Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-02-13
place and employment of profit. cease TO be a
member of the said corporation"


nies in this country; il was novel feature: it
had been unheard of in the history Of the
world; in all the other colonies not excepting
Lord Baltim0reSs and Penn. and those of
North and South Carolina, the founders of the
colonies were interested as prOprietors in the
disposition Of the soil. Georgia was TO be the
poor mans country; it was TO be a settlement
for those destitute of lands. Neither ogle-
thorpe nor any man connected with the colony
was to be in any way interested. or receive
any fee or reward, and in case at any time
any of them should become interested, their
Offices were to be void.
Again, may be partlOned for calling atten-
ton TO another clause IN that charter:
And we do hereby. for us, our heirs and
successors, ordain, viii and establish, that for
and during the term of tWenty-One years, TO
commence from the date of these, our letters
patent, the said corporation assembled for that
purpose, shall and may form and prepare laws,
statutes and ordinances fit and necessary for all
the government of the said colony.
and not Fepugnant to the laws and statutes Of
England, and the same shall and may present.
under their common seal, to us, our heirs and
successors, in our or their priVy council, for
our or their appreciation. or disalloWance:
and