Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

\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.’ "