Farmers' gazette, and Cheraw advertiser. (Cheraw, S.C.) 1839-1843, December 06, 1842, Page 15, Image 3
which should infl icnca you in deciding to cn- j
forco the requisitions of the act. The ordinary .
privilege enjoyed by every other State debtor,
of deriviug those advantages which credit salo?
eo ofton procure, it seems to mc should also L?
aocorded in this instance; from a just regard to
the interest of the Stato itself, to the piosperity
of the city, and to thoso motives of benevolence,
tvhich originated the humane interposition of the
legislature.
Tho refusal of this State to participate in the
distribution of the proceeds of thy public lands
has not been without that influence on the councils
of the nation, and tha * public sentiment'* of
her confederates, which 60 high an example of
disinterested patriotism and unpurchasable adherence
to constitutional principles, can never
r
fail lo exercise. The response ot so many 01 upmost
important and influential members of the
Union?the increasing hostility and sndivided
-opposition of the whole Republican party?the
awakened scruples of tho Federal Executive?
tho seeming abandonment of tho ineasuro by
Congress?all conspire to confirm our confidence
in the wisdom, the rectitude and the virtue of the
courso which this State has so prudently pursued.
Rebuked and defeated for a time as this
measure has been by the indignant rejec- j
tion of so many States, it is nevertheless to be ,
' t linen insidious modjS of fedcr. [
r'garaeu a? vuw ?? ?
al policy, seeking every form and opportunity of
recurrence, against the dangers and temptations
of which, a vigilant people should never he disarmed
of their jealousy, or unheedful of the
warnings. The opm and daring proposition, to
impose taxes for distribution, and to institute a
scheme of fraud on tl.o Constitution, of plunder
and spoliation 011 the treasury, may have shocked
a sense of public virtue in the people note, whilst
in the freshness of a first and unsophisticated
conception of the enormity and depravity of sijcli
a measure. Cut, in tho various and indditus
forms of pre-emption laws?of a fund pledged
for the payment of State debts?of tho necessity
of assuming their obligations, to maintain the
faith, the integrity, and tho sovereignty of the
States?or as the basis of a great molded corporation?it
is doubtless yet to be met and combated.
Tho labors, the arguments, and the investigations*
of a long and painful resistance to this
prolific parent of so tmny federal evils, are still
perhaps before us. On no suhj >ct, can the great
parties of the Union be more d stinclly and radi j
rally divided?none which presents so many il
lurcments to cupidity, so mmy tcmp'ations to,
-- 1 ... ?lfl unliitiiin I
araricc, an i su hmuj muuxviuv,,.. ?
n>ne, fraught with so many evils, or so wol
calculate 1 to corrupt the morals of ihc poo; Ic,
to s.-duco the fidelity of tire representative, or to
purchase the independence of the 5>ia?c>. 0 r
perception of the toils and difficulties ofihe con
t' sl, will, I trus', operate as an incentive, to
nerve our firmness, and strengthen our resolution
to meet and maintain it. A stern a id inflexible
adherence to the determination of your predecessors,
to refuse all participation in the illicit spoils
and ignoble advantages of such a conquest over
the constitution, is the least to l>o anticipated
from the wisdom an I patriotism of their
enlightened successors. Same further provision
a your part, is j?erhaps necessary, to prevent
the distributive sharo of this Slate from being
appropriated, in any event, to the benefit of the
assenting State.
It is with the most deeply impressed sense of its
importance, and of the solemnity of the consequences
involved, to the honor as well as the interest
of the State, that I now invoke your attcnlion
to the system of protective policy, renewed by
the late Act of Congress, imposing duties on im- J
ports ; and transcending in its burdens, its boun.
ti-s, and its restrictions, all former experience of
unjust, oppressive, and unconstitutional taxation.
0 I need not refer to the history of the past?to
our wrongs and forbearance?to our blighted weal
and oppressed industry?to our arguments, our ro
i .1.- i f
monstrance, anu mu long nam vi mjuu^, ><auv.ings.m
1 endurance,until the goaded sj?irit of South
Carolina rose up in the full strength and ardor of
its patriotic and impatient zeal, to appeal from the
injustice of her infatuated oppressors, to the ultimate
tribunals of the Constitution itself. It was
then, for the first time, that the voice of complaint
was heard, or heeded ; it was then, that that justice
which had been refused to our remonstrance,
was conceded to our demands: it was in this painful
pause in the controversy, that the faith of the nation
was solemnly pledged to a compromise, which
should not transcend the legitimate objects of rcvcnuo;
and which, while it professed to abandon
the principle of protection, retained all that was
necessary to supply the fiscal exigencies of govcrnmcnt.
