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THE 0 0 U N T It V M A Is'
308
Tiie Jiife of au American Citizen :
BRING WE
BIOGRAPHY OF WILLIAM TURNER,
LATE OTl'UTNAM O0UNTY, GA
** BY HIS SON, J. A. TURNER.
CHAPTER V.
As 1 intend (hat thebe memoiis
fflTAW contain a somewhat connected
sketch of Georgia politics for the first
-half of the KUb century, 1 shall be
paicloned for giv’ing another incident
connected with tuo early political ca
reer of my father, as it will show the
animus of political feeling in this state,
from • very early times. We have
seen that my father, while a student
at Greensboro’ Academy, when seven
teen or eighteen yeais of age, was
something of a politician, and, by di
rection of his father, famished Gel.
Fftiiche with a document (accompan
ied with a written note) to enable him
to cope with Mr Tonsonby, iu defend
mg Mr. Jefferson, and Republicanism,
against the charges of Air. P. There
has uever been any lack of bitter
pmtizau strife in Georgia, from the
beginning; down to the present time.
The first two political divisions in the
state were Hie Federal and Republi
can parties. The latter was always
in the gseondency—tbe former, 1 pro
sutne, never of sufficient numbers and
influence to organize a formidable, or
consolidated party, though there were
men of influence, standing, and intel
lect, ttt the state, who wore Federal
ize—John Forsyth, himself, having
been, in bis early manhood, a politi
cian of .the sohool of Alexander Ham
ilton, though ever afterwards a most
inveterate Democrat.
Tho term Federalist, has generally
had as much odium attached to it, iu
Georgia, as the teim Tory. Some of
the most effective thunder used by
Georgia politicians, lias been tho
word Federalist In days past, the
Democrats thought the only thing
necessary to be doue, was to charge a
"Whig opponent with being a Federal-
iet, and the case was to be immediate
ly decided against him. We all know
how the charge of being a Federalist
was rung against Clay, and Harri
son, - , .
But long before. Clay and Harrison
were candidates before the people of
Georgia, it was the custom to charge
one’s political opponent with Federal
ism. I have before me documentary
evidence of this having been done hi
Hancock county, as early as 1807.
We have seen how the subject of these
memoirs, iu that year, pounced down
upon “ federalism, or the supporters
of federalists,” for taking sides against
our own (then) government, iu favor
of tho British empire, iu the matter of
the Chesapeake. Duiing tho same
year, Henry Mitchell, stato seuator
from Hancock, was a candidate for
I re election, and John Herbert was, it
would seem, liis opponent. It was
charged that Mitchell’s friends, iu ol
der to injure Herbert, had circulated
the report that Herbert wa6 a Filler-
alist. It seems, though, that it was
so clear that Herbert was not a Fed
eralist, that Mitchell’s friends, by their
conduct, admitted that if they had cir
culated such a report, they had circu
lated a falsehood. Therefore they
denied having circulated any such re
port. It had been charged by a wri
ter iu the Farmer’s Gazette (my fath
er, possibly) that such a report
had been circulated by Mitchell's
fnendw, against Herbert, at a barbecue
at William Hamilton’s. The article
iu which this charge was made, was
headed "A Gut of tho Roast.” Mitch
ell’s friends, as I have said, denied
that any such report had been cireula
ted by them Whereupon the follow
ing affidavit was published in the
Farmer’s Gazette :
'‘Georgia, ( Personally
,Hancock County. J appeared Har
ris Brantley, and, being duly sworn,
depouetb, and saith that he was at a
barbecue at Mr, William Hamilton’s,
ou the eighth day of August (to the
best of his recollection) and fliers
heard it repotted by a man who said
that he should vote for Mitchell—that
Herbert(meauing John Herbeit) was
a Federalist. Harris Brantley.
Sworn to before me, this 9th Sep
tember, 1807
WUJittm Barnet, j P ’
“ tempest in a tea-pot tho ordina
ry “ much ado about nothing,” was
gotten up, that we generally witness
in local political strife.—What 1 liavo
narrated in this connection, is given
only to show for how long a time out
.people have been torn by partizau fac-
tlon and strife—-how small a matter
local ’politics become—and how the
terrible word Federalist has beau used
for oyer a half century in Georgia.
My father caused the foregoing af
fidavit to be published, in order to
show that it had been asserted by at
least one of the friends of Henry
Mitojiell that John Herbert was a
Federalist. The •publication of the
affidavit was accompanied by explan
atory and polemical remarks. It seems
that the controversy had taken a per
sonal turn, as is almost certain to be
the case, iu county political matters,
and my father was ready then, as he
was all his life, to defend his
position wit'll his pen. It might have
been his fault, as well as that of some
of his descendants, that.he was always
too ready to resort to his pen, or to
rush into print.
In this connection. I give here, in
‘extent^, a paper drawn up by my fath
er, in defence of a claim which he had
against W. Abercrombie, and v hich
had been submitted by the parties to
arbitration. The issue presented is of no
importance, now, though * doubtless it
possessed, at the time, a great deal of
interest for the young clerk who had
worked very hard for a small salary.
The article is presented merely as be
ing illustrative of the manners and
customs of the people of the time a*
which it was written. It is only by
au insight into into (he local manners
and customs that the historian is ena
bled to take a philosophical view oi
hie subject. The feelings and habits
of the masses constitute tho correct sta -
' pie of the material lor history, Other
wise it becomes gilded romance tor
kings and rulers only.—But here is the
article to which l have referred :
''Gentlemen :■—To you it is referred
to say what shall be my wages for mj
past services with Mr Vv Abercrom
bie, in The merchandizing busier
11 is to bo presumed that the usual