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<* • -“ML m f • &, -, <S3ErT~s'=s, T H F. N E WS. WASHINGTON, AUGUST 2. Mirabile Diflue* Col Johnson said, (after M linger had de livered his speech in opposition to the com pensation law) “ 1 hope Mi iltr'ei* you veil not fir decency’s sake, tnk ■ the money, after the wonderful display of pair otism Si sell’ denial, von have given us to-ilav.” “ Wont I, said Huger ! but by God 1 will, far 1 am more de serving of it than any of you.” jC/ -5 .hid h - poiiti'nehf did take the money.'! Uis plainly tie ons r te<l tt<cn, Mr Huger did speak for a compensation ! ! It is somewhat singular, that the patriotic grand jury of this ctmo'v, should have sent their presentments to a paper of the Augusta Herald’? character, for re-publication. Was there no democratic one in Augusta, that would publish this production, sufiicently extensive in hi circulation, us to have giv. n it a thorough round ? We answer yes. Why, then,we ask, have these presentments been re published in the .h;gii*ui Herald? Not on ac nrjtit of its great .circulation, because it is the most circumscribed in this respect to any in the Shite. Nut for is democratic senti meiits, because it cannot boast that virutt. Why was it chosen then ? The wncioun editor of the Savanna 1 - Museum, after venting his ill humor upon the unfortunate r <ngrssional folks, concludes Ins •verv consistent and liberal remarks with prayer so the re-election o poor Mr Cvrthbert! We know no reason why MrCttrthhert should be thought more deserving of pardon for his transgression, if he lias transgressed, than tlx other delegates of Georgia, unless f.rsoo h, the interposition of so sober and worthy a tie. irocrat as Phillip D. tl oo'hopwr moke* it so. V <v, if one lias sinned, all have sinned, as they all stand on the same footing in relation to the compensation law. As our brother of the press, has only had liberality enough to offer h<s pious prayers at the throne of die people’s mercy, for one sinner alone, to shew the superi or! v of‘ours, when contrasted with his, we in terpose and pray, that the good people of this S ate, renowned for moderation and pa'rio ism, will graciously condescend, (and as an act ot just ice) if they save one, save all. JT The communication signed A. shall have a place in our next. To Mr. A. Slß—Your late ap pearance in The News, under the fig natuie of Wilkes, naturally suggested to my mind, “2Esop’a Afg in the Lion’s (kin your ears being seen and your voice recognized, you seem to have taken the hint from the fate cf your prototype, and honeltly appeared be fore the public in all your nakeanefs av.d native deformity. Struck with your ludicrous appearance, and arhufed with the rich Vein of dulnefs that run through the mock roaring of your firft debut, l was willing to wink at <he de ception for the sake of the amusement, well knowing that all vour jjoife was as harirdefs as “the mighty void of ferric” whence it issued. In your fe cond Lilly, you appear to have given a loose rein to your wild wantonness ana natural vicious difpofirion by braying hiflily, and kicking mud, dirt and dull into every body's face, and mure par ticularly itno mine To inspire you with a taffe for good manners, or to reduce you to order and ufefulnefs, would be a hopeiefs rafk, a useless un dertaking, a mere wade of time*, Naturam expelias furca, tamen tifque recur ret j” I (hail therefore point out feme of your molt mifehtevous tricks, so that the people may be guarded against you. Among other idle whims, you have taken up the extravagant notion that grand juries have not the right in their efficiai capacity to express their fenti rr.ents on ihe a&s of our general go vernment. Whether your hc.ftility to grand juries originated from a fen fe of your own crimes, or from an inbred a version and fixed hatred to order and decorum,l leave for you to determine*, when you decide that other knotty question, the treaty making power, which lies with so much weight on yoai mind. “ Now without going into a minute detail cf argument,”it ap pears to me, that he phrases “ so much dtfplay cf literary aw a>d polical quail fixation ,• “ foul mveStivt and contume lious vulgarity together with nuuie roun lire,pint? and ftammrring fsntenc‘ , s juuibied together and mixed up with (< that is to Jdys,” u viz\ ,ft( natural lait\ national law . arid municipal law ” “ taxation “ war and peace,” <* moral and phy ftcal powers.” “ case and cha racier cf case,” * the riajhn runs and now and then a “ vice vtrfaA found in your address to me, fiiow moft clearly and fatisfaftorily, that your conversation with correft writers, has been fully as extensive as your ac quaintance with good company When you Laid to me, * your assumption of the olhce of inftruftor, might be ac counted for, either by supposing a force of habit, &c you ought to have recollefted, that this little ffiaft of malignant in potence would be view ed by me with the molt ineffable con tempt, pass a-Ilie idle wind which I vgard not, and he received by every candid mind attd generous heart as a reflexion un- worthy the head of a common buffoon. I have often Ltd, and 1 now repeat, that no man by being impaiirteled on a grand j ury, is ipso fafto deprived of anv right, which