How the conditions of this solemn treatv?ratified
in the face of the nation, approved and commended
by our sister States?have been prcscrv- :
ed and respected on our part, I appeal to facts, and ^
the history of federal legislation for the list nine j
years, to testify and illustrate. Patiently have i
we waited the fulfilment of the term of years pre. j
scribed by that act for its limitation, under a sys.j
tern of duties, although modified in the extent of!
its burdens, yet still oppressive and unjust.
Amir! ?l! thr mnlfin'.iedormortunitics afforded bv
party rancor, and political intrigue?when the
weakness of an administration sought support on
the most Southern terms?when ambitious aspirants
courted alliances and proffered concessions?
when the democratic principles of the late administration
were ready to accord us all its aid and
function, in establishing a system of moderate duties
and economical expenditure?amid all these op.
portunitics of perpetrating a successful infidelity,
tho faith and integrity of the South have been inviolably
preserved in a consistent and unwavering j
adherence to the terms and spirit of the cornpro- 1
misc. And when, on more occasions than one, j :
the opportunity seemed to invite her concurrence,!'
in anticipating the limitation of the act, the voice j 1
of our own representatives has been heard rebuking j
tho tcmp'cr, and repelling the temptation. And j'
.1 :?!i
now, Ulv UUAlOUMJf j/wu /u >?<.*> Uiim-U, I
for the commencement of the promised era of free j '
trade and reform, our concessions arc met, asdour. 1
confidence betrayed, by the establishment <>f a . 1
system of restrictive duties, more odious, oppress, j(
ire, and unjust, th tn any that has ever ret desola- j 1
ted the prospects, or blisthtel the destinies of the,1
South. (
The Tariff of *2*>, while it extended protection, I
and eonferrod bounties, at the expense of one sec- '
tion of the Union, for the benefit of another, still *1
preserved mo/e just and w'.oc discrimination3.?
opert'.cd mere ec1ua!i'- on the ree-j.-v-. nn l f
i
coinplishcd at least one of tin legitimate objects of i
the Constitution, i) supplying an adequate and t
liberal revenue. It derived a plausible pretext i
from the requirements of a national debt, and
founded some claim to favor in the circumstances <
and inducements which had led to the early, and <
perhaps premature development of the manufac- t
turing enterprise of our country. It operated ?
when our currency was comparatively sound, our t
credit firm and expanded, our produce high, our i
industry rewarded, and our prosperity in the Hood <
tide of success; and if it has converted all these 1
evidences of happiness and improvement, into '
6ccncs of desolation and disorder, the results were '
perhaps then regarded ns the inspiration of an cr- '
ratic prophecy, rather than the sound convictions i
of a wise and well formed judgment, But now, '
while the Government owes no debt, which its 1
ordinary resources might not in a few years ex- 1
tinguish?now, while the deep and universal dis- '<
tress of the people demands the lightest burdens? '
while labor starves, industry grows poor, our credit i
has no confidence, and prosperity no abiding place :
among us?note, in the violation of a solemn and 1
well considered compromise?in defiance of all
the admonitions of a dearly-bought experience?it
is a mockery of the spirit of equity in legislation, 1
of respect for constitutional principles, of all that
is sacred in obligations, to institute sucli a system
of political fraud, perfidy, and oppression.
Under a just and economical administration of
tiic Government, were the exigences of the Treasury
to require it; in short, whenever revenue is
the object, I am sure I do not magnify or exaggerate
the spirit of patriotism in this State, when 1
assert tint South Carolina would endure all, and
sacrifice all, to meet constitutional demands upon
her resources or liberality.
But arc bounty and protection, legitimately a
part of t!iesc constitutional requirements ? Is it
needful to the Treasury, that the agricultural interests
sf South Carolina, ahve should pay, as a
tribute to twenty factories in Kentucky, a tax in
the shape of duties on rope, twine, and bagging,
equal to its annual contributions to the cotVcrs of
our own State ? Is it necessary to revenue, that
coarse woollens and cotton goods of foreign manufacture,
should be excluded from our markets, by
a duty which prohibits competition ? Is prohibition
a reasonable mode of increasing revenue, by .
means of imports ? And yet this is the leading
characteristic?the groat, the primary, the directing
object, of the late enactment of tariff duties.
Thus, gentlemen, have our people and our State
once more been subjected to a system of rapacious
and oppressive legislation; and thus do I now discharge
myself of the obligations of this department,
by invoking the interposition of your conservative
influence, to arrest the calamitous effects
of a measure, as unconstitutional as it is unjust;
and which cannot fail in its unchecked consequences,
to overwhelm lite already overburdened energies,
and languishing prosperity of our people. If
the restrictions of the Constitution on Federal legislation,
arc thus to be violated with recklessness
and impunity, the American citizen Ins r.o better |
guaranties for freedom, than the serf of a political
autocrat. The form and the nnmc of our institutions
must be costly indeed to us, if liberty itself,
and the pursuit of happiness, are the only price,
aud the only sacrifice, at which they arc to be
maintained.
