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Til tt \V ASjyilNG TOJV-IAN: | AUGUSTA, S»:i*T. 16. j n'ldshtoftvn Total MMnmct Vlcdge. We, whose names are hereunto annexed, desirous of twining a Society for our mutual benefit, and to guard against a pernietmx practice, which is injurious to our health, standing and families, do pledge ourselves as Gentlemen, not to drink any Spirt toils or Malt Liquors, Wine or Cider. . EDITORIAL COMMITTEE. Rev W. T. BnANTt.Y, Dr. F. M. Robertson, “ , W. J. ll.ikp, Dr. D. Hook, “ C. S. Duo, S, T, Chapman, Esq. “ Geo. F. Pierce, James llaupeb, Esq, Col. John Mirledgk, OQp To Dhtart SimcßißKK#.—Post Masters are au tliuii/.ed by law to remit money to the publishers ol i liewanapera and periodicals, in payment of subsrrip lions? Subscritx;rs to the fVtohihgtsnian can therefore pay for tfieir papers without subjecting themselves or the publisher to the expense of postage, by handing the amount to the Post Master, with a request to remit it. Temperance Statistics. In accordance with our promise, we have this week transferred to our columns, from the Temperance Banner, the “»Sta tistical” information which has been collected by the Editor of that paper, in reference to the progress of our cause in Georgia. Though, abstractly speaking, ( it is not of much importance, still it may i serve to gratify the curiosity of some of our readers, and may be made the basis ( of a full and able report, which we hope | to see prepared and published under the i auspices of the State Convention, to as- j semhle during the subsequent winter at j some central point in the State. s “The Helicon.” 1 This is a new paper, published by W. 1 11. Dunn, at Marietta, Cobb Co., Ga.— ‘ The typographical execution is neat, the 1 editorials calm and well written, whilst * its selections arc decidedly judicious 1 We huve placed “The Helicon” on our 1 exchange list, and judging from the name, * at least, we take it for granted that the 1 Editor is not averse to the fine, clear, and invigorating draughts of nature’s own | sparkling nectar, unlaced with stronger and more fiery ingredients. We wish ( him success, more especially if he will occasionally give a helping hand to our | glorious cause. The days of Temperance and Intemperance 1 contrasted. * Docs the reader desire evidence of the ( beneficial cfl'octs of Temperance Socic- <; tics ? We ask him to refer to the past, ( and bring to recollection the riotous and | boisterous character of his old acquaint- , ances. Let him revert to the cross-road, , grog-shop, muster-ground scenes of but , ten years since—the broils, the bloodshed, „ the acts of violence and shameful degra- ( dation wituessed there; and then let him contrast those with what he knows now, | perhaps of the same men and the same places, under the milder reign of the j Temperance reform. “By their works , ye shall know them,” saith the scriptures; . and the reformers desire no weaker test | of their doctrines. They would point to , the hundreds whom they have rescued from the horrors of debauchery and death , —to whole families snatched from misc- , ry and want —to the restoration of peace ( and domestic comfort, where late but|[ strife and penury predominated—they , would call attention to the quiet and t peaceful character of our public assent- ( blages—to the diminution of crime, and , to the increased observance of) and re- | spcct for, the laws of the land, and ask,. are not these ample evidences of the char acter and efficacy of the cause w'c advo cate ? I A devotee of his cups, not twenty-five < miles distant from Augusta, lately sail! to ( us, “Your Temperance Societies have broken the spirit of the people and destroy- j cd all our neighborhood amusements! ( Let me tell you, said he, a good joke which | we had at the ‘corner’ here only a few years ago. Some six or eight x of us were t in a high spree —our money was short, j and we knew that the keeper of the shop s would not credit us. In this dilemma we were hesitating whether to disperse or c take the liquor by force, when a stranger approached with his face tied up, and appa rently in great agony. He asked tor a doctor—for some one who could pull teeth' One of our number, more sober than the rest, took the hint, and replied: 1 • I’m your man : Boh, bring me the tootli drawers.’ A rusty pair of forceps were I produced—the man was seated, nor per mitted to badge until wc had drawn sir teeth, arid made him plank up a silver dol lar for each.' A capital plan to ‘raise the wind,’ was’nt it ?” “ Now, sir,” con tinued he, “your Society has broken all this up ; and of the four of us yet living, lam the only one who has not been fool enough to join the Temperance Society!! But I’m rather 100 old to sign away my liberties .” “ Answer not a fool according to his folly,” thought we, and we left the devo tee of Backus to his own reflections. Reader, pause, reflect, —consider w'ell be fore you assent to such doctrines. Re member, the cause of temperance is the cause of morality, of good order, humanity and decency. Come, help us to bear our noble standard aloft until all are gathered under its ample folds. We may “ spoil the fun and break the spirit," but it will be “j fun" of the Jiend and the “spirit” of the arch enemy of our race. “ (’ome to the rescue!