as an individual he might lawfully exercise. The right of grand iurors to express their fenti ments on all public matters, is founded in renfon, recognized by our judges, fan£t;oned bv precedents, aurhonfed bv our laws, and guaranteed by no less than two articles in the con ft i tut ion of the United States. Cur senators and repreferitatives in congress, are in a po litical point of view, public fervantr, and as such, refpofible to the people for their official atls- If thev have not with fidelity dtfeharged the important fruit reposed in them, it ought to be known to their conffituents. If on the o’her hand, thev have done their duty, no alarming it jttrv or cifaffrous evil is likely to arise from an invelti gation of their conduft. Grand juries as well as all other public bodies, ought to be encouraged in speaking their opi j mons on the policy and measures of jour St a. a and Genera! government} | thereby matters of public concern j would be brought home to the people, and they enabled to take a more in tended and a more correct view of the nature and principles of the only r.v tionai government known to the world The enemy moft formidable to repub | lies, and the one, we have moft to fear, is Ignorance Hence every friend to ; our happy government, every lover of ( our free conftiiutiou, will anxiously guard and keep open all the avenue to information. Who are more deeply interested in the welfare ofourcoun try * who has a greater rif>hr to Cxa mine political matters ? who is better qualified to decide correftly on the of < ficial a ft’- of our public fer varus, than such men asar* generally found on cur grand juries ? Is it conget tal to our re publican institutions, is it at al! reffon hle, or is it not rather a strange infa'u tion, a fata! deiufion, to wirhhoh* from twenty of our molt refpeclahle citizens, and they too uttder a solemn cath, the exercise of a right which has never been denied to the printer of a news paper, nay no* even so a foreign rene ; gado ii Is it decent for moment to suppose that our farmers ai'e so leufelefs i as quietly to lie down and fuller them selves to be fhorn of their moft valua ble rights, when it is very well known I that if we “ touch but the bristle of a J printer, we should have the whole ftye in an uproar” from one end of the States to the other, the very hill3 would reverberate, the vallies re echo, “ Li bett\ of the press ami freedom of speech ! Liberty of the press and freedom of speech! Where now, I demand, is the foiitary reafoti why grand jurors should not in ther official, as well as in their indivi , dual capaci'ies, exercise this right ? Is 1 it as you wish to fay, because there is no law in express terms commanding them to do it ? Where is the law fpe cifying in detail their duties ? None is found, neither in our common nor fta tl tp law. We have a law which pre ■ bribes in substance she following oath to be taken by grand jurors: “ You {hall diligently enquire, and true pre sentments make of all such matters and things as ftiali be givpn you in charge, or foall come to your knowledge, touch ing the present lervice *, y< u ftia 1 p r e f.-nt no one tor envy, hatred or malice, I r ,or ihall you leave any one pref* n*ed frem fear, favor, affeSion or reward, i or ihe hope thereot j hut you ihuhpre- , sent all things truly and as they come to your knowledge, &c.” This law fure !y does not bind juries down to the presenting of breaches of the peact and capital offences only. Their du fits as exprelVed in this law, are gene ral and unlimited, it commands them in the moft pointed terms to take no rice of, and present all mattero and things contra bonos mores, within their knowledge, and touching or aff’Hing the welfare and security of the coun try. One of our judges, whose law opinions have always b i deservedly relpe&ed, in a charge to the grand jury of this county in the year Laid to them . “ in your deliberations vou are not confined to r fences whi ‘h have already taken place, this is but one parr of vour duty Un der the general power of presentment and cenjorffoip which you possess, you may look into the situation of your country generally, and if there remains,any thing undone which may tend to its improvement in literature, agriculture, inland navigation, or any arrangement of internal police, it is within your pro virtce to notice them in your present ments, by way of recommendations to those bodies who are Constitutionally a”d legally author!.ed to aft on those fuhje&s. Ii there a!fo exist any a bules arising from the inexecution of any laws in force, or from the affitmp ticn of any powers not given, hey will not escape your enquiries and ani madverfion I cannot omit observing that the improvement of your liigh wa-s, the conftruftion of bridges, the appiicatiou of your county funds, the regulation of your public houses, and the execution of your patrole laws, are fubjefts well woitby your attention.’’ The judge then proceeds with great propriety, to urge the necessity of re vising our criminal code} and concludes by faying, ** Should you, gentlemen, join with me in sentiment on this fu’o jeft, my wilh is, that jou .would lend your aid in bringing it forward before riie leglfia'ure of our country, who posses the power and the means tr aft with efficacy in this is interesting bu siness. A recommendation from you either to the repreferitatives of your own County, or the lcgiflarure in gene ral, will be amended to no doubt with the happiest effeft.” Now Mr A pray tel! us, what has become of your irre fiitible inference, that our grand jury wandered from their original pro irice ? ” Are you not heartily afhartied of all fiang, mummery canting and whirling about the “ corrective” and the exercise of an ariitocrafic.il power by the “ jury ?” What fays our great na tional charter on the fubjeft of our rights in general ? •* Congress ftiali make no law abridging the freedom of fpt ech, or of the pi est,; or the right of the people peaceably to ass inble and petition the government for a redress of grievances. The enumeration in the constitution of certain rights, shall not be coujlrued to deny or difpardgt ethers retained by the people/’ Henc grand juries have the right in their official, as well as in their indi vidual capacity, to express their fenti nients freely on all fubjefts, and they will unquestionably retain this inesti mable rieht, at ieali until they give it up of thrir own free will by an amend of the constitution. What magician’s wand does a Solicitor general wave in his hand, by which he may at pleasure deprive citizens oi rights which have been expressly guaranteed to them, or is there any enchantment in a j gaand jury room, vast and mighty e nough to cleave down and burst afun der the ltrongeft barrier of our liber ties ? You have said } one power or . right which is veiled in the jury, is that of preferment } but the very idea of a prefentmenr from a jury in an of ficift capacity, implies a power in the bady to which the piefentment is made, to order and enforce the means for .or reeling or punishing the thing or per son complained of. It has been tho’* that Dot Q hxote’s attack on the wind mills was a pretty bold broke in th< extravagant, but th” Don’s folly, when compared with the wild idea of a court punishing a thing, ii fairly put to . tiu* blufti and who iy thrown into the • bark ground. Ii .w ‘he decision of the j jury could pcffibly “ partake of tuo na ture of an evpoft facto law,*’ is to me perfectly inco oprehenlible. df ou cer atnly ruilt have received, in fome of vour wild moments, an unlncky llroke on the head, or at least your brains Itavfc been, forne .■ v or other, jollied out of their natural position. The compensation law having a retrofpcc ri.e operation, hrofcs to me more like 3ri export facto law, than the derision of rhejurv. In truth, the compenfatioti law and an export facto law are of the lame family, or, as our orators tvouid fay. they are twin brothers, and as like one another, us Seballiau and Viola n Go now. my good fir, reflect, that like another CaTban, you have gabbled wi’hout knowing your own meaning } cover the bluffiest of zealou- folly wnh the impenetrable dakn> fs of a weak mind, fniile at ignorance, and call all the comforts of intrinsic impotence vour own Retreat in time from the poll assigned you; a"d acknowledge, for it h appa’en'. y u “have not abili ties to play wirli credit, the Punch of the puppet Ihow, to speak a? you have been prompted by the cht f juggler behind the curtain ” And when ano ther fit of feribbung comes on you, it may probably bedifpelled by remem bering what I now tell you, that there is certainly in your head piece, no thing more nor It fs, than what was once found in an Apothecary's (hop, >a beggarly lilt of empty boxes.” Z. An odd character. An epitaph on the tombftonp of a lady, fays of her—“ She was al ways busy , and always quiet ! ” Gnml and punctual u ill be given to a journ<‘\ m ,n pritut r, t tins, .(fire, who can come recommended a, a sober St firs -i.itc. workman, TO THE MILITIA. I WILL attend on Monday the sth August, in Lincolnton, for the purpole of paying off (’apt Lamar’s company, and at Wafhi tgton, (Wilkes county) on the 7th, Bth and gtli of the fame month, to pay off the troops of that county. Joshua Clark, pay-master to Geo. State troops late in the U S. service. August 2, 1816. 29. NOTICE.’ Nine months after date, applica tion will be made to the Inferior Court of Wilkes county, for leave to fell the trad of land, or half, be longing to ihe estate of J. C An tony, fix hundred acres, adjoining R. Thompson, A. E Stokes, and others, known as Antony’s Mills. John Hill, & > , i> c admrs. W. Robinson, 3 August 2, 1816. (29 —9m) COLLECrOR'T~OFriCE. ~~ Notice is hereby given, that an attendcnce will be made for the j convenience of Brandy Oilfillers, j who will) to enter their Stills, and j affording the opportunity of pay ! ment to those who have hitherto failed. ‘This ic the la ft offer those who are in arrears will have, to fettle theit debts, unless by fuir. At Washington, (Wilkes) sth ; and 6th August, 1816. At Lincoln Court-houfc, 7th August, 1816. At Elbert Court-house, on the 12th August, 1816. At Madison Court-house, on the 13th August, 1816. At Franklin Court-house, on the 14th August, 1816. A pun&ual aftendence will be expefted, and I hope those who have not completed their payments, will relieve tne the trouble of firing them. J. W FREEMAN, C R. 4th D G. Mallory’s. 2d } . 1 August, 1816. y ‘