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THE W A g ' :: tII6 T 0 WMAS t
VOL. I.]
| TIIE WASHINGTONIAN.
PUBLISHED BY JAMES McCAFFERTY,
<TW!CE EVERY MOXTH.
Office on Macintosh street—opposite the Post Office .
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List of Agents for the Washingtonian.
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[ quested and fully authorised by us, to act as agents for
[ the Washingtonian, in extending its circulation :
ci.,tooo-j
Dalohntga—C. B. Leitner.
Covington— C. Pace.
Dtcatur —L. Willard.
JUhtns —E L. Newton.
Marietta —James F. Cooper.
Columbus— R. Boyd.
■ San/1 crsvillt —A. G. Ware.
Social Circle —J. L. Gresham.
Lincolnian— Henry J. Lang.
Crsicfordeille —Rev. John W. Wilson.
Warrcnto’i —Eliphalei Hale.
Culbrcath's— Rev. C. ollins.
Sparta —N’. C. Sayre.
McDonough —Wm. L. Gordon.
Cassville—Ruv. Mr. Howard.
Rockbridge— John W. Fowler.
Old Church P O—J A Bell.
Hamburg, (S. C.) —C. 11. Lindsev, P. M
Baneell C.H. (S. C.)—o. D. Allen.
Rock Mills, (S. C)—W. A. Lewis.
R ichlands, (JV. C.)—Bryan H. Koouc e .
Tuskegec,(Jlla.) —Rev. O. P. Sparks.
From the New-York Washingtonian.
Intemperance in Congress.
The Hqn. MryS****, independently of all his
'Other qualities, brought with him to Washington
a private character (Unsullied, and a code of mor
als and of habit-t totally unexceptionable. He
was freei from the sin of intemperance, and was
equally alooratfT beyond the reach .of tiiat licen
tiousness which stalks at noon-day in Washing
ton. tie appeared to be determined to lead a life
'of unsullied virtue and probity -and, if possible,
to reach the topmost round in ambition's ladder,
by means the most honorable.
W As 1 knew the man well, and had cause to de
plore his melancholy fate, I may well exclaim
with his late friend—“ Happy, happy were it in
deed had the Hon. Mr. S***‘ never visited
’Washington.
A year or two’s residence at the capital of the
United States undetermined his principles, initia
ted him to scenes of sensuality, and corruption,
and licentiousness; and finally, led to a most
melancholy and fatal end!
He became fashionably intemperate—that is to
say, he contracted the habit of getting what is
called most “ gentlemanly merry”—and thus laid
a foundation for those other vices, which fall to
the lot of even the more moderate of the disciples
of the jolly god.
Indulgence at the festive board was but the
precursor of general inebriety, and the Hon. Mr.
was speedily precipitated into the vortex of
licentiousness and sensuality.
In the year 1826, I think it was, at a time
when he was in the very hey-day of his fame
in the “proud meridian of his glory,” he fella
victim to the stiletto of the assassin; and fell, too,
under circumstances peculiarly atrocious and re
volting. And yet, the world was called upon,
and called upon successfully, to sympathize with
the assassin.
At the time he entered Congress he was be-,
trothed to a young lady, every way his equal,
possessing great personal beauty and intellectual
resources’of the highest order. He did intend to !
marry her; but, contracting licentious habits at
Washington, he forgot his lather, his home, his
plighted vows—every thing—and abandoned her
to whom he had sworn eternal constancy and
love! His abandonment was not a common
carte or character, but was attended by perfidy,
and all its associate and kindred crimes. He had
abandoned the lady after he had seduced her af
fections and robbed her of her honor, and left her
and her infant to share the world’s heartlessness
and disgrace.
The wrong thus inflicted was not to be endur
ed ; it was to be revenged; and deeply, most san
guinely was it revenged.
The lady told not the tale of her sufferings to a
cold and scornful world. She stifled her sorrows,
-and wept in silence over her dishonor, and dream
ed of revenge. After the lapse of some three or
four years, an offer of matrimony was made by a
young gentleman of character and wealth, who
vowed eternal constancy and truth. The offer
was rejected at the very threshold.
“lama disgraced, a violated woman,” said the
lady, “ and you know me not. If you were ap
prised of the story of my wrongs, you would not
-wed one whose virtue has been defiled.”
TOTAL ABSTINENCE ADVOCATE.
