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To the Cithern of Twiggs county.
A HANDBILL Hiving been conjured up
in mv enemies, to misiepreseut my
viovs and mislead your understanding, I con
sider in exposition of my principles in relation
to ae r * iff, without disguise or reservation,
to be demanded by duty to you and justice to
mysed.
"First, then, I m iinta>n that the Tariff was in
tended, by ibe majority that imposed it, to o
perate against the South; but that being blessed
by the God of Heaven with a soil and climate
which .Jive as a combination of advaotiges, we
mas', by using economy and pursuing our in
terest, grow rich, in despite of the Tariff. Se
condly, that we ought to raise and produce ev
ery article tliai we can or home consump.ion,
and at the same time cultivate the great staple
©f necessity which the North cannot grow and
is therefore compelled to purchase;—that by a
dopting such policy, it is impossible that we,
who can produce almost every aiticle of neces
siiy, shonld grow poor, while out Northren
breihern become rich. Thirdly, ihat all that
the Soudieri? people want to enable them to
throw die whole weight ot the protecting du
ties on the heads of their Northei n brethren is to
adopt and keep up a rigid course of eron
oim —by supplying the wants of our fami
lies by our own labor ai;d skill, by raising
our "Wn horses and mules, tanning our own
lea'lier, making our own shoes, spinning our
own cloths, weaving our own bagging, and
manufacturing every article we can for out own
consumption. Fourthly, such a plan would
save ro the citizens of Georgia two or three mil
lions ot dollars per annum; as the only articles
that we would be compelled to purchase, are
j:on, salt and coffee. Under such a regimen,
the Southern people would in a short time
stand on the pinnacle of independence, in defi
ance of the unjust bearing of the obnoxious ta
riff. Fifthly, 1 further maintain that, should
the Southern people pursue the doctrine ofmy
nullifying opponents, purchasing almost every
article of domestic consumption, the more mo
ney we save, the more cotton we must plant,
that in twenty years, our lands will be worn out,
anil that tariff or no tariff, we will bo tributary
to the Northern Siates. The truth of this doc
trine is demonstrated by the prosperity of such
planters as make small crops of cotton, but are
enter prising in the development of their own
jvsomces. These men are independent of the
tauff, and beyond the reacit of its effects.—
Neither lawyer nor county officer handies their
m niey—while on the contrary, tin- planter,
who devotes his lands and labor to cotton, and
purchases the prime articles of living, has been,
and will always be, insolvent, with or without
a to i iff- On this point, I challenge investiga
tion.
I will here introduce a few words relative to
the influence of the tariff on the price of cotton.
It is an undeniable fact that the price of any ar
ticle is governed by the quantify of that article
in market. Assuming this as a truth, I ask a
candid community whether they can expect as
high a price for their cotton now as they receiv
ed some twelve or fifteen years ago, consider
ing me vast increase in the quantity produced?
If my recollection serves me aright, the amount
of cotton exported to Liverpool fourteen years
ago wi* 240,000 bags, but in the year 1830
was 1,000,000. Here, fellow-citizens, is the
true c mse of'the present low price of cotton,
and not the tariff as ihe nullifiers and seditious
would have y*ru believe. Now, as I have a
bove stated, if the people of Georgia and the
other cotton growing States, will fabiicate the
articles necessary to their own support, the
quanuty of cotton exported must diminish but
the article rise in price, and the value in money
be nearly all retained in our own country: for
the only articles of primary consumption that
we cannot prepare, are iron, salt and coffee.—
Such are my views of the tariff, and such are the
only views that I have ever expressed, notwith
standing the affidavits of Matthew Robertson,
M.nks his dependent and kinsman, and his o
ther adherents.
Flie said Robertson swears that f, on the 4ih
ol July l ist, said the “Tariff was the best thing
for ihe Southern States that had ever been
done.” To his asseveration f give an unqual
ified denial, and am supported in my declara
tion by the certificate of John E. Dennard,
Robert Radford, Thomas Chivers, Benjamin
L ine, and John Thompson, to which ihey are
willing to be qualified. By this certificate, it is
apparent that my language at Hayden’s store
on the 4ili of July, in the presence of Mr. Rob
ertson, was in strict accordance witli mv present
exposition, and tliai Mr. Robertson lias gar
bled and distorted it, to suit his own purposes.
Fhe subserviency of Marks to the will and
pleasure of Robertson is sufficient to account
lor the testimony he has given or may in future
give in any case in which R bertson may, from
eanrice or hatred, take an interest.
In relation to the affidavits of Dr. Terrell
and Messrs. Griffin and H irrison, it will be
perceived that they are decidedly ambiguous.
They represent me as advocating the tariff, but
avoid stating in what that advocacy consists.—
If 'bey mean by advocacy , that the repeal of
tile tariff should be effected by economy in the
expenditures of the Southern people, and not
v inciting single States to nullify laws of Con
giess and dismember the Union, then indeed
they are right.
To the oath of Samuel Rogers, that on the
3d install,, n the house of Mr. Granberry, I
was in favor of he lai iff,” I present the cer
tificates of Robins Andrews, B ttlurn Oneal,
James Avirett, Benjamin U. Kelly and J.dra
E rnes, who are ill willing to swear to 'bat
winch they ceriify. Ido not believe hat any
other person present at that time, except Mr.
