore. I wt>uld not diem it nec fin y to
f'x the wages so high as to make era
a source of wealth ; ldo think ‘at
every confidera'ion of juftite and found
policy requires, that they fbeuld h a*
dequate to ass and fometlfing Ike indi in
nay for the facrafices incuu.d heif
examination aione, fellow cuiz nr,
will convince you, tha a hough ti e
love of diftincth n, of honor, and oih“
er fimiiar inducements, may ten.pr in
telligent and worthy men to embai k
the public council* they will be wh< i.y
infuffic'eut to htep thony the. ■- if l< pa
rated from their families a c> i fiuerable
part of the year, by a pittance of com
pensation, not iqaal to thep lo fie s in
curred by their abfcnce from h< me A $
to the fifteen hundred dollais, 1 am
persuaded it would not be though ex
travagant if *ou knew the ex; rtidi
tures, to which a member is iubjccf
To what cx ! eiu it an ivcreafp n 1 a
nrount of the forn,ei i mper.Tation,
beafeertained wnh lufficier-t <c
curacy, by retVit tice to the r.urnbt • <-£
day„ in each year, during which C n
grefs have been in f fit r ,, o;. an aver
age since the coirmer : ment of he
present government. Taking that afc
the rule, the increase i ..b'ut fifty
seven pet cent. And cc nfiderirg the
great ace. (Tion ot men ben, amount
ing at pn sent in the lioule of Repre
sentatives to one hundred and t- tghty
two,and*the probable addition cif ma
ny more- in a feW years—die enlarge
ment of our territory ar.d fetth merit—
the extension of our commercial rela
tions, it is nvariildt that the duration
of the {Whom for the future, was not
likely to be fliOrtened. The inert afe
ol compensation, therefore, so far from,
being enormous at has been faifely as
serted, is not equal to the increase in
the price of hoarding and other fourcek
[No *7