AUGUSTA, GA. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 1842.
“ You mistake me lady,” replied the suitor, “ 11
know every thing, and the wrorrgs vou have en
dured, only renders you the more interesting, and
draws me still nearer your heart.”
" I wed no man,” replied the lady, “ unless he
pledge himsclt before God and me, io revenge me
of mine injustice.”
“ Demand of me what you will,” responded the
suitor, “and l pledge myself you shall be obey
ed.”
“ Pledge me, then, that the seducer of my vir
gin fame shall be destroyed—shall he murdered.”
“ Agreed, with all my heart. The deed shall
be done—command me as you will.”
“ This very night one year.”
“ You shall he obeyed.”
Then take my hand, and accept and keep a
broken heart.”
The twain were forthwith made one, by the
ordinances of God and man, and precisely one
year after the pledge was given, the deed was
; done—a ruined woman was revenged, and her
I guilty seducer was hurried into a premature grave
“ with all his imperfections on his head.”
It was on a cold and dreary night ofthe month
| of December, that the Hon. Mr. S*‘»* was uwa
; kened from his reverie, as he sat by his fire side,
l by a loud knocking at his street door.
| “ Who’s there V’ he exclaimed,
j “A friend, who would see you on important
I business,” was the reply; “ let me in.” #
j As the hour was late, and the servants had re-!
, tired, the Hon. Mr. S**** attended the hell him-j
j sell. lie opened the door, and a man masked
and muffled stood before him.
“ What business have you with me, friend,”
S said Mr. S****, “ that you call at this unusual
hour.”
“ Business of vast importance," was the reply, i
“I come to send you to the hell you merit, and 1
which you shall not escape.”
Thus saying, he plunged the dagger into the
heart of the Hon. Mr. S****, who feebly ex
claim nl, “ I am a lost man”—and fell a dead and
bloody corpse upon the floor.”*
* The reader will readily recognize in this sketch a
real tragedy, that was enacted at Frankfort, Ky., in the
year lSgfl. There is no fiction about it.
From the South-Carolina Temperance Advocate.
To the different Temperance Societies In
South-Carolina.
The Anqual Meeting ofthe State Temperance
Society will take place in Columbia, on Wednes
day, the 30th of November next. It is expected
to be more than usually interesting, from the fact
that the Executive Committee were charged at
the last meeting with the duty of procuring the
services of Col. J. 11. Lumpkin, of Georgia,’and
the Rev. Messrs. Sewell and Barnwell, of this
State, to deliver Addresses. This duty, it is pre
sumed, has been, or will be performed; and it is
hoped, those gentlemen will be in attendance to
delight us with their eloquence, instruct us with
their ripe knowledge, and cheer us in the good
work in which wc are engaged, by their counsel
and encouragement.
Business of great importance may necessarily
come before the Society, whose duty it is, con
stantly to watch over the affairs of Temperance
in the State. Much was done at Greenville to
place the Temperance Reformation in South-
Carolina on a sure basis: still it is necessary for
its friends to be vigilant, ac'ivo and united. To
accomplish this, there must be frequent opportu
nities of interchanging views. The annual,and
possibly, semi-annual meetings ofthe State Tem-!
pcrancc Society, will be the means of bringing !
tltnon n iaiil
those about.
The deeply to be regretted fact, that the accom- ]
plished Editor of the Advocate, Mr. Du Bose, 1
has resigned, was announced by himself, in the ;
Advocate of the 6th. To remedy this misfortune, j
will be one matter which ought to seriously oc
cupy the thoughts of every friend of Temperance j
in the State; and it is hoped that by the union of!
thought, and the prayer of the good, something |
may yet be done to prevent injury from it to the I
cause in which we all are so deeply interested.
It is, possibly, enougli thus to turn your atten
tion to the ensuing meeting ofthe State Temper-!
ance Society. For it is to be presumed, that when !
it is recalled to the recollection of the friends of!
i Temperance, every Society will not fail to be re- \
presented.
The Presidents of the different Temperance !
Societies are requested as soon after the receipt of j
| this circular as convenient, to convene their So- j
| cieties, and appoint delegates to represent them
! in the State Society.
JOHN BELTON O’NEALE,
President of the State Temperance Society 7 .
Springfield, Oct. 7, 1842.
A false friend, is like a shadow on a dial, it ap
pears in clear weather, but vanishes as soon as it |
is cloudy.
