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THE WASHINGTONIAN: AUGUSTA, OCTOBER lg, 1842. Washington Total Jlbsiinfnce Pledge. We, whose names are hereunto annexed, desirous of forming a Society for our mutual benefit , and to guard against a pernicious practice , which is injurious to our health, standing and families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen, not to drink any gpiritous or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider. List of Agents for the Washingtonian. ■Has-uS* Dolohntga —C. B. Leitner. Covington—C. Pace. Decatur— L. Willard. Mhene— E L. Newton. Marietta— Jamca F. Cooper. Columbus —R. Boyd. SanderniUe—A. G. Ware. Social Circle —J. L. Grealism. Lincolnton —Henry J. Lang. CrawfordvilU —Hev. John W. Wilson. Warrenton —Ellphalet Hale. Culbreath’s— Rev. C. Collins. Sparta —N. C. Sayre. McDonough —Wm. L. Gordon. CaitviUe— Rev. Mr. Howard. Arrangements for the Celebration ot the Anniversary of the Washington Total Abstinence Society of Richmond County. The Committee, to whom was assigned the duty of making arrangements for the celebralion of the Anniversary of our Society, on the 31st instant, report: That they have procured the Presbyterian Church; and have engaged the valuable services of John Richards, Esq. to prepare music suitable for the occasion- John Milledgc.Esq. has kind ly consented to favor the Society with an Address; when it is expected Richard P. Taylor, Esq. will also be present and address the Society. The Pews right and left of the centre aisle will be re served solely for the ladies, a large number of whom we hope will honor us with their attend ance. We would recommend the following Order of Exercises. Music. Prater . Reading op thf. Annual Report. Music. Address bv Col. John Mu.ledge. Music. Address by Richard P. Taylor, Esq. Music. As it is highly probable that the exercises will continue to so late an hour that the time tor the election of our officers'would he limited, wo re commend that the election be deferred until our regular meeting, on Friday evening, 4th Novem ber, 1842. All which is respectfully submitted. J. G. DUNLAP, t H. HUFF, > Committee. G. A. INGRAHAM,) 'Stand aside andtlet Old Richmond speak!’ The first Monday in this month was n day big with fate, to both political parties in this county —their whole strength was rallied at the ballot box, and instead of the loud, bacchanalian shout, which formerly announced the trio of voters led by some prominent member of the party to which they were attatchcd, cooly and deliberately exer cised that greatest of privileges, the right of suf frage, as it should ever be done by men worthy of the title of freemen—in their sober senses. Ne ver, since our time in old Richmond County— (and we have spent our days from youth to man hood in it, and witnessed some “Georgia Scenes” —some ‘Bob Stallons’ and ‘Bill Durham’ ‘cavor tings'— ‘ round about the Courthouse,’ on the day of election,)—have we witnessed as peacea ble an election, as on the first Monday of Octo «ber, 1842. Long will it be remembered by the friends oi Temperance and good order. The “Bloody 600dth” of Richmond County, (who have been misrepresented in several Euro pean newspapers, as a‘ body of six hundred men! somewhere in North America, notoriousfor their desperate character at elections'!) composed of men who are the bone and sinew of our happy country—men who, in the language of Marshall, could fell hundreds of their country’s foes, did occasion require—marched in procession, in un broken phalanx, to deposite their votes Tor the man of their choice. Men worthy of the name of Washingt. njans and Moral Reformers.- Reader, the mass of that body of voters, are true friends to mankind, the friends of liberty, peace and good order—members of the Washington Total Abstinence Society, who are pledged to abstain from drinking a poison which is injurious ! to themselves anil ruinous to their country. We desire only to give a sketch of the good or der, as witnessed at the polls on that day. We attribute the cause to the advancement of Tem perance, since the formation of the Washington ian Society among us. And we are glad to in form the friends of this glorious Reform abroad, that not only our county, but the whole State of Georgia, arc fast rallying to the call of their coun try. Temperance Societies are springing up in almost every village and town, and their advocates enlist in the cause with ardor. Proceedings of the Washington Total Ab stinence Society of Augusta. Unitarian Church, Oct. 7,1812. The Society met this evening, according to adjournment, and was opened in the usual man ner, with prayer, by Mr. James Godby. The minutes of the previous meeting were then read and approved. James S. Hook, Esq. then arose and addressed the meeting in a chaste, eloquent and impressive manner—His arguments for the cause were con clusive—his appeals to the young and old were happily conceived, and delivered in a manner well calculated to make a deep and lasting im pression on all present. Mr. L. D. Lallerstedt, then followed in a very pretty and forcible address, giving very general satisfaction. Several other short addresses were made by other friends of the Cause; and, at the request of a member of the society, a piece, published in the Washingionian, styled the “ Drunkard's Bible,” was read by the Secretary. 