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AUGUSTA, JUNK IT, 18*3. U*a»hlnglon Total .Ibsttnence Pledge. We, whose names are hereitnlo annexed, desirous j of forming *i Society for our mutual benefit, j and to guard against a pernicious practice, < which is injurious to our health, standing and families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen, j not to drink any Splritous or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider. To our Friends. —The Washington ian, enlarged and improved, is hereafter to be published under the auspices of the Augusta Society. The object of this arrangement is to enable every man of i moderate means to enjoy, at a trifling cost, the perusal of a paper, respectable in quantity and quality of matter. This could not be accomplished under the ordi nary system of conducting such enter prises—hence, the Society has agreed to perform, through its committee, all the Editorial labours of the paper, gratis —to patronize it—and to aid in its circulation—but to receive none of the profits, nor assume any of its pe cuniary responsibilities. The proceeds of the subscription, advertising and job patronage, on the other hand, are to go to the publisher; who pledges himself to defray the yearly expenses of the paper, and apply the surplus, if any, at the end of the year, to its further improvement, and its establishment upon a more firm and substantial basis. The committeo will be responsible on ly for the moral and intellectual charac ter of the publication so long as they continue to perform the duties assigned to them; and they would not disguise the fact that the prosperity and perpetuity of the paper will depend upon the liber ality of a generous public. Its character and ability will, it is firmly believed, at no time, fall below the present, specimen, number. To place its existence beyond contin gency, we must havo at least Twenty five Hundred subscribers ; and it is confidently believed that the friends of the cause in Georgia alone can furnish this number in less than three months. Almost every County in the State has from one to three Societies, numbering, in all, more than twenty thousand good and true temperance men. Cannot every tenth man send us a dollar, for fifty-two such papers as the one he now reads ? Cannot the Societies raise money enough to pay for a thousand additional copies lor distribution gratuitously ? Men in other departments of life can act liber ally—the politicians can raise their thous ands for objects not more intimately con nected with the public weal than ours: Will the cold-water men alone be found deficient in those manly and generous qualities which adorn our nature ? We trust not. Our appeal, then, is to the Presidents, the Secretaries, and the prominent men in each Society in this and the neighbor ing States. Gentlemen, we want your aid! You arc aware of the influence of the press upon public opinion and public morals—You are aware, too, that the true Washingtonian seeks to triumph only by means of moral suasion—that he asks not, and would accept not, the interposition of the law in the accom plishment of his purposes. His first duty is of an individual and local charac ter—his second, and equally sacred, extends to the cause in general, and to the thousands whose weal or wee de pends upon its success. The spirit of the enterprise is not selfish—it is com prehensive—embracing all men of all classes—lt appeals to the friends of hu manity, morality and order of every creed and party —of every grade of intel lect and station in society—lt would turn aside the youth from the snares of vice, guard the helpless from poverty, and rescue the aged from infamy and from the unmitigated horrors of debauch and death. Is it not worthy of your active, your unstinted support ? The Circular Letter. The following letter has been prepared by the Editorial Committee, and will be ! forwarded to the officers of the several Societies and the friends of Temperance I generally. We hope they will act vigor ously and at once. Ten, twenty, fifty, or a hundred subscribers can be obtained ’in almost any county, in a few days —in other cases the funds can be made wp by private individuals, or by the Society of the place, and the papers ordered without delay, to be subsequently distributed, either gratuitously or by subscription. Remember, the Washingtonian unites the great interests of production and | economy —of agriculture and temper | ancc—of making money and saving it— and is, besides, the cheapest paper of its size in the South. Augusta, June 14th, 1843. Sir —The friends of Temperance in this I City, considering the great moral inter ests of the cause, and encouraged by its recent triumphs in the State of Georgia, have judged it expedient to make arrange ments for the publication of a Paper, devoted to the support of Total Abstinence from all that