In the firm patriotism and correct principles of
the Democratic Party, we may doubtless anticipate
the co-operation of a faithful and efficient
ally. Struggling against the corruptions and abuse*
of Government, in its long course of error and
injustice?the advocates and exponents of a sou td
currency, and economical expenditures?sustaining
the interests and the institutions of the South,
against all the influences of bank dominion, and
fanaticism?we may justly calculate on their unwavering
zeal, in achieving this work of reformation.
And when the next recurrence to the ballotbox
shall have purified our counsels?when the
popular voice shall have spoken the doom of our
miguided rulers?when republican principles, regenerated
in the deliberate and dispassionate results
of the ensuing elections, shall have dispelled
the delusions of the late Presidential canvass?
then may we hope that the South will again rccovcr
her rights, and the Constitution regain ils vigor
and ascendancy. It is indeed deeply regretted,
that the assent erf a single member of the Democratic
Party should have been accorded (even reluctantly
though it may have been) to a measure
which they have denounced with so much ardor
and ability; which they had discussed on principles
admittingof no compromise, and which no
considerations of expediency ought, or cpuld overrule.
What if the dem mds of the Government
icere emergent: What if the Treasury was bankrupt,
and our rulers clamorous and dissatisfied :
Would any of these causcsexcusc or justify a premeditated
violation of the Constitution, or a wanton
imposition of unjust, oppressive, and exorbitant
taxes ? It would have been belter that the
sources of our revenue had b?n dried up, our pub.
lie improvements neglected, our fortresses dismantled,
our army disbanded, our navy rotting in the
docks, our officers clamorous for sal tries, and even
ii embers of Congress unpaid, than that such a
tiroifli clinnld Imvr been made in tie Constitution.
Time, an 1 returning prosperity, at some moro propitious
pcrioJ, nii^Jit have corrected, in their silent
and ordinary operations, ail this disorder and
derangement in our statistical economy ; but a
violation of equitable principles, neither ages nor
prosperity can repair; and wrong and violence
done to the Constitution, shake with tho force of 1
revolution, every pillar in the political fabric, and
desecrate tho very aunctuaries of the Temple of
Liberty.
Cherishing hope, however, in the justice and <
wisdom of the American People?confiding in the i
patriotism and purity of the democratic party of the
Union, and awaiting, forareasonable time, the slow '
and tardy progress of legislative reform?let us 1
still remember, that the means of safety and redress i
reside in the sovereign resources of the State itself '
?in tho spirit and patriotism of our oven people? ?
in the firmness and wisdom of our own counsels.
Neither our appeals to the justice end patriotism 1
af the nation, our invocations to our all.es, nor an I
anticipated sympathy and co operation of our j 1
r^outlicrn sister .states, should be permitted tor a 1
moment to weaken our efforts or our resolution, to *
meet all the consequences nnJ all the emergencies r
>f the contest. It is due to the consistency of '
principles which this State has.so emphatically as- ?
atrtcd on similar and perhaps less aggravated or- (
^asions ; it is due to the allegiance which sh<5 lias 1
rofesscd to the Constitution ; it is befi ting the
iigh station of trust and confidence w t eh you <
>c:upy, that the voice of our People j mo ' unani. t
rtvjt'y spokrn in the Resolutions o the l ist sen. F
?'.vi*h t.1! its taming* and inve< atio ir to o.ir' c
i w nij J
nfatuatcd oppressors?*hoi!d lw strongly reitcracd
and responded to, in the measures and delibcations
of tho present Legislature.
Having reviewed some of the internal source of
>ur strength and prosperity, us well a9 of our disquietude
and grievances, with an earnest endeavor
.o suggest the means of improvement and relief, it
nay not now be improper to direct your attention
.0 some of those external causes and relations, havng
an influence on our peace and our happiness,
ind to the consequences of which wo cannot be
wholly indifferent. Our sympathies cannot but
3c deeply interested in the successful and patriotic
druggie of a young sister Republic to maintain its
rational existence. Recent events would seem to
indicate the approximation of a period when it may
De necessary for the authority of our Government
to be interposed, to protect its own borders and institutions,
against the pcrfidiou9 aggressions of an
ambitious and unscrupulous despot. Nor is it to
be presumed, that either the interest or the moral
sense of our citizens would permit them to be silent
and disinterested spectators of the wrongs and
oppressions of a kindred people, who have won
and maintained their right to independence, by the
achievements of successful valour,?by the results
of a well regulated and organized Government?
o o
and by our formal recognition of its established
sovereignty and institutions.
