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\J, A i
THE COUNTRYMAN.
By J. A. TURNER,
“INDEPENDENT in EVERYTHING—NEUTRAL IN NOTHING ” $5 fOT TIlTfP MOIllhS.
TURNWOLD (NEAR EATONTON) GA., TUESDAY, JANUARY 31, 1865. NO. 5*.
VOL. XX.
Joseph A. Turner, of Putnam,
CANDIDATE FOR SOLICITOR OF THE OCMULGEE
CIRCUIT.
Dear Sir—1 belong to that limited class,
Whose misfortune it is to be wanting in brass—
A metal more needed by candidates here,
Than silver, or anything found on the sphere.
Pitty times have I started to enter your door,
But fearing that I might be voted a bore,
In mercy, each time, I’ve allowed you to pass,
Though ’twas only because I was wanting to
brass.
Now, thinking it neither improper, nor rude,
To seek your support in poetical mood,
I drop you a line, with the modest request,
That if there is no one for whom you’ve ex
pressed
A pledge of support, to remember my case,
When voting for candidates seeking for place.
There’s Barnett, and Nisbet, and Satfold, all
three,
Just as smart, and as Clever, as people can be :
But for fear of offending two out of the three,
Perhaps it were better, by voting for me,
To be rid of the trouble that thus you may get
in—
Be relieved of the doubt that your mind may
be yet in.
Your Speaker, Judge M., will endorse for my
claim,
And will do me the honor to announce you my
name.
Milledgevilk, Nov., 1851.
The foregoing verses were penned in Mil-
ledgeville, in the winter of 1851, where we
were seeking (in vain) the office of solicitor,
before the Georgia legislature. We used to be
a candidate, occasionally, in our younger days,
but were always the poorest hand in the world
to electioneer, because it has ever been one of
the hardest tasks, undertaken by us, to ask a
favor. The truth is, we ought never to have
been a candidate, as we never expect to be
again. Instead of being able to make oorself
more agreeable, when a candidate, it has al
ways been our misfortune,to make ourself
more repulsive, during our candidacy, than at
any other time. The reason is, we have always
been so afraid people would think we were
electioneering with them, that we always made
an effort to keep them from thinking so, be
cause we have disdained the tricks of the dema
gogue.
Butin 1851, after Howell Cobb was elected
governor of Georgia, and the union men had a
majority in the legislature, having been at the
bar but a short time, we concluded to run for
solicitor— especially after having received a
promise of support, which we never got, but
which might have elected ue, had it been be
stowed upon us, according to promise.
Thomas P. Saffold, Charles E. Nisbet, and
Joel C. Barnett, were the candidates, besides
ourself. The union support, which was pledged
to us, went to T. P. Saffold, and so he was
elected.—All the candidates could beat us elec
tioneering. We couldn’t even be introduced
to a member, without feeling that we wore a
sort of hang-dog look upon our face, believing
the member was thinking in his mind, “ Now
here cornea one of these everlasting office-seek
ers, and I don’t want to see him.” This
thought was killing to us. We made no head
way at all. At last it occurred to us to write
the foregoing, have it printed in handbills, and
laid upon the members’ desks. But our heart
tailed us even in this, and the above lines now
see the light for the first time.
“The Tomahawk.”—Such is the
title of a new periodical, the first
number of which is on our table. It
is edited fey Peter Pickle, and is from
the press of Benjamin F. Griffin, 10
Cotton Avenue, Macon, Ga. The fol
lowing is the table of contents :
What, we propose; The Georgia
Gubernatorial Conventions ; The
Overseei’s Daughter; The Edinburgh
Review and Slavery; Parodies, Puns,
and Pepper-corns; Bob Johnson;
Preparing for a Storm; Crops of
Bieeches; Her Reason for it ; Butch
er, spare that Hog; Horace Greeley’s
Excuses ; Love in a Cottage ; North
Carolina Races ; My Life is like the
wee Tadpole ; Funnytopsis ; Editor’s
Table.
Mr. Pickle wields the hatchet like
an old sachem, who has never met a
defeat in battle. Now we are dispos
ed to see what will come of him. He
has chosen his war path, and seems
disposed to fight on the side of right,
though he gives'a dig, or two into
the ribs of his cotemporaries, saying
he don’t iare whether they fight in
his favor, or against him, or whether
they stand neutral. Here is what he
says of the Tomahawk : .
‘It will consist of articles boldly,
fearlessly, and truthfully discussing
every subject that can be of interest
to the public. In matters of science,
literature, politics, and religion, we
intend to be perfectly independent,
and say whatever we think. Our ob
ject shall be to speak the truth in re
ference to everything, whether it be
agreeable, or disagreeable. Why
should man he afraid to speak the
truth? We have adoped the motto,
from Horace, Dicere vet urn quid vetat?
As our name implies, we design to
wield a keen blade, which shall cut
into the vitals of folly, foolery, and
knavery. We intend to give error no
quarter, but shall wage war against
it to the knife.
* * * * *
Wo shall not ask the aid of the I
newspaper press — particularly in
Georgia—to further our intentions.
If we need it, we will not get it. If
we do not need it, it will he freely ex
tended to as. It has passed into cur
rent belief, that the Georgia editors
are a set of ‘jealous Yahoos.’ So at
least wrote one yankee, disappointed
in his scheme of establishing a maga
zine in this state. We do not endorse
what he says. Far from it. But we
only say of editors, in general, what
is true of mankind in general—that
they will give their aid to what has
the prestige of success, but withhold
it when it is most needed. There are
now in Georgia two literary enterpri
ses—the Georgia Home Gazette, and
Southern Eclectic. Occasionally you
see, in the papers of the state, a half a
line in commendation of these enter-
prises, while you may see a score
commendatory of the northern maga
zines, and journals. And this, too, is
at the bauds of editors who prate—
or rather have prated—a good deal
about ‘southern rights,’ and ‘southern
independence.’ We do not say these
things by way of securing the favora
ble notice of the press. We are not
dependent upon the success of this
enterprise for our daily bread, and
therefore, we can afford to be inde
pendent, and say what we think. We
are alike indifferent to the praise,
censure, or silence of our contempo
raries. If they have a mind to speak
well of us—well, If they say noth
ing of us—well. If they wish to
speak ill of us, let them do it. We
like warfare, sometimes. The blade
of our Tomahawk is ready for bat
tle.’
‘The proof of the pudding is in the
eating thereof,’ and after the extracts
given, we commend each reader here
of to a taste. It is certainly well
spiced, and, we doubt not, will be
generally relished by consumers.
The Tomahawk may be had at tfef!
bookstore of Gol. Sibley, Congresa-at,
—Sav. Georgian, 185-.
What Money Does.—“ ‘Fanny, don’t
you think Mr. Bold is a handsome man ?’
* Oh, no—I can’t endure his looks. Re
is homely enough.’
* Well, he’s fortunate, at all events j for
an old aunt has just died, and left him fif
ty thousand dollars.’
‘Indeed! is it true? Well, now J
come to recollect, there is a certain noble
air about him; and he has a fine eye—?
that can’t be denied.’ "