1 he meeting then adjournal to meet on next Friday night, in this place. WM. HAINES, Jr. Sec’ry. [Extract of a letter from a subscriber in Marietta.] Temperance and Court Week. Marietta, Ga. Tuesday Night, > Sept. 27th, 1842. \ Our Society mot pursuant to adjournment, in the Methodist Church. The favor of God was imploral. Messrs. Peeples, Millner and Alex andria, then addressed the audience, in a very able and appropriate manner. It was an inter esting meeting. After the debate had subsided, the pledge was announced ready for accessions, when ten signed. Thursday night, Sept. 29. The Society and a large concourse of citizens, met in the Presby terian Church. Prayer was offered to God, by Rev. Mr. Ballding. Thajneeting was then ad dressed by tile same gentlemen, as before, in their usual eloquent and enforcing manner. At the close, Col. Night made a few appropriate re marks, as touching criminal cases at the Bar; b ivc subscribed to the Pledge, thereby declared themselves enemies to the worst of all enemies— Alcohol. I approve the plan as adopted at our term of Court—Let those men of talent and oratory take the field, in good earnest, and the great struggle, as in the Revolutionary campaign, will soon end. Washingtonians! * what thou doest, do quickly.’ Come forward, with all your might—roll on that ball, until it rolls down the contents of the last goblet, and presses the demon Alcohol info non entity. Yours, &c. J. M. C. S. The following is an extract of a letter from a friend, dated, Clarksville, Ga. October 9th, 1842. “We have had a complete revolution here.— Mr. Richard P, Taylor lectured three nights, commencing the 26th ult., and I cannot in this letter tell you all the good he has done in so short a time, suffice to say, that many r try hard cases have been reformed—some of them, who had not seen a sober day in years before Mr. Tay lor came here, now are doing well, and are very firm, although many temptations arc thrown in their way. At our public election, on Mon day last, there was but two drunken men in town, and they were from a distance, and by night they had left our town, and every thing was quiet. Heretofore, on the nights of an elec tion, the drunkards (and there were many of them) were lying about in the streets all night, and disturbing the citizens, &c. Some of the reformed, who before spent what little they earn ed in liquor, are now' carrying home to their fami lies their earnings daily, in Bacon, Flour. &c. • and to show, further, what good it has done, some of the above reformed, who have not been seen in church in ten or twelve year.-, now attend church regularly, and in good clothing, in place of their old and patched rags. “On the night after Mr. Taylor left here, (29th ult.) we met and organized a Society, un der the name of the Washington Total Absti nence Society of Habersham County, and to hold weekly meetings.—Our first meeting was held last night, and a great crowd attended, when several persons came up and signed the pledge. We have already 131 members, and, as Ire marked before, some of them ha v e been as great drunkards as any in the State; and although we have done well, we hope still to do better, as we arc all committee men: and ladies and all up and doing. “ The following are thcoflicers of our Society, viz:—E. S. Barclay, President ; Thompson Allan and A. G. Perryman, Vice-Presidents; Lewis I Levy, Recording Secretary; Rev. FT. Havcrstick, | Corresponding Secretary; John T. Carter, Trea surer—Standing Committee, John W. H Un derwood, A. G. Pitner, Walter Turnbull, Wm. Woodward,John W. Martin, J. T. Edmondson, A. P. Phillips, Wm, C. Hitch and W. T. Tram mell/’ For the Washingtonian. The Committee ofthe Washington Total Ab stinence Society, appointed to prepare an Address l to the Citizens of DcKalb County, on the subject of total abstinence from the use of intoxicating liquors, report the following ADDRESS: Fellow-Citizens : —Our public and private, social, political and religious interests, are so 1 dentified with yours, that whatever injures you, injures us—whatever benefits you, benefits also ourselves. Our aim is briefly to set forth the principles and designs of our society. First: It is not for politi , cal effect —does not design to unite Church and i State—interferes with no religious society— i teaches no religious doctrines—requires no tests of membership—takes away no man’s liberty— has no connection with any society in or out of the state; but is the Total Abstinence Society of DcKalb County. The names of members are reported only to our own society. Since we have in our society, Baptists, Methodists and Presby terians, as well as men of no religious creed, how can we advance the interests of any one denomi nation above others! Or can we make political capital for any party, ! since wc have both Whigs and Democrats, coin- I bined for this one purpose, lone and solitary— i to promote the cause of total abstinence from the \ use of intoxicating liquors 1 Nothing moro— -1 nothing less. Do you say, that wc may change our object, and that you cannot trust us 1 Wc ask, were you to invite your neighbors to assist you in raising your house, or in rolling logs, and they should answer, your ostensible purpose is a good one, but when you have convened us, you may change your object, and form a “poney ; club” or a band of traitors,—wo will not help you. "Wouldyou feel complimented by their remark'? Yet it contains as much good sense as your ob jection to our society. Upon whom rests the responsibility cf the #c valence of inebriety ? Does it all fall on the inebriates themselves? Certainly not; but its i full share rests on the part of the com t munity, who, with the moderate drinkers, contri bute their full share to the |onc of public senti ment which favors the use of intoxicating liquors. The Committee cannot