—Cotne !” The State Convention. Appended is a copy of a letter from a Committee appointed at the last meeting of the Augusta Washingtonian Society, to the Chairman of the Committee of the Penfield Convention having the consid eration and appointment of the time and place of holding a State Temperance Convention. It is written, as will appear from the contents, in the spirit of kind ness and Christian love, having in view simply an expression of the views and feelings of the friends of the cause in this region, and being in no manner an offi cious or improper interference with the rights and duties of the Penfield Conven tion; We doubt not the feelings and views of the Committee are duly appreci ated by the gentlemen of the Penfield Committee, whatever may be their deter mination in the matter. Avgusta, 30th Aug. 1843. Rev. P. 11. Melt,, Chairman, Ac. Dear Sir—Yours of the ‘2lst inst. to the Rev. Mr. Dod, has been referred to us for consideration and action. The last Washingtonian will fully explain to you the fact of our appointment and the nature of our duties. The Committee cheerfully respond in their own name, and in the name of the Society, to the kind expressions contain ed in your letter. We desire nothing hut the prosperity of the cause that enga ges our united effort, and arc willing to enter most cordially into tiny plan that will best promote that object. At the same time, we must bn permitted in can dor to say, that we did feel jealous at a seeming invidious distinction between the laborers in the same great field. In our view, more, vastly more, de pends upon the manner in which a Con vention is constituted, and the nature and extent of the information to he col lected by the. delegates, than upon the mere place of its assemblage. Your reasons in favor of Eatonton have much weight, and more particularly so when we consider the position of your Committee and the extent to which you have gone in your arrangements. Let us submit a few' considerations, while at the same time, W'C avow our determina tion to yield to you the entire question, with the simple condition that you let us have the meeting at some central, acces sible Point. Our reasons for Milledgevillc, are— 1. It is the great point of concentra tion for persons front every part of the State, during the session of the Legisla ture. 2. This will enable the several societies to select Delegates, who, in many instan ces, can unite business or pleasure with their attendance upon the Convention. 3. Members of the Legislature from the more distant counties, could act as Delegates, and thus save the expense of; sending men for that especial purpose. 4. Milledgeville would be more easy! of access for so large a body of persons, ( ..in, ,nr M M'MM'y a from the fact iliat those who go thither, either on business or pleasure, might go a jew days in advance of the meeting; whereas if the Convention assembled at • Eatonton, or any other point, all the : i Delegates world have to go at the same jime, because all would have to go for jhe especial pin pose of attending it. 5. A Convention as the Capital would tenable us to enjoy the aid and counsel of some of the ablest'men in the State, dwho will bd members of the Legislature. ! G. The legislature, we think, would ■ not so far - engross the public attention” us to proved attendance upon ihe pro ceedings o the mooting. Its afternoon i sessions d»Jnot commence until the Ist r. The Representative Hall could therebrebe used, and the members 5 who choose can be present at the me’et ings. 7. Milleijgevißo will afl’ord convenien ces for eolbeting Statistics, and informa tion even from persons who are not members d' the Society, but who arc not r inimical toils success. r 8. The ae-cmblage of the Convention I at the Capibl, during the session, would a deciledly beneficial effect upon I the whole Slate, through the members of jthat body—ly inducing men to adopt, to some extent its principle in practice , ' though thoytnay not embrace them in theory. Suih has been the happy result dll Carolina,where they have two Con- II ventions anqially : one at Columbia, and r the other soiewhero in the interior du > ( ring the suitmcr months. We submit , whether it w»uld not he well to have the . Convention tt Milledgcville this fall, and | form a Stab Society, and then have a . Convention it Eatonton, say on the 4th • of J uly, 1811 These wc submit with - all deferencejo the Committee, and sug | gest whether,they do not outweigh the j single advanige wliich Eatonton seems . to have in tfc matter of accommodation . for the Delates. In rclerencl to the character and cx | tent of the sutistical inibrmation to be , collected, woofer the Committee to No. | 8 of the “ Washingtonian,” and suggest that in your ‘jiall” of the Convention, the queries there# contained, or something similar, shouljf be distinctly propounded to the Societies, to he answer ed by their Brlegates in Convention. 