OR
For the Washingtonian.
ADDRESS,
Delivered before the Washington Total Absti
nence Society of Augusta, in. the Presbyterian
Church, at their Anniversary meeting, on the
31 st October, 1842-*-l>y Col. John Milledge.
Though having much to occupy my mind and
to engage my time, yet I did not feel at liberty to
decline the invitation which had been extended
to me to address you on this very interesting
occasion; and for this reason, I say to you, with
out any affectation, that my offering is not such as
under more favorable circumstances it should have
been. I desire von will therefore esteem it for the
motives and feelings which induced me to make
it—the love 1 have for the cause we have espous
ed.
Anniversary celebrations have become very
common in our country —they have lost their
novelty ; therefore these entertainments are re
garded as common-place and insipid, and little or
no interest is paid to th.ise institutions and socie
ties which haveeffccted the most sublime achieve
ments ofthe age in which we live. Wo have
come to night to celebrate the Anniversary of a
Society: hut, tell me, as you approached this sa- |
ered temple, did you analyze the nature of its or- j
ganization, and philosophize upon the character j
of that material upon which it acts —did you at-'
tempt to fathom the depth of that true benevo- 1
lence and philanthropy upon which it is based—
did you contemplate with joy and enthusiasm the
good it had already accomplished —or, did you ,
look with fear and sorrow upon the boundless 1
field o’er which it is to throw its wonder-working
power;—if these came with you hither, you have
come prepared to do honor to this occasion ; for
it is one to be honored.
Immediately after the Declaration of our Inde- j
pendcnce, an assembly of the wisest, the most;
iionest and patriotic men known to the history of!
our country, convened for the purpose of deciding
upon that form of government, under which they
could best enjoy and transmit the freedom they
had obtained. It was a momentous undertak
ing, and hope and fear were mingled with the
patriots prayer. A political contrivance was sub
mitted : beautiful, yet sublime—gentle, yet tre
mendous in its power —simple, yet passingly
intricate—in order, yet easily confused and de
ranged—wonderfully and fearfully made, it was
the most transcendant conception of Genius! Do
you not recognize by this description, the Consti
tutionof our Government. And, doyou enquire,
why 1 have presented such a blending of system
and disorder—such an union of safety and dan
ger —such an apparent mingling of discordant ]
elements. I answer, because it was made by i
man to govern man, and it therefore partakes of
the nature of its inventor. The consideration,
whether it would answer the ends to be attained
—the greatest good of the greatest number, was
decided in the affirmative, upon the supposition, !
that those whom it was to govern were capable of
working out and maintaining their own political
salvation. Accordingly a new and totally dis
tinct government from anv thing then in exist- 1
ence was proclaimed to the world, deriving its
creation from, and dependant for its duration up- j
ion the pimple. You will perceive that it was an j
| experiment—and a magnificent experiment—and
| conclusions as to its results, epuld only be infer
red from assumed premises could alone
decide its practicability. It is true, the causes
existed then, that would destroy its harmonious !
j action, and they were known to all, yet no one |
would willingly have presaged the time when
they would produce its derangement.
For sixty-six years, a kind Providence has
protected us from our own powers of destruction,
and under that Constitution which was adopted
upon hypothesis, wc are still enjoying liberty
and protection, and an equal share in all its rights,
privileges and distinctions. Wc bounded off in
! our without a history of our own, to curb
I the impetuosity of youth which was urging us
onward, full of hope—full of confidence. But
; we have a history of our own now, replete with
wisdom and instruction, and we will be regarded
| as condemned criminals in the eyes of posterity,
! if we allow those lessons to pass unheeded and
unlearned —IS'or will the mercy of God hold us
| guiltless, if unmindful of the future, we heed not
the warning voice of the past.
Let us, therefore, fellow-citizens, notice one of
j the most prominent evils to which our govern
; ment is exposed, and endeavor to suggest a reme
dy—l allude-to the abuse of the Elective Fran
chise; and I wish you to understand me distinctly,
when I say, to its abuse!—do not mistake my
object in this matter: it is far from mv purpose to
assimilate two subjects so entirely distinct in their
nature, as Temperance and Politics —they live
and move, and have their being, in opposite re
! gions; it is true the one can, and often does, in
fluence, refine and exalt the designs and desires
of the other; but politics cannot reciprocate—
Temperancc moves in its own independent sphere,
deriving none of its benevolence or power cither
from Church or from estate. And it should be
the desire ot every philanthropist, whose object
is to benefit suffering humanity, that Temper
ance should be kept free from all extraneous in
fluence. It acts upon the principle that it is the
duty of every man not to destroy or brutalize him
self, and the effect of this determination and con
viction, acted out in his life, takes hold of others,
and by ttiis means reform is produced.