can intoxicate. To secure the glorious Reform which has been effected from the reproach of an impulsive short-lived excitement—to consummate the hopes of the pious and the good, by continued aggressions on the strongholds of the enemy—to perpe tuate the efforts already so fruitful of blessings to society, and so cheering to the philanthropist and the patriot: we have thought a Temperance Periodical would be a valuable auxiliary. A cheap medium through which to communicate a knowledge of the exact condition of the country—the relation of the people generally to the momentous subject—the formation of Societies, with the general statistics of the cause, could but acceler ate the progress of reform, by vivifying the zeal of the lukewarm and encouraging to unwearied labor the enterprising and enthusiastic. The obvious propriety of the step will doubtless so strike your own convictions as to preclude the necessity of accumulating reasons for its justifica tion. Much remains to be done for the entire redemption of the land from the pollution, shame and curse entailed by drinking, excessive and moderate, and more still, perhaps, for the creation of a public sentiment that shall be at once the glory of the present and the safeguard of future generations. Authentic informa tion of the evil and the cure in all their phases—the compilation of facts—the array of argument which wo hope to furnish, must, with the blessing of Hea ven, contribute to bring about a consum mation so devoutly to be wished. We desire to enlist you as a subscriber, and to avail ourselves of your personal influence in promoting the circulation of the paper among the members of your Society, and to beg the favor of at least an occasional contribution to our co lumns. Patrons and friends of a common cause, let us labor together—then shall we labor efficiently. We remain, respecfully, F. M. Robertson, George F. Pierce, S. T. Chapman, W. T. Brantly, John Milledge, C. S. Don, D. Hook, W. J. Hard. James Harper, Referring to the Records of the i City Authorities, we find that there were licensed to retail Spirituous Liquors, •In 1840, - - - 29 establishments. 1841, --- 20 “ 1842, ... 14 “ 1643, ... 11 “ , Nor has this diminution been confined i solely to the retail business. The whole sale trade has fallen oft’ in an increased ratio. An intelligent merchant estimates the importations as less than one-third of what they were three years ago, whilst other branches of business have been on the advance. Our distant readers will thus perceive the gradual and effectual change of pub lic sentiment in Augusta, and will be not the less pleased to learn the peaceful and orderly character of the movement by | which this result has been reached.— ! Still it is not to be disguised, that much | remains to be done. Our proportion of ! grog-shops is still too great, and can be still further diminished by the proper zeal and effort, on the part of our Washing ! toman friends. I Who will move in this matter? Let i the effort be as heretofore, to diminish the number of the consumers, and the , evil will correct itself. Economy of Temperance — What a man gains by sign ing the Pledge. —Some men affect to sneer at the transforma tions of character and the ■pecuniary pros perity which in many cases follow the drunkard’s union with the Washingtoni ans and his final abandonment of his cups. Could such men properly appre ciate the change which, in nine cases out of ten, is wrought in the health, the intellect, the character and the prospects of the reformed drunkard himself, —could they properly appreciate the joy, the peace, the consolation which that reform always brings to the companion of his wretchedness and his too often degraded children, it would be useless to say a word on the subject. Such, however, is not always the case. Men seldom look beyond the present—they consult their temporary rather than their true inter ests, and not unfrequently prefer the gratification of their appetites to both. But how will signing the Pledge effect a man’s pecuniary interests ? Let us see. A is a temperate drinker, aver aging only two drinks per day at 12£ cents each—He joins the Temperance Society, and by abstinence saves In 1 year, s9l 25 In 10 years, (Interest added,) 1321 85 In 20 years, “ “ 4177 49 B indulges more freely, averaging four drinks per day—llis savings amount In 1 year, to $lB2 50 In 10 years, (interest added,) 2043 77 In 20 years, “ “ 8284 20 Now, if the temperate and free drinker could save this amount, (other things being equal,) is it remarkable that the drunkard, whose potations extend to ten, twelve, and even twenty per day, should rapidly accumulate property under the combined inlliiences of sobriety and in dustry 1 Let the young reflect upon this mat ter—What comfort—what independence —what absolute wealth might thus be acquired in comparatively a few years ? Contrast this with the rewards of the drunkard, and decide accordingly. The Wives of England. —The read er who has yet to examine this work from the gifted pen of Mrs. Ellis, will find much in its pages to enlighten the mind and improve the heart. Mrs. E. pos sesses powers of perception and discrimi nation of tae highest order, connected with an improved taste and chaste ima gination. Deeply versed in the feelings of her sex, and intimately acquainted with their motives of action, she is never theless not blind to their foibles, nor chary of her censure whenever it is merited. “Her themes arc—Education, taste, beauty, fashion and the affections;” and most admirably has she treated them. The work is adapted to all classes, but more especially to the ladies, to whom it may be particularly commended. A specitrtpn of its tone and sentiment, also of the style of its composition, will be found onour last page, and if it should perchance meet the eye of a single fe male who is not an advocate of our cause by example as well as precept, we beseech her calmly to contemplate a | scene, the truth of which has been sadly realized by thousands, once as gay- and self-secure as the reader. It is not strange, that the most violent opponents of the Temperance So ciety should generally be found among those who have either violated the Pledge , or withdrawn their names from the Roll. > A traitor is always the most relentless j. enemy of the cause which is wounded by t his treachery, and his zeal is too often the true measure of his baseness. s 05* Our friends in every section of . the country, are requested to favor us t with communications on the subjects of 1 Agriculture, Temperance, Education, &c.; also the proceedings of public meet ■ ings—with accounts of such accidents i and casualities as result from the use of intoxicating drinks. To guard against imposition, we shall neither receive nor l publish any thing which is not post-paid | and accompanied by a responsible name. Those who write to us, we take for grant : ed, will be so far prompted by their love! i for the enterprise as not to tax us with i the expense of postage. 05* The Post Master at Warrenton '■ will please receive our thanks for his 1 promptness in forwarding us the names of Eight new subscribers, accompanied by the cash. Also the Post Master 1 at Social Circle, for a similar favor. This is encouraging. Let every true friend of the cause do likewise, and our little bark will go on swimmingly. A correspondent significantly asks, “ what has become of the City Society ? Is it dead ?” “It is not dead, but sleepeth .” When it will awake from the nap we know not; but hope that its slumbers may be broken at no very distant day. 05” “A Washingtonian” exhibits a most commendable zeal in his communi cation—lt contains many good thoughts, but is very long and very defective in style of composition. We would insert ! it, but have not time to revise and correct. 05* Perhaps an apology is due for the quality of the pape~ used in our present issue. We have ordered a much better article to be used in future—We hope therefore to be excused for a few weeks —as the recent change in our publication was so sudden as to leave no time for the usual preparation. State Convention froposed. —lt seems to us that the true interests of our cause might be materially subsurved by the assemblage of a Convention and the organization of a State Washingtonian Society. The mere interchange of opin ions and information on the part of Del egates assembled from every section of the State and representing every diversi ty of interest, would enable them to de vise and agree upon a more efficient and uniform course of action. Plans could be matured for the procurement of sta tistics relative to the extent and nature of the evil and in reference to the char acter and effectiveness of the reform.— New zeal would be inspired and existing hopes strengthened and confirmed. In a word, we think that good and only good would be effected by the meeting of dele gates contemplated and the re-organiza tion of the present State Society or the formation of a new one. Our friends abroad, in forwarding sub scribers, will be kind enough to allude to the above suggestions and express their opinions upon the subject. Massachusetts. —We learn from the Boston Washingtonian, that the Massa chusetts Washington Total Abstinence Society, held a meeting in Marlborough Chappel, on Wednesday, May 31, at half-past 10 A. M.,and from the report of the proceedings, published in that pa per, we glean the following statements: In Needham, Norfolk county, there are 1030 teetotallers in a population of 1471! Brookline has 920 teetotallers in a population of 1173 ! Number of towns heard from, 87; population, 319,271. Not heard from, 221; population 418,428. Signed since 1840, male adults 56.660, females, 23,- 453, children 18,150; total 98,163. — Nearly one-third of the population of the State which has been heard from. Reformed drunkards, 13,575; same ratio in the State, 210,000, exclusive of those who were members before 1841! In the same proportion the reformed men would number 30,000 —not costing one dollar. Number of stores and taverns selling, > 366 ; temperance stores, 540; those giv en up, 99; new ones, 17; still in opera tion, 21; quantity distilled, not known ; cider mills, 453 ; 14,211 barrels of cider! Paupers, 944; 319 by intemperance. 