1 Willing, liiwcver, to forego all other 1 consideration for the good of the cause alone, wc su mit the whole matter to the i decision of four Committee, under the > assurance tint you will give due consid eration to oir views and feelings in the matter. Oir Thefollowing Communication we give from a correspondent at Columbus. We take it 4 be a narrative of facts as they actually occurred, under theauthor’s ’ own observation; at all events, there is vastly mow of truth than fiction in the •tale. I' ! The expense & affliction caused by “taking something to drink."’ Kind raider, are you a good citizen, a fond paruit, an affectionate husband, a dutiful son ? Reflect what one glass of intoxicating drink has, in many instances, ■ cost thccounirv, what distress and afflic tion it lias caused a man’s wife and eliild ■ ren, ami what heart-rending anguish it has entailed upon an old, grey headed ■ parent,—a mother, perhaps, who had ilwatched over her erring child in infancy, • whose pleasing anticipations had fre i quently followed him on to manhood, clothing him in her fond imagination with all that is noble, with all that was calculated to repay her for the nightly j vigils that she kept over him during his :j helpless infancy. Take the following | instance:— An industricjtis planter living in Harris County, who lad a fond wife and affec tionate children, left his home and came ;to Columbus to sell his cotton. Having accomplished this, he was invited in the usual way to “drink something,” to i which he readily assented. After he had “ drank something,” he was asked to look at some goods,—that is, to make a trade. He looked through the man’s stock, but thought he might do a little i better by looking farther. Byway of j making a strong impression on the plant ers mind in regard to the cost and quality | of his goods, the shop-keeper again asked .Jhktt to “drink something,” to which he , again assented. At the next store he i entered, the merchant, wishing to make ; ; bis goods look bright and appear cheap, t again invited him to “drinksomething,” 3'and again “something” was drank.— i c o ■ Byway of testing the quality of some r; brandy which he wished to purchase, the planter drank “ something,” of that Ijtoo. By this time the poor, deluded man I i had taken “ something” so considerable Jthat he could not control his appetite. . He continued his drinks until he was Ijeompletely intoxicated, and he now' ’ wandered about, looking not for cheap - bargains, but for a cheap grog-shop, which i he finally found at a place in this city t known and distinguished as “Ivy’s Cor -1 ncr.” Into this place he entered and s called for “something to drink —alas! - poor man! In opening his pocket-book to pay for - the drink, be exhibited the proceeds of - his crop of cotton. It so happened that t certain men of no particular trade or pro t session, who obtain their living by chance, were in the bar-room looking for “some i thing to drink,” or perchance “some -1 thing to take.” They readily made the i acquaintance of the planter, and, in order f to have a grand spree all alone, purchased ) something to drink in the shape and size , of a bottle well filled with brandy, and i retired into the yard to drink it out. t lleat?d with liquor, they soon fell out, - and from words ere long came to blows. I The “ man of chance,” finding the plan ■ ter too much for him, resorted to his I knife, and inflicted a wound which caused : the planter’s death. I The place where this tragedy was act i ed, had long been considered a haunt for i persons of doubtful character, and was a great annoyance to persons living in that i part of the city. The citizens, aroused at ■ last by this shocking outrage, after ar > resting the murderer and his supposed i accomplice, collected en masse, repaired i to the said Ivy’s Corner, and not only pulled down the corner, hut, finding ihe thing to work so easy, continued their la bors until they had pulled down three other houses, one of them not really in volved in the same condemnation. The prisoners being confined in the ; county jail, for fear of their escape a good I and sufficient guard was employed at the expense of the county. At the first cqurt the trial was put off, and before the next court the prisoners made their es cape. Upon a reward of #SOO being of fered, they were retaken, and again con i fined until their final trial and the execu tion of one of them. And now, what was i the expense of this one first glass of “something to drink I” Here is a pari , of it, and a part only:— Jailor’s fees, pay of guard, and other items, .... SISOO 00 Reward for the apprehension-and * delivery of the prisoners. - 500 00 s Value of Ivy’s Corner, and 8 oth : er buildings destroyed, - 2000 00 . 