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feelings which have ever cuaraetenzeu
jour political and private career, if you
can, or will sanction the course pursued
by a few restless individuals, in announc
ing you as a candidate. VVas that im
mense crowd which attended (he iate Com
mencement at Athens consulted in your
nomination? No sir, a few discontented
and reckless a-pirunts t<> office, who wish
to control ami dictate, have announced
J'm as a candidate for Governor. Sir,
this course 1 :un persuaded does not meet
your approbation—it cannot; Mr. Gilmer
is too honorable a man.—The friends of
M.ijor Crawford had determined upon
running him lor Governor; they had an
nounced him- as a candidate provious to
the last Commencement; public opinion
had settled down upon him as a fit person
to succeed the present distinguished
Chief Magistrate of the State. But, Sir, a
few designing political renegades, who are
paving tin* way far their own preferment
who believe, that in the wreck of polit
ical parties they would fl at to the sur
face. made use of your name for purposes
that I need not sta*e to you But, Su
what can you promise yourself from thF
opposition?—Do you flatter yourself wit:
tin* vo e of the Crawford or Troup party
by which ever name it may be denomina
ted/ No. Sir this would he futile. Can yoi.
promise youselfthe vote of the Cbnk pai
fy? Nu, Sir, this would be equally absurd
Now is the propitious moment for tur.
pit tv; if ever they > . , n-ginn the aster-
CO icv a fivorabm opportunity is pro
cub'd; ought th M ir energies ami vigilant
now to slumber? It seems that seventh
dividual* w sited upon you at the lot.
commencement, (not by the authority ot
the hundreds that, attended it,) and -re
quested perm:?,-ion to make use of you
name as a candidate tor Governor, t
which you modestly replied k ‘l seek:,
o'fice and l slum none; 1 am wi ing
serve in any capacity my countrymct
shall desire I ' —But, Sir, in the rttio-jpec
tionofth*’ incidents of the late Com
mencement, have you nothing to deplore?
have you nothing to regri t? Should you
not have refilled to your officious
friends, who have such regird for the
honnt, the welfare and the purity of the
political institutoris of the Slate, Gentle
men, 1 cannot consent to your request;
the name of my personal and political
friend, ftlaj. Crawford, is before the peo
ple,* he pos-osso* capacity and integrity
to discharge the duties of Governor of
Georgia; l cannot consent to have any
collision among the party to which I
belong; I cannot consent to excite the
angry feeling of my fellow citizens—
respect for my friend forbids the idea;
excuse me, gentlemen, 1 cannot gratify
you in your wishes—-l will inflict no
wounds upon the feelings of friends; 1
will cause no schism in the Troup party.
How honerable, how praiseworthy would
this course have been. Can you look
through the vista of time without regret, to
the consequences likely to result from the
rash, and as l really believe, inconsid
erate course you have persued? Believe
me, Mr. Gilmer, when I assure you,
the people of Georgia highly appreciate
your talents, your honest and energetic
discharge of duty in the Councils of the
Nation, but in the stand you have now
taken, they are dissatisfied they are
displeased; and they will shortly afford
you clear and satisfactory evidence of it.
If, Sir, you had the names of the ven
erable William H. Crawford, George M.
Troup, John Forsyth, and many others,
whose name 1 might mention, to sanc
tion theourse persued by you. you might
perhaps promise yourselfsuccesa. But.
Sir, these distinguished and honora
ble men will ever discountenance collis
ion among political friends—they will
ever set their faces against a course so t
well calculated, the most effectually, to
destroy the harmony and confidence
which should ever subsist between po
litical and personal friends. The baneful
effects of party spirit, the people of
Georgia have reason to deplore: what
animosities and jealousies now exist
among us. A third party to be formed
among us, denominated what? Gilmer
party/ I ask you, will you hazard the
formation and success of such a party?
Do you behave the people of Georgia
are prepared for it? I do not believe
there is such a period arrived in the
history of Georgia—l do not believe there
is so much versatillitv among the peo
ple of this state This i* a moment
pregnant with the most serious conse
quences to you; you have suffered
yourself to be hurried to a most awful
.precipice; however, you are not precipit.
ated to the bottom. In this moment of j
peril and danger, you should reflect
calmly and dispassionately upon a course
which has produced such sensations
among your friend? Believe me, Sir,
the people were willing to pardon your
late want of respect for the laws of yur
State, and to restore to you that office
they had proudly elevated you to. and
which you had forfeited by inattention,
negligence, or whatever you may please
to call it, but your present disregard of
the political ties which bind togetherthe
party to which you are attached, they
cannot, they will not forgive 1 again
repeat tny request, that you would reflect;
that your own political destiny is involved
in a contest you have voluntarily and
rashly entered into; you have placed
your friends in a ven v unpleasant di
lemma; for the sake of tranquillity, and
to preserve the integrity of a prevailing
party, they will be constrained however
highly they may esteem you, however
highly they may appreciate your capacity
to discharge the duties of Chief Magistrate
ts the State, to vote against you.