1 In jails and houses of correction, 153 ; 98 made so by intemperance. 1241 pro f fessors of religion refuse to sign! 1423 > j known to be drunkards ! 109 have died f by intemperance. 4640 temperance pub. , lications have been circulated during the ■ year. s Reports were read from the Houses of t’ Industry and Correction, and from the t Massachusetts State Prison. Statements • of the liquor trade of Boston and Charles , town, of the number of temperance hou ses opened in the State, and other import- I ant matters, were submitted. ! The Treasurer’s Report stated that ’ 0921,45 had been expended. Several committees were appointed, I and plans adopted to push forward the good cause. In the afternoon the Society organized as a Convention. Addresses were made by several gentlemen. Faneuil Hall was filled in the evening:. D It was a cheering meeting. The work goes bravely on. The cause in Massachusetts seems to be in most excellent hands. Every thing is reduced to system—and facts of a most I important and interesting character have i been collected. llow long will New York Jbe without such an organization? Every ! thing is at present at loose ends. There is no head to direct opr efforts. Everv Society is working on its “own hook,” regardless of the counsel or interest of its neighbors. Will our cause triumph under such a system ? When shall we have the General Council to begin the work ?— [N. Y. Organ. TRIAL OF PLATT. Our readers will remember the murder of Wm. R. Harding, by W. H. Platt, i which occurred in this city, in March last. It produced deep excitement at the time, which has however principally subsided. On Thursday last the prisoner was put upon his trial before his honor Judge Schly. The counsel were, For the State —E. Starnes, Attorney General pro. tern., Andrew J. Miller and George W. Crawford, Esq’s. For the Prisoner —W. T. Gould, C. J. Jenkins, H. 11. Cumming, and Jo- I seph Henry Lumpkin, Esq’rs. | At an early hour, the prisoner was ar raigned, and plead, not guilty. The wit nesses for both parties were then called ; when they announced themselves ready for trial. The Sheriff, aware that under the ex citement of feeling which had i many persons would be found to have “formed and expressed” opinions, had summoned some four hundred talesmen : nor was he mistaken—for the whole day was spent, and five full panels exhausted and only nine Jurors sworn. The State at an early period filled its quota of chal lenges, and the matter then fell pretty much into the hands of the prisoner’s counsel, who evidently proceeded with great caution in their choice. It is to be regretted that two Jurors were found to have “formed and express ed opinions,” who nevertheless had an swered differently on their oaths. Can it be possible that public justice will slum ber on and suffer such outrages to be per petrated within the very thresholds of her sanctuary ? We hope not. Every day’s experience serves but to confirm the conviction, that the law ought to be so changed as to transfer the trial of all criminal cases to special Jurors select ed from the Grand Jury list—under pro per restrictions. It would be better for the innocent, as well as the public—men having a proper defence,'could rely upon the justice of their cause, whilst the guilty would not “go unwhipt of justice” through the instrumentality of the cor - rupt and venal. The Jurors sworn, were : Irvin Hicks, Jackson Clarke, Wm. Cady, Jno. E. Bowers, Thos. Bartlett, Wm. Martin, Reuben Elbert, A. C. Wise, i E. C. Ellington P. S.—We have not room for the pro ceedings of yesterday entire. I Wm. Leverman, Thomas Leverman I and J. W. R. Page, were sworn as Jurors, j and the State proceeded to present its evidence at 3 o’clock. Is it Right— For a man who has been rescued from intemperance, to stand still and see all around him going to a drunk ard’s grave, without raising his voice to caution them, or endeavoring to avert their fate ? No!—take hold; there is ; much to be done, and it is your duty to [ j render all the assistance in your power. Do not despise the man who may be so unfortunate as to violate the Pledge ; the temptation may have been stronger p| than you are aware of. Rather pity | him—sympathise with him, for he needs ! j both. Strive by kindness and love, to ? 1 win him back to the paths of right. It is ■ ! your duty to do so.— [Organ.