Yet, should this holy aspiration for independence
degenerate into ambitious schemes of extended
empire and dominion ; then will it become mire
consonant to a sense of justice, and the position of
neutrality which our government occupies, to repress,
rather than to encourage the ardor of our
youthful citizens, in embarking in such 6pecuhtivc
enterprizes for spoil, for conquest and for plunder.
The patriotism which enlists under the
standard of a foreign government to despoil another
of its rights, its riches, or its territory, is different,
far different, from that which attracts the generous
and the brave to assist an oppressed people,
struggling for independence, and deserving to be
free. The immortality of the motive, which would
prompt us to engage in a warfare of so predatory
? ( ^
ncnts of the department, allow neither time or opportunity
for the performance of such a duty, by
he personal exertions of the Executive. And tht:
;cry limited arid inadequate provision made for
lie necessary assistance of a permanent Secretary,
dike precludes the possibility of expecting it from
hat source. And yet the wisdom of our sister
states has in this respect amply provided such fa ilities,
even where the Executive is entirely rcicved
from the laborious duties of the military.
In the liberal policy of a border State, the Exrcuiivc
Department is supplied with a bureau of
hrcc permanent Secretaries, with liberal and com?etcnt
salaries, while the greatest advantage that
ran be derived from the t-i:iall annual approp-ia.
li character, would as often forfeit the respect of a |
generous ally, as it would be certain to provoke
the just and virtuous indignation of an cxaspcrated
foe. Its influence would tend to deprave our
national character, based upon the high principles
of waging wars only for honor or defence, and
to debase the chivalric spirit of our people into an
indin itc lust of the sensual fruits of victory. To
respect the rights of all, to form entangling alliances
with none, is perhaps the wisest precept of the
most virtuous and venerated of American sages.
And while our principles an 1 our sense of justice
most emphatically inculcate the truth of this moral
sentiment, a jealous regard for our institutions
should induce us most sacredly to conform to its
dictates.
In the ratification of the late treaty with Gre it
Britain, wj have just reason to c jngratuiatc ou*sclvcs
on the amicable, and I trust mutually a J.
vantagcous adjustment of soma of those long pending
difficulties which have so often threatened to
disturb our relations with a government, with
whose people and free institutions our own are so
nearly assimilated, by language, by interest, and
by commercial affinities. It is not one of the
least of the blessings of an enlightened age, that
argument and reason have almost entirely supersoded
the direful necessity and calamities of war.
In the moral code of nations, as well as of men,
wrongs can no longer be perpetrated without findinga
corrective or an avenger, in the convictions
of an enlightened public sentiment. Justice an 1
1 * *" ftfmnnrof nn/I t!ir>
I a J U u t;\v tilt; uuv aun^u< wv?v..w, ...?
c ivic wreath of a sagacious and successful negotiator
of an honorable peace, in the moral im.
proveincnts of onr age, have overshadowed the
laurels and the trophies of the conqueror. Armed
in a righteous cause, the vigorous and patriotic
energies of our Republic fear no adversary, decline
no contest, and arc equal to any emergency. But
it is tenfold more gratify'ng to receive the acknowledgements
of her equitable demands from
the concessions cf a generous people, than to coinc
out of a bloody contest to obtain them, flushed
with the most triumphant victory.
While, however, 60 much has been achieved to )
allay the spirit of war end dissatisfaction, arising
out of the border aggressions of a few lawless citizens,
and the contested jurisdiction of a barren Territory,
it is to he regretted that so little has been
conceded to the protection and security of Southern
proj>erty and institutions, again;, the piratical
spoliations and interference of foreign functionaries.
In this aspect, and indeed for all practical purposes,
it would seem that the guaranties of the
Constitution, to protect thoso institutions, have |
been utterly annihilated from the unredeemed and
enumerated pledges of the Confederacy, " to pro- :
vide for the common defence and general welfare." !
In the general terms of the Constitution, establishing
this department, its powers aro but vaguely
expressed; nor has our subsequent legislation
been very definitely illustrative of its particular
duties, authority, and res; (visibilities. That some,
however, of the prerogatives of the department
have become in practice unreasonably disproportioncd
to its general powers, will readily be ad- j
inittcd, when we reflect t.iat it exercises an almost
unlimited power of legislation over our criminal
code, by its absolute and unrestricted discretion of
administering it. Nor has its influence in this
respect been slightly and inconsiderably felt, since
the policy of some of our sterner and more important
statute?, have varied with the character of
every administration, and have often become in
their execution, as mutable as the motives and fallibility
of the human mind could make them.?
Uniformity of decision, so essential to justice, can
only prevail in executing as well as in administering
the law, when the motives and reasons, upon
which they are founded, arc exposed to public investigation.