H irdin, will charge me with such language;
and as for Hardin, I care nothing. He is a de
graded tool of my political opponent—one of
those young gentlemen that have more frivoli
ty in their manners ilmo sense in their brains
Thus, fellow-citizens, have I been compell
ed bv a conspiracy as malicious as unjust and
as deprave las ungenerous, to lay the present
exposition before you. Without equivocation
or reserve, l have stated my views in relation
to the tariff. The course pursued by mv ene
mies in this matter is strange. I have been ar
raigned at the bar of public opinion, for sup
porting the very doctrines which a few years
since were popular in this county. You all
recollect that we convened in Marion soon af
ter 'he passage of the Tariff in 1828, and ihat
we adopted resolutions maintaining the very
principles which i now avow. Why is all
this political shuffling and manoeuvring? The
means two yeais ago deemed wise, expedient,
and patriotic, to counteract the tariff, will not
now do for my political opponents. They
have found a shorter way through the abstruse
doctrines of nullification and separation.
You have new, follow-citizens, my views
and defence before you, and I shall be content
with your candid and impartial decision.
7 , , H. H TARVKR.
1 wiggs county, Ga. Sept. 21, 1831.
GEORGIA —Twiggs County.
Wp certify, that, at a conversation, held at Hay
den’s store, in Twiggs county, on thn 4th of July last
between Matthew Robertson and Hartwell H. Tar
ver, we were present; and heard the conversation;
and do unequivocally declare that the following are
the facts of that conversation: Colonel Tarver said
that the tariff was intended to affect the South and
that it was unjust to protect one branch of industry to
the prejudice of another; hut that we had, it we
pursued our own interest, a combination of advan
tages over (lie Northern people; and that all the
Southern people wanted, to destroy the prejudicial
effed of the existing tariff', was economy. That we
should make everything within ourselves for the
support ot our own families, raise our provisions, ba
con, pork, flour, corn; make cloths tor our own fami
nes, cotton bagging, and raise our own horses and
mules; and that such an economical course adopted
and pursued by the South would induce, the Northern
people to abandon the tariff We do further deny
positively that Colonel Tarver ever said that the ta
riff was Ihe best thing ever done for the South, is tes
tified by M Robertson; and we heard the conversa
tion; and Colonel Tarver never advanced any such
an idea Given under our hands, this 14th Septem
ber, 1831. J. E. DENNARD
his
‘ ROBERT t RADFORD,
mark
THOMAS CHIVERS.
BENJAMIN FANE.
JOHN THOMPSON.
Note. —Mr. Radford says tbfet there might be a
small part of the latter part of the conversation that
he might not havQ heard; but that he heard Robertson
admit that cotton goods were lower than they were
ever known before, and that all the Southern "people
wanted was economy —the very thing contended for
by Tarver. And Mr. Dennard further states, that the
conversation there closed, by Tarver’s observing that
if Robertson admitted that, Tarver was there done
with him.
GEORGIA — Twiggs County.
We do hereby certify that vve were at Samuel
M. Granberry’s on the 3d instant, and heard the
whole of the conversation between H H. Tarver and
Martin L. Hardin, and are clearly of opinion that
Colonel Tarver did not advocate the tariff in that
conversation; nor did he say that he was in favor of
the tariff, as sworn to by Samuel Rogers.
And, moreover, in said conversation, Hardin ac
cused Tarver of being friendly to the tariff; to which
charge Colonel Tarver gave the most prompt denial,
and said that the tariff was intended to protect the
Northern manufactories to the injury of the Southern
States; but it we would adopt means within our con
trol, we could counteract its evil effects, September
19 1831 ROBINS ANDREWS.
JOHN EANES
GEORGIA —Twiggs County.
I do certify that I was present in the house of Sam
uel M. Cranberry, on the 3d instant, and heard the
whole conversation between Hartwell H. Tarver
and Martin L Hardin on the subject of the tariff;
and I do positively state that the said Tarver did
not advocate the tariff, as certified by Martin L.
Hardin; and I do furthermore state, that Colonel Tar
ver did not say that he was in favor of the tariff, as
testified by Samuel Rogers. Given under my hand,
this 19th September, 1831.
BRITTURN ONEAL.
GEORGIA —Twiggs County.
I hereby certify, that 1 was present at Samuel M.
Granberry’s. on the 3d instant, and heard the whole
conversation between H. H. Tarver and Martin L.
Hardin, in the presence of B Oneal, and H H Tar
ver did not advocate the tariff, as stated bv Martin L.
Hardin; and moreover did not say he was in lavor of
the tariff, as testified by Samuel Rogers. This certi
ficate is not prompted bv feelings of friendship to
wards Colonel Tarver: for I do not intend to vote
for him at the next election This 19th September.
1831. his
JAMES t AVIRETT.
Attest, mark.
D. Wimberly.
GEORGIA —Twiggs County.
I do certify that I was present at Samuel M. Gran
berry’s, on Saturday, the 3d of this month, and heard
the whole conversation, between H H. Tarver and
Martin L Hardin; and 1 positively state, that Col.
Tarver did not. in that conversation, advocate the
Tariff, as certified by „said Hardin; and did not sv in
that conversation, that he was in favor of the Tariff
as testified by Samuel Rogers; and I hate had repeat
ed conversations with Col. Tarver on the-subject,
and have never heard him advocate the Tariff This
19tli tiept, 1831 BENJAMIN U. KELLY.