But l have reflected so much on the effect of
temperance upon our republican institutions—
how much it will remedy the evils alluded to, that
I cannot refrain from dwelling somewhat at length
on the subject at this time. And now let me ask
you, have you reflected upon the importance, and
calculated the value, of that simple little act of vot
ing ? How much power is thus ignorantl v, care
lessly, and often criminally wielded 1 Abused,
inasmuch as the burdens and oppressions of un
wise and party legislation rebound back upon the
innocent and unoffending, without redress—the
virtuous and patriotic doomed to bear the ignomy
and reproach the vile and ambitious bring upon
the country. If Legislators are pronounced as
unprincipled, for having repudiated and violated
solemn contracts—if they are charged as being a
disgrace to the national councils—they are ac
quitted of dishonesty, and their acts sanctioned
at the next election. If the resources and reve
nues of the country are neglected and squander
ed—if the government is fraudulently and uncon
stitutionally managed—parties rise up at once to
prevent impartial investigation, and endeavor to
avert the just indignation of the people. Pitiful
subterfuges, temporary expedients, cheating and
swindling, are substituted for truth and simplid
ty. Anu when art and deception are no longer
available, the laws of the land , established to pro
tect life and pro|icrty, to defend the weak against
the strong, to uphold society, and to administer
justice and equity between man and man,—
they are stopped or checked in their regular
course of operation. And the executioner of
these laws look to the people for justification,
and they are sustained. See the effect of
public opinion—notice the machinery, devices
and inventions, that are now used to keep
up excitement, and to prevent a reaction be
fore the day ot election—Behold it collecting po
litical power, gathering each scattered particle
into a mass, until at length increased to a mon
strous body, it is ready to proclaim itself the law
of the land—the will of the people. Thus the
body politic has often been made to become like
a maniac—distracted, tortured, punished, even to
madness. Society well nigh disorganized, and
i shattered into fragments; and chaos made to
rule, where order loved to reign—Every ques
tion, from the most important to the most insigni
ficant, connected with our government, are sub
i jects for the legitimate action of the people. The
spirit and genius of our formation, recognizes no
other umpire—Examine its anatomy—study the
i relationship which one organ bears to the other,
j and to the whole body—and you will discover
that the Ballot Box is its heart —the great foun
tain both ot life and of death—not only giving
siicngth, health and vigor, to all the otherco-ordf
; nate members, but it can also send out a stream
of poison to the most distant extremity, paralyzing
to death. All Assemblies, Legislatures an 3
Conventions, therefore, arc reflectors of the will
of the people,—if wisdom, virtue and patriotism
unite and centre in them, the beauty of their re
i flections will be seen in tbe happiness and pros
! perity of the country. But, unfortunately this
has not been the case, and from our own know
ledge we can testify, that the evils to which I
have adverted, arising from the abuse of the elec
tive franchise, do exist at this time to an alarming
and mortifying extent in our country. Where
is the remedy I Our Constitution offers none,
that makes a free and unqualified tender of this
right to every citizen; and as Americans, we
prize it as one of the most cherished legacies of
our honored fore-fathers: It is perfect—that can
not be altered—Nor can you find in that instru
ment any solemn penalties—personal or pecunia
ry liabilities, incurred by the abuse of this prero
gative. Unlike all the institutions and customs
that exist among men, it demands no bonds, it
requires no security, to ensure the faithful and
honest discharge of this paramount duty. There
is a moral obligation imposed upon every man, as
soon as he becomes a citizen, which should con
strain him, above all other considerations, to vote
for the honor and glory of his country —It calls
upon him with a voice louder thaSfcthunder, to
crucify self, and to exalt virtue, justice and liber
ty. But is this moral obligation regarded I—Can
it be enforced I I answer, it cannot. And
grieved with present troubles, and depressed by a
dread of the future, raethinks I can hear the pa
triot exclaim from his sorrow-stricken heart—
when shall virtue and patriotism prevail among
[No. 12.