Nor can a high standard of correctness
in their application ever be attained, but by
imposing the responsible duty of presenting for
[lie judgment of the people, the facts, circumstance,
ind considerations upon which thoy arc based.
T4ie numerous and almost incomoatiblc en?arrc
tion of our own, is. tho employment of the tempo,
rary ecrviro of un amanuensis, for the few weeks
of the session. If the services of such un officer
havo ever extended, in our practice, beyond these
times and duties, they have constituted perhaps a
single exception to the general usage of the department,
and (us in the instance of the able and useful
assistance of the present incumbent,) have been
accorded by generous motives of a personal character,
rather than a sense of official obligation.?
Tho requirement of such an officer may be better
understood, when we reflect, that a more interesting
record could scarcely be prcsentod to tho people,
than an annual statement of the official awtsof
the department?the officers appointed by its authority?tho
instances of interference with the administration
of the law?and the amount and degree
of crime subjected to its discretion, to pardon,
or to punish. Such a record, if required to be
nude to the legislature, and the means furnished
by its liberality, would not only enable the Executive
to preserve his own consistency, by affording
opportunities of reference to preceding acts, but
serre as landmarks for the warning or imitation
of his successors, an 1 to apprize the people of the
mode in which their laws are administrated; of
the amount and degree of crime perpetrated, and
of t he policy and efficacy of their criminal juris,
nrudencc. in rculatin? the conduct and motives of
r * o o
men. As it is, there is scarcely a document or a j
record, or an archicvc in the department, to shed
the light of a precedent, a decision, or even a tradition
to enlighten the councils, or direct the policy,
of succeeding administrations.
In the connexion of this department with the
other branches of our State Government, the influence
of a wise usage, and emulous ciaxnplcs of
courtesy upon the part of each, have done more
than the law, and the constitution itself, to establish
their distinctive limits and boundaries.
As an instance of the uncertain limits of Exc
cutivc jurisdiction, I would refer your attention to
an Act passed at the last session of the Legisla.
tu.c, in which the discretion of this department
was wholly superseded by the action of your body,
directing that a fine imposed by the sentence of
the Court on Julius Purdue, on a conviction of
manslaughter, be appropriated to the benefit of
the family of the deceased. The remission of
fines and penalties would seem to be exclusively
vested by the Constitution, in tnc executive,
44 unless otherwise provided for by law." Whether
this reservation can be properly construed to apply
to eases in which the law and the Court have
already pronounced judgment, and to legislate
pardons to criminals under sentence and conviction
; or whether it was merely intended in the Con.
1 stitution, to reserve to the L^gblaturc the right, in
framing laws to punish anticipated offences, 44 to
provide," at the same time, for such disposition of
the fines and penalties arising therefrom, as would
1 exclude the exercise of Executive, interposition;
whether, in short, it was meant by this exception,
that a legislative provision of the penalties of .State i
offences, should be antecedent, or subsequent to a i
breach of the criminal law, I refer to your wisdom
to determine. A profound respect for the proceedings
of a co-ordinate branch of our State
Government, as well as an entire accordance with
the benevolent object they were designed in this
instance to accomplish wore of course sufficient
to prevent any interference on rny part to defeat
the provisions of the act.
That neither time or events may ever interrupt
the hirmonious co-operation of all the branches of
our State Government in promoting the future, as
' effectually as they have done tnc past weal of the
State, I would neither presume to anticipate, nor ,
offer ought but the most devoted and fervent
wishes to avert. But it is certainly tho part of
p itriotism, as well as of wisdom, to leave r.o political
right or prerogative to the operation of time,
o; chance, or accident to determine; nothing for
tho accumulations of precedents to increase, or tho
examples of past encroachments to diminish;
nothing for the sanctioned errors of fallible minds
to pervert, or the venerated weakness of the human
heart to impair.
That the general powers of the department arc
of less importance and efficiency in the administration
of our Slate government than were originally
intended by the framers of the Constitution, end
have gradually diminished under the influences
of some modifying causes, is, I think, conspicuously
apparent. Whether the conservative character
which it was intended to preserve, and has
hitherto sustained, to tiic people and the Constitu
tion, can in any degree be safety dispensed with,
h for your judgment, and theirs to determine.?
To enlarge its powers in some respects, particularly
in the appointment of Slate officers, and the super,
vi.-ion of our road law?, and system of public educate
i, would unqestionably afford ample opportunitios
for usefulness and efficiency. And to in.
creaso its responsibilities both to the Legislature
and the people, by requiring an annual published
record of all its official proceedings, would at the
same time establish the best guaranties for the safe
and discreet exercises of all its prerogatives.