notice, in this short address, all the objections to our pledge; but none have yet been presented sufficient to induce in us repentance for the step we have taken. Ma ny of our personal friends, who hon'cstly opposed us at first, are now friends to our cause. We express our grateful acknowledgments to those professed Christians who have espoused our cause, and have taken the inebriate by the hand and strengthened his resolution of reformation. Yet some professed Christians spurn the thought of associating with reformed inebriates. Suffer the inquiry: Would you reject a candidate for church-membership, merely because he had been i a great sinner? Would you say that he could never be worthy of your notice, however thorough his reformation ? Does not your conduct, in re j jecting the claims of the inebriate, savor a little 1 ofthe spiritjof the Pharisee :--“God, I thank thee that I am not as other men are or even as this publican.” “ Stand by thyself, come rot 1 near to me; for lam holier than thou ?” We ask temperate men, who, we have already remarked, must bear their full share of the blame tor the prevalence of intemperance, shall a stop be put to the flood of intemperance in our land ? Will you throw tbe weight of your influence in favor of sobriety and morality 1 Who pays the taxes, and all expenses attendant upon the crime induced by drunkenness 1 Does not the ex pense fall most heavily on the temperate part of the community 1 Your self-interest, your philanthropy, your patriotism, all require your influence in our be half. Wc address what are emphatically called hard cases. Allow us first to define what we mean by hard drinking. We mean not only that which throws a man into the ditch; hot that daily prac tice of dram-drinkiDg which keeps the subject's head alwayshot. Wc submit, whether the man. who drinks his pint or quart a day, but is never known to stagger or fall, does not more deserve the appellation of a hard case, than one. who two or three times aycarfinds himself in the ditch ? Experience shows that no one is so far gone that he cannot reform. We present no new the ory—no new arguments. It was just as true twenty years ago. as it is now, that total absti nence from the use of intoxicating drinks would produce sobriety; but we have now fifty thousand reformed inebriates, and expect soon to have one hundred thousand more, to prove that the system works well. The secret of our success lies perhaps in this— that the reformed relate their experience; and such experience as sober men never dreamed of, and which strikes them with horror; but their experience does not stop with a relation of their drunken sprees—it shows them in their reformed characters and standing, with happy families— themselves also happy. No eloquence, but the eloquence of truth, is necessary to convince the drunkard that he is wrong; indeed, no argument could convince him that he is right, for he feels that he is wrong. Wc say to all hard drinkers, join us, keep your pledge, and you are safe. Wc anticipate your answer—“ We can livens temperate without the pledgees with it.” W o ask, where are your thousand promises made to yourselves and families? Have you not almost always broken your private and secret promises ? —Always saying to yourselves, this shall be my last spree; no one knows my promise but my self- this once —1 will neverindulgcagain ?Wc appeal to your own observation and experience.. Would you not suppose one hundred such pro mises were broken, where one of our pledge is viotafed ? There is no magic, no potent charm in the pledge; but while human nature remains what it is, signing the pledge will strengthen the reso lution, and increase the interest of every one who signs it. Try it for yourselves. To those who style themselves moderate drink ers, but who may some of them, according to our definition, be termed hard cases, we say your path is familiar to some ot us—it bids fair, but leads astray; it is the road—the only road to drunken ness. You have now greater inducements to quit the use of intoxicating drinks, than those who have taken their last degree. You may rest assured, that there is nothing sweeter or better in the bottom of the cup than you have already tasted. You are not safe in the use of intoxicat ing drinks, even moderately. Did any moderate drinker ever intend to become a drunkard? Is he not the last man to be convinced that he is not a sober man ? He will own that he has taken, some” pretty stiflisprees,”butyetis no drunkard. Moderate drinkers are never safe—never sure They are all in danger of becoming drunkards. Do you cite us to men who have all their lives, for forty or fifty years, been in the daily habit of using intoxicating liquors, and yet were never known to be drunk? You own that these are exceptions ; and you will find these men persons of active habits. Let them but give up active business, and how soon docs their moderate drinking glide into fireside sottishness. Nor can we close this address without respect fully noticing our female friends. Napoleon induced the mothers of France to in fuse into the minds of their children so great a thirst for martial honor, that they longed to be men, that they might enter the battle field and be crowned with martial glory. What the mothers of France did for their sons, the mothers of Ame rica may do for theirs—train them, not to follow a conqueror, but to make themselves the con querors of intemperance, at whose shrine thou sands of victims have been sacrificed. Did these mothers effect their object on the parade-ground, or in the battle-field? No, but