4000 00 Now, gentle reader, look at this enor i mous expense for one drunken frolic, all i caused by the poor deluded planter’s 'taking the first “something to drink.” , That S4OOO would have placed many a - respectable family in comfortable circum - stances, which now is struggling with t difficulty to gain an honest livelihood; 1 and yet, the dollars and cents are a mere 1 bagatelle, a drop in the bucket, compared , with the other consequences of the trans - action. Look at the tears and sighs, the , affliction and distress of the families of i the planter and his murderer. The for s mer left a wife and children to mourn his i untimely fate; the latter sent a pang s of keener sorrow through the heart of an t aged and doating mother. Notwith standing the infirmities of advanced life, s this wretched woman, instigated by a - mother's love, which “ many W'atcrs can -3 not quench,” set off on a journey of some 5 hundreds of miles to ask of the Governor 3 a respite for her son until the legislature j could be appealed to for a final pardon. 3 Alas! poor fond and doating mother, her 1 hopes were blasted, she did not obtain 3 her urgent request. As if the cup ofsuf s sering, which this drunken frolic had 3 poured out for her, were not yet full, she f was denied a parting word, a last embrace -of her beloved, though guilty son, —she f did not arrive at the place of execution 1 until the day after he had taken his lasi 1 look on all earthly things. j| And now, kind reader, let me ask, —Is 3 there anything false, or anything exag gerated in # lhe above narrative. Is it not ’(simplicity and truth? Then fear the -'consequences of the first “something to j j drink.” See the evil that is wrought to ,j families and to the community by this t pernicious practice, and “set your face i like a flint” against it. Aye, and set i ! your name against it 100, and with me . subscribe yourself. s| A Washikgtoniax. d ' ' f or the Washingtonian. i A word to “Reformed Drunkards.” \ My friends, I advise you to be exceed - ingly careful of your deportment. These fare times of great danger. The excite ! ment on the subject of Temperance has somewhat subsided—you friends may be r growing cold and careless of your sate— s your old enemies (those who smiled at t your former debauches and profited by - your follies) are agath growing bold and , | laying new plans for your overthrow. - j The elections are at hand—the coramu -! nity is in a state of excitement, and you ? will doubtless be repeatedly urged to par r ticipate, with your personal friends who Ijare not trammelled by the pledge, in the ; social glass. Hesitate not to proclaim 1 yourself an unwavering Washingtonian! . Remember the snare from which you have already escaped—remember your charac . ter as a gentleman is at stake—remember -1 the sacredness with which your own - Washington if!Ways regarded his plighted 1 faith—but, above all, remember the fate, the almost certain doom that awaits you ■if you falter and fall! Throw before you • the shield of the pledge! There is a i charm about that, when properly used, t which disarms the adversary and renders t him impotent of evil. Then avail your ■ selves of its influence—keep aloof from I the haunts of the drinkers—frequent not I the society of those who by their example, their jeers, or their arguments, would lead > you estniv from the paths of sobriety. ■ Resist temptation in its fir 4 approaches, and you will be safe. Stand firmly by the • cold-water banner, and strike not your Mag to the foe. Remember the Words of ‘‘Lawrence, “Don’t give up the ship.” I If you die in its defence, it will be a sweet • reflection to know you dud a sober man! [jit will be consoling to vou—consoling to : those who arc the companions of your cares, and to your children and friend* . J ''i"' who survive you. Then, adhere to the ■ pledge—stand firm and be faithful. Philo. . j Kor the Washingtonian. I Cymbling l N. In vain you urge me to take the I pledge, Lash, while the energies of your 1 ; whole Society is directed against intem perance, to the entire neglect of Gatnb iling, a much more pernicious and de i structive vice. - 1 L. Although avc look upon Gambling 1 as a system of sheer robbery, wo cannot • turn from our present object to whip the 1 robbers “naked through the world,” nor vsuffer you by this ruse to escape from our anxious solicitations. • N. You might as well save your !a - hour, for as - long as your moral sense is i so obtuse as to war against an unfortu > | nate habit, rather than a detestible and ? criminal vice, I will resist all your per -1 suasions. L. My Dear N., you do not consider 2 the difference between intemperate men s and gamblers. Those may be honest, — - these cannot he. The one class are of -5 ten the victims of incautious customs— £ the others are .deliberately wicked. If i we reclaim the one from a bad habit, we - restore to society honorable and useful , men—if we reclaim the other from gamb ling, we may only divert their unprinci pled energies from a lesser to a greater 3 system of fraud. Without a radical i' change of heart, gamblers cannot become good citizens. Those who cunningly . intoxicate their neighbors that they may r cheat them, or stock and mark cards i that they' may obtain money without - giving a valuable consideration for it, ? differ nothing in principle from the mid -3 night prowler who burns a barn, that, 3 while the family are extinguishing the ? flames, he may securely rob their dwell- J ing. Can we feel the sympathy for such f beings that we do for you, who, except in this one deplorable particular, command