A GEORGIAN.
FROM THE J FRVAL.
Messrs. Camuk <§’ Ragland ,
I have 8 en with regret, much said
y several w riters upon the election of
Governor. I say with regret because
‘here is in some of these prices, some.
Isehood and much imlis< retien. One
vritor savs that, Gov. Troup will sup
uort Mr. G I tner, because some per
on had written a letter from Athens
in that effect. If such a letter has
been written the writer must have
ecu regardless of (ruth. Governor
I’roup expressed to the writer of this
article, the evening that it whs known
at Athens, that Mr. Gilmers name
would be announced as a candidate
for governor, his deep regret at the
prospect of the controversy, and earn
estly enquired if there was -no means
of preventing it. It is not intended to
assert that governor Troup will not
vote fur Mr Gilmer, but it is confi
dently believed that lie will not. This
belief is founded upon an intimate ac
quaintance with governor Troup, and
a conviction that he always acts upon
principle and consistently; which the
writer of this article hopes to prove he
would do, if he voted for Mr. Giltner.
It is known that there are two pol
itical parties in this state diametrically
opposed to each other. The weaker
of the two parties is so strong, that
when the other party is divided by
two opposing candidates, the former
holds the balance in its hands. Ad
mitting this statement to be correct,
which will be denied by no intelligent
man of good faith; he holds it to lie a
sound maxim, indeed one that cannot
be controverted, that whenever a can
didate of the stronger or Republican
party is announced for an office, that is
acceptable to the ma jority of the res
pectable and well informed of that
party, the rest of the party ought to
acquiesce and support that candidate
if he possesses the necessary quaffica
tions, which is presupposed by bis be
ing acceptable to a majority of the In
telligent and respectable portion of his
political party.
Whoever stirs up an opposition un
der such circumstances, are not or
thodox Republicans; and no ortliodox
republican can support such opposi
tion without acting inconsistently,
according to the ideas and practice of
the writer of this article. Nay, more,
whoever consents to become the instru
ment virtually declares that he is
w illing to accept of office from the mi
nor party, and that lie prefers office to
the success and integrity of the party
to which he proposes to belonng. Can
any Republican, will any Republican
support any man who acts upon such
principle? I trust not. What has
been said may be considered by Ers
kine an answer to his tirade about a
foot race and other arguments of the
same nature.
One word as to the relative qualifi
cations of Major Crawford and Mr.
Gilmer for the office of Governor. I
have known both men from their boy
hood; intimately known them, and
are now intimate With them. If the
contest was for Congress, the writer of
this article would vote for Mr. Gil
mer, because he believes him qualified
to render the State more service than
| Major Crawford. But he conscicn
tiously believes that Major Crawford
would make the best Governor. lie
verily believes that his talents are of
an executive character; and he has no
reason to believe that Mr. G’s are of
that character.
So far then as qualifications ar
concerned, lie believes that Major
Crawford aught to be preferred. It is
admitted with Erskinc, that the tote
grity of both candidates is unimpeach
able. The writer of this article
knows of no act of Mr. Gilmer which
can render his integrity and good
faith questionably unless his consent
ing to be a candidate under the cir
cumstances which have been stated to
be such an act.
A report is in circulation which if is
thought will operate greatly in favour
of Mr. Gilmer. It is reported that
Governor Forsyth and his friends
were endeavoring to shut Mr. Gilmer
out of Congress, and that there was
a secret understanding b; tween the
Governor and Major Crawford, lint
the Major was to succeed him in the
chair of State. This report is with
out the slightest foundation. In the
first place, neither Governor Forsyth!
>r his friends were unfriendly to toe
election of Mr. Gilmer; and lie sod his
friends knew it. In the second place,
there was no secret utiderstarming be !
tween the governor and M• j Cran
ford. This gentleman had pledged)
himself to his friends to offer for g iv- j
ernor whenever a vacancy occurred. ]
The writer of this article knows that;
the whole report is untrue, and he be- j
lieves that the author of the report j
believed it to he false when they pro-1
pergated the report.
A word or two with Mi*. Erskinej
upon the Redoubtable Caucus at Ath
ens who put Mr. Gilmer in nomina
tion. He says tin y are respectable
gentlemen.—Granted. Tory arej
most, of them known to the writer of
this article and his personal friends.
A caucus has always been understood
to be a considerable and influential
body of men. But in the present case
six or seven individuals call them
selves a committee, and w ait upon Mr.
Gilmer and request him to be a can
didate, for Governor, In other words
to oppose Mtij. Crawford. Who did
these respectable gentlemen represent?