T.iat the interposition of the veto power might
on simc future, but I hope distant occasion, exercis;
a conservative influence upon the character
of our laws, may reasonably be inferred from recc
it illustrations in the practice of the Federal
government, as well as in the example of most of
ojr sister States. In all of the State constitutions
a loptcd or amended within the recent experience
of the practical operation of our forms of governmcnt,
the necessity of interpos'ng some safe bar.
ricr to the encroachments of a dominant and irresponsible
party legislation, has wisely induced to the
insertion of this salutary feature.
In our State Constitution, based entirely, as it
is, upon a compromise of interests; so successful1
y illustrated in our representation in the Senate ;
sometimes even practically exemplified in our legislation,
(as in the division of the free-school fund,)
and most obviously manifested in the mode of elect
ing the Executive, would not trie protecting tliflucnce
of an Executive veto be consistently fulfilling
the purposes for which this ad-v^ment of power
and of interests was instituted ?
Divested of nil motives of interest, by the near
Approach of the expiration of my official term, as
well as my official ineligibility?disembarrassed,
therefore, of any eense of personal delicacy, and
confirmed in the conviction of most of my predecessors,
I would add my testimon} and experience
of the inadequacy of the present salary, to sustain
an expense, indispensable to the dignity and usefulness,
and commensurate even with the ordinary
ennniimmA?<o rx( tKn sKli/tn Thn inrrit.'i hip infill. /
ivi|unviiivuio vi vug naiiVfi* a ijv mv?i%??.? -- ? ?ence
of such a cause may practically operate in
the course of time, to confine its aspirations to the
opulent, to deter the rrrricrsof merit, and to present
the* office as a flittering: prize to exorbitant
wealth, stimulated by inordinate ambition. **o
tiling can be mere fatal to an equality of rights aid |
privileges?nothing can exact a more obsequious I
homigc from popular institution" to a rjtonied oli- 1 r
garc'iy?nothing can be more sordid in a people,; c
or profligate in a government, than tho miserable t
policy of bartering the honors of tlu country, for
unpaid services, and the sacrifice of private interest.
It would be more noble, because more frank
and honorable, to prostitute them at once to the
ignominy of a public sale, and the open scandal of ^
a public market. The present period cf retrenchment
and embarrassment is perhaps too unpropitious
an occasion, to recommend an increase of the
i
Executive salary; but, unwilling to avoid any responsibility
that devolves upon me, of making but. '
gestions that I may deem promotive of-the wtI.
.'art; of the State, I take this, one of my last otficial
opportunities, to add my testimony to tho con- j
current declarations of all, I believe, of my prede- |
ccaaors, in liivor of the prospective' policy of "such I
a measure.
The term of two years only, accompanied by
ineligibility, has been found in the experience, and
acknowledged by the caudorof all, to be too short
i
for usefulness?too temporary to perfect systcraatic
vie ws of improvement?and might operate on
some occasions of great and perilous emergency,
to exclude the State from deriving benefit from
. . . i
the services of her ablest and most efficient citizens.
- ? f J '
Jfut a lew a aye more rtui.un, iciwn w..
complete the' term for which I was elected?
when my official relations to the State are to be
changed into the humble duties and avocations of
a private citizen. If my efforts iiM'O in any respect
failed in sustaining the dignity of the station
; in equitably administering her law*'; or in j !
suggesting correct views for promoting the w?..'u?re J
and happiness of the peoplethen have I beert i
most signally disappointed in the hopes and aspir I
ations which have constituted the motives of my
official life. To preserve her wise and happy insti- |
tutions undiminished and unimpaired ; to lrad In r !
onward in the path of national greatness and glory; '
to cherish her rights, her principles, and the vene- '
rated customs and usages under which she has at. '
tained to so much honor and prosperity; have '
been the object of my unceasing vigilance and so- 1
licitudc?objects which will still follow me in re.
tircmcnt, inspiring the warmest wishes for her
welfare, accompanying every motive of duty, and J
I strengthening every obligation of allegiance, as a !
| citizen and a Carolinian. And when, in contcm- J
pi iting the beneficent supervision of a Divine I
| Tower, so conspicuously illustrated i:i all the events j
of her history, as well as in the innumerable bless- 1
ingsof the past and of late years, it is with a confident
hope, that I now invoke its continued protcction
and wisdom, to inspiro her councils, and
conduct her institutions, in every stage of her pro
grcss, to attain all the attributes, the permanency,
and the moral energies, of a great, as well as a
free and happy people.
Nor with less confidence, do I repose my hope
in your zeal and exertions, gentlemen, to emulate j
the wisdom and patriotism of those who have pre.
ceded you, in promoting the true interest and enduring
weal of your constituents.
