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TURNWOLd, OA., .TUNE 7, <804.
Impressments.
Putnam county has been more high
Iv favored with the attention of im
pressing agents, we beliove, than raa*
ny other counties of Middle Georgia.
Whether we have had a greater ubun-
dance of impressibles than other coun
ties, or whether our patriotism has
been considered capable of greater
burthens than the average patriotism
of this section, we kuow not. But we
do know that impressments have a-
boundod in Putnam.
Wc have never objected to a prop**
er number of impressmonts, made in
a legal, and proper way. They are
uocessary, and when rightly conduce
ted should be cheerfully submitted to.
But we do not believe one county
should be called upon to bear more
than her bhare of the burthens, nor
that certain individual in any one couu-
ty should contribute all, while others
contribute nothing to the common
good.
Wc think we have a right to com
plain of the manner in which horse
impressments have been conducted in
this county. Three times (some say
four) the agent for impressing horses
has been among us, and instead of
sending the same agont every time,
so that he might know who lmd con
tributed a horse, and ho had not,
and that he might thus ae,‘ isedly
in the premises, a different agent has
been sent every time, and - Las, every
time, in a good many instances, made
n call upon the same individual. This
ought not to be so. The burthens of
the war ought to be equally distribu
ted. And in order that this may be
dono in the matter of impressment of
horses, for instance, the same agent
should act every time. And this a-
gent ought to be selected in the coun
ty where the horses arc to be impress
ed.
It does seem to us that there were
Confederate officers enough iu* Put
nam county to make the late impress**
ment of horses without sending an
other agent here. There is Harvey J.*
Dennis, agent for collecting govern
ment stores, and who well understands
II E O 0 U N T E Y MAN
horse flesh, and who well knows our J
people, aud their supplies of stock
Why could not he have impressed
horses I The same remarks apply to
George W. Wurdwell, and Thomas
B. Harwell, both overnmeut agents.
P. H. Dawson, one of our oldest in
habitants, and who made the last im
pressment of horses before Mr. Gools
by catne among us, would have been
a very proper person to act as agent
again. »So would James Davidson, C.
S. Tax Assessor, Stephen B. Marshall,
0. S. Tax Collector, or Lieut. Smith,
on'rolling officer for the county. The
latter might have had tho assistance
of his board of commissioners, Mess
rs. Winglield, Jenkins, and Reid, all
gentlemen well qualified from' their
knowledge of gur people, to do justice
iu l<*!t ing the guillotine of impress
ment fall where it properly belongs,
and who certainly would have dis-.
charged their duty faithfully.
Here we have somewhere near a
dozen Confederate agents, or officers,
either one of whom is bettor calculat
ed to make the proper impressment of
horses than the now agent sent among
us—simply because they know our
people, aud their moans, better than
Mr. Goolsby does, and also what eve
ry man in the county lias done—not
that they are any more clever or hon
orable gentlemen than Mr. Goolsby,
who does the very best he can, and
who frankly admits that be cannot do
justice, because lieis a stranger among
us. But, his orders are peremptory,
and he must have tho horses, wlieth-
justico or injustice is done.
Now why could not the proper au
thorities— those under whom Mr.
Goolsby acts—have made a requisition
upon Harvey J. Dennis, George W.
Wardwoll. Thomas B. Harwell, or
any of tho foregoing gentlemen, for
the number of horses required of Put
nam county ? Had they done so, the
requisition could have been filled un
derstand":' ly, promptly, aud with jus
tice.
On las' tuesday, we saw one of the
former agents (not a citizen of this
county) scut here to impress horses,
1 driving two fine horses to his buggy.
Would not one horse have answered
to pull him ?
We intend no disrespect to any one
in what we have said. We simply desire
that justice shall he done. WefouudMr.
Goolsby impressing horses on last tues-
day from parties who had already con
tributed, and passing over those (un
intentionally, and ignorantly, of
course) who had never contributed
anything. He could r.ot bo ox-
pccted to know who had contribu
ted, aud who had not, aiul was not to
blame. But the higher authorities are
to blame for not calling either upon
some one individual iu the county, or
upon a board of commissioners iu
the-county, to make the proper im
pressments.
Not long ago, thoro was an agent
here, impressing cattle, who trans
cended his orders, and impressed
many breeding-cattle, when specially
ordered not to do so. Nor have the
hides been returned to the owners, as
it was agreed should be done.
It is very seldom that we complain
of the government ;• but t^cro are
abuses of the impressment system
which require correction. The gov
ernment injures itself by lawless raids
of impressing officers as much as tho
yaukees injure it by their marauding
expeditions.
Wti will not bo misunderstood. We
mean no disrespect whatever to Mr.
Goolsby, a clover and high-toned gen
tleman, raised in the adjoining coun
ty of Jasper, and whom we have
known for the last fifteen or twenty
years. No blame can attach to him,
Ho is only carrying out orders he is
bound to obey.
Neither will we bo misunderstood
as denying tho government every
means it desires. We are willing that
the government shall have our last
horse and our last oiulc. But let an
equal distribution of the burthens be
made among th$ different counties, and
citizons of the 6amc county. Thou
wo will never cornplaiu.
it is important that our government
hall keep the hearts of cur people
loyal and true to its agents and its nc
lion. Fpou a basis of injustice and