From whom did they receive their ap
pointment / There were more than
1000 citizens at Athens at the com
mencement. If fair and honest deal
ing was intended, why was not age
neral meeting called? Why was not
the question publicly and candidly
discussed ? If this course had been
pursued and bad resulted in the nomi
nation of Mr. Gilmer, Maj. Crawford
would probably have acquiesced in
the decision, instead of this manly
and open course, the thing is done
clandestinely, or, at least secretly, in
some private room or dark corner.
The writer of this article was there,
the-whole time, and never heard a
whisper of it until the deed of dark*
ness was done. And I believe the
great majority of the persons present
were equally ignorant. There was
upon the spot Governor Troup, Jud
ges Crawford, Cobb, Clayton,* and
Holt, besides many other intelligent
and respectable men. Why were they
not consulted ? The answer is plain;
the seven respectable men, as Mr.
Erskine calls them, were determined
Ito make a schism in the Republican
party, and were apprehensive that
[they would be disappointed if they
proceeded publicly in their measures
to effect it.
It is reported and believed by many
j the leaders of the Clark party,
| desirous to get rid of the political
: name which they bear, are determin
cd to upport Mr. Gilmer, and there
by sink their former political name.
Mr. Gilmer ought to have foreseen
this.
| Fellow Citizens, what is the prin-
cipal duty of a Governor? To see that
the laws are faithfully executed. Will
it be prudent, will it be wise, nay \ V |||
it be safe to elect a man Governor
who has shewn so strong a propensity
to declare your laws uncousii :qnal
as Mr. Gilmer lias? The act declared
by Mr Gilmer to be unconstitutional
was passed on the 11th day of Feb
ruary, 1799, and has bceu executed
from that time til! the present year.
No one complained of its provisions
until (hey happened to conflict with
Mr. Gilmer 4 # interest or convenience
—Then lie discovers that the law is
unconstitutional; although Governor
Forsyth, who no one that knows the
two men, will believe to he inferior 1o
Mr. Gilmer, believes it to be both
constitutional and expedient, ana has
i here.lure considered himself bound to
execute it. But the ground upon
which republicans ought to act, is
that when a republican virtually de
dares by his conduct that he is willing
to receive the office from the Clark
party, that he prefers his individual
interest to the integrity of the Rupnb
ii’ Hi party, not to vole for that per
son.
It. is generally understo and that the
principal part of the Cl vl party will
support Mr. Gdmer. f l he only ex
ceptions that have been heard of are
jsome i w who are personally attached
to M ijor Crawford, or jm rsonally un
friendly to Mr. Gilmer. Is it possible
that R-publicans will unite with the
! Clark p.irty and enable them to vent
their *■■pieeu against the. name of Craw
ford? For it is the name that deter
mines the great body of the Clark
party, to support Mr. Gilmer, for
[wliu'ii they have no personal attach
! meat, bid whose name ?s less hateful
i to them than that of Crawford,
CV CRGUS.
€ l tSi\
< r : ) V - * 6, 18297*
articles h*,e beta ler.
out tint are in type, in order that as
much light as possible [as the election
is near at hand] may be given relative
to the Governor’s election, our paper
is filled with well written articles’ on
that subject, from the Journal and; *
R voider.
We have just understood that ano
ther dreadful fire has taken place in-
Augusta, it originated, we understand!
in the City Hotel, about three o tf clock.
on the morning of 24th inst.
The following extract from a report
of the Beaufort Agricultural Society,
gives a very discouraging statement
of the cotton crop in that part of t'j#
country. If the same drawback’ up-*
on crops exist in other parts, die a
mount of our exports in cotton must
fall considerably short of what they
have been for some years past.,—Con,.
“ The most discouraging statement
of the condition of the crops of Sea
Island Cotton in the vicinity, was-ren
dered to the Society by the members,
present-—lt was stated that they were
one fortnight Gtcr than on ordinary/
years; that they were worse tiram on
any former year (excepting 1825,)
that the early plantings wera utterly
lost, being completely stripped ofitheir
pods by alternate rains and, drought-**
that the later plantings though better
were essentially unpromising and lia
ble to injury from storm, frost and ca
terpillar. Among the members, m*e*
sent, were those who cultivated s>e&
Island cotton on Port Royal, Si. He
lena, Ladies, Latha, Bell, Cat, Cane,
and Paris Island, as also planters from.
Kean’s Neck, Prince Williams’ ami
there was hut one opinion as to the.
fact that the crop was lost. On St,
Helena, Ladies, Cat, Cane, and Parie
Islands, the Caterpillar have already
commenced their ravages. It is be*,
lieved ‘that they will spread till they
are destroyed by frost,
A committee of inspection appoint*
ed two months ago to examine, the
crops, aud report their condition-*,*