If my wishes and invocations on such an occasion,
may be permitted to l>o expressed, with tho
solemnity of the last admonitions of a parting
friend, they arc fervently offered, for the harmony i
of your deliberations, and tho exclusive devotion J
of all your energies and affections to the service of
South Carolina ; above all the ephemeral distiu?tions
of party?above all servile fear of popular
prejudice?above the grovelling strifes of a selfish
'ambition, and the jarrings and the jealousies of
sectional cupidity and dbxentions.
JOHN P. RICHARDSON.
lulj 'i. u -a . i .i " l ~ titt.:.
CHERA1V GAZETTE.
Cheraw, Tuesday, December 6, 1842.
During the absence of the Editor payments due
to him may be made to Mr. Westf.rvej.t.
The Editor is absent and docs not expect to
return for some weeks. In the mean time the inside
of the paper will consist chiefly of matter selected
and furnished by the Printer.
Temperance meeting.
A meeting of the " Washington Temperance
Society of Cheraw" will be held in the Methodist
Church, on 1-riday evening next, at half past G
o'clock. Members arc requested, and the public
generally are respectfully invited to attend. The
delegate to the State Temperance Convention will J
report; and it is expected that the Society will be \
addressed by other members. I
?? <
The extraordinary length of the Governor's <
Message must form our apology for the deficiency *
of general intelligence In this week's paper. We j
expect next week to present our readers with an.
other extended document, in the shape of the President's
Message, should we receive it early enough
to bo inserted entire.
A Duel was fought near the North Carolina (
line on Monday week, by Messrs. J. F. Mittag
and H. Massey, both of Lancaster, in which the
former was wounded in the thigh.
Rumored Resignation or Mr. Calhoun.?
The rumors as to the intended resignation of this
distinguished Senator and statc.<m in?50 long and J
still the popular idol of this State?from his scat j <
in the Senate of the Union, is gathering strength I
every day, and speculation is becoming rife,
the canvass actually begun, as to his s?;0ce5for. '
Char\($ton Courier.
From the Comr&efcial Advertiser of the 3*)th i Nov.,
we lcojn that Gov. Seward of New York has |
conditionally pardoned James Watson Webb, late- 1 I
!y convicted of leaving the State, with the inten- j
tion of fighting a duel, for which ho had been
sentenced to two years' imprisonment in the State
prison. 1
The legislature of South Carolina met on '
Monday the 28th tilt., at 12 o'clock, M.
In the Senate, the Hon. Angls Patterson was >
re-elected President; Wr. E. Martin, Clerk ; A. j ,
Garden, Reading Clerk; J. D. Gaillard, Mes- , {
sengcr; and J. 13. Fllton, Door-keeper. j I
In the House, the Hon. W. F. Colcock was '
! ? SsnrvaL-r?r T W* fJinirn f A
ivnivv?vv ?.yvu,,vi f * ' viui A | |
Spain, Reading Clerk ; Wm. Bask ins, Messenger;1 ?
and James McElhany, Door-keeper. ; t
Mr. a. Rhf.tt introduced a resolution for the h
appointment of a Committee of 9, one fiom earh
Congressional District, to take into consideration ;
tho re-districting of the State, and that the com.
mittce be instructed to report as rarlr ns po^-iMc
We have received the FumeW Regiiter ta*
November, and copy from it the following anKHincemcnt
of Mr. Rufiin'* retirement from ths
editorship of that periodical, whieh he hat so k>of
ind ably conducted: # 4
' -4
" EDITORIAL NOTICE TO SCBSCftlBtM.
" The undersigned' has the gratification of announcing
to the friends and supporters of the Farmers.'
Register, that the property in and direction
of that publication will lie transferred, at the clous
of this year and of the current volume, to Thomas
S. Pleasants, who will thereafter be the editor
and publisher. To thoae persona who know thia
gentleman intimately, any recommendation would
be superfluous. To othe rs, and to the agricnltur.
al public generally, the undersigned begs leava to
*1 _ A II- r>! 4-r 1- -....II I aL
say, mat .nr. neosams w wnt ?juaimeu, oj tnw
acquisition of general and varied iitl'onhation.'and
by extensive reading and- sftfficierit' practical experience
in agriculture, and also as an excellent
writor, to conduct an agricultural periodical
of a high grade of character. The undersign* I
trusts that his present subscribers and the friend*
of the work will continue their support to the
Farmers' Register under the editorial charge of bio
successor; whose abilities aro likely to be a# useful
irr the discharge of that dut v, and his editoriel
services arid effort? more acceptable to the public in
federal, than have been thoee by which the publi.
cation has been recently, conducted.
'' " fibxtKh Rem*.
" Pttcrsburg, Va., iVor. 7, 1842.**
TllB GREAT 60LTHEIX MAIL.
On Wednesday we received six mails from
places beyond Richmond, since which wo have no
intelligence from beyond that place. ~ The South.
?m papers are loud in their complaints for the great,
delay. After publishing some of these, the Madi?onian
of yesterday adds the following:?
44 We publish the above, in o:d$r that we may
tn tlirxo who arc interested in this crreat line
jf mail service, that the Postmaster General ha*
l>cen duly sensible of the evils complained of,
and that every power, short of annulling the contract,
vested in him by law, has been exceed to
secure a regular connection of the mail at Chvlco.
ton.
4* The Charlestpn and Hamburg Rail Road Com.
pany has been appealed to, to give the longest
possible time for their departure from Charleston,
in order to receive the Wilmington mail. Thf
directors of this company say they are obliged to
leave Charleston at the hour now fixed, to be toablcd
to meet the downward train to Charleston
and pass it on the ir double track.
" The Po.nrnastcrGcncrjl, sensible of the difficulties
attending the steamboat mail down tho Ckps
Pear and thence to Charleston, has ordered a twits
froin Raleigh to (.Columbia to bo advertised, upon
which he promises himself a more regular, if not
as speedy a mail from the North, not only to
Charleston, but to the entire South. In the mean
time, every tiling in his power will be dons, during
the existrnee of the present contract, to enforce a
compliance with its stipulations."?.V. V. Ctm.
Ado.
SlNGU.AR AND HORRID AFFAIR.?On
the morning of thn 3d in*!.. Mi. Vdloiti
tine Wcivcr, n blacksmith, of Canal D*
rcr, Tuscarawas county, Ohio, left that
place in n buggy for Massiilon, as said, to
get some money. In the evening the
horse nnd buggy returned and the dead
body of Mr. W. with a rope round his
neck and fastened to the axlefree, much
bruised. His pocket book and hat warn
found a short distance from town. From
facts since disclosed, it appears probnbie
that, being unable to get money to pey
a debt he owed, he did the act himself.?
He has left a family.
TO PRllVTBItS.
Wa.xted at this office a Printer of good character
and industrious habits, who has served a regular
apprenticeship to tho business. None other
need apply. Letters, postage paid, will tie at.
tended to, on the return of the Lditoc, about, or
perhaps before, Christmas.
??mmmmmgggB
CIIERAW PRICES CURRENT.
December 6,1812.
Articles. fee J 8 C. | 'f C.
Beef in market, . lb 0 H . -4
Bacon from wagous, lb 7 74
by retail, lb 6? a \ %
Batter lb I2| a ]?
Beeswax lb ? 95
Bagging yard 20 t 92
Bale Rope lb 10 ? |?A
FofTee lb 124 * U '
"otto.v, lb 5|
2orn, scarce bush 60 a 43
Flour, Country, brl 4 a 44
Foatliersfm wag. none lb 8 'J % 49
Fed er. lOOlba 75 1 I w
Sit s, window 8x10, 50ft 3 25 a 3 374
, 10x12, 50ft 3 50 a 3 74
1 ides, green lb 5 a
dry lb 10 a
ron lOOlba 5 a
ndigo lb 1 a 2 *t
jitno cask 4 a 4 50
.arc] scarce lb 7 a
^eathor, sole !> 93 a fg
.ead, bar 'tb ft a )
-ogwood lb it) a 15
ilolasses N. O, gal 35 a 44
7-?> gat & a 53
tails, cu% assorted lb 1 a f
The River is navigable for Steam Boat*.
TATIARWIW
ll,^ ELL put up in small jars, for rale at tha
Ww New Drug Store.
1VOTICI*.
rRlIlE following properly wasstoJcn f.omth*
JL plantation of William Bl?k")tey, dec'U, in
his District, on the night of the 3rd in?i.f ?-at
V br glit mi)'alto woman named Moteey, IS
rears old, about 5 feet 4 inches high sad very
irgc for her height.' Also, two young bor?*
ttnlee, one a d uk brown the other a daik mouse
olor. bo h arnn 1 and supposed to be, one about
> and ihc olhor 10 year* old. The 'aid proper.
y ia supposed to have teen stolen by one
lackaor. Key, who is pr-d)jbly making his way
villi the same lo the Wot. Said Key ie about
M years old. has a fair eo nplexion, vrry light
tair, and r? amrknb'.y l:ght ayebrowa, evader
wrson, nbont 6 tVet Id incites high and has a
lowncaat h?ok when epok'n to. ,\ reward ef
I'ly do'lars wi!M? n..jj for the recovery and
i.ife kci'pinf of the pro;?ert j and ?ai<l Kay, tnt of
his State, or far delivering the scmo to tho
ubycribcf.
6TETHF.X P. MILLER,
Adn.'Vof W in. HTakency.
f?t-Id Mine Chevt.-rfie'd Piatiif, 5. )'
LV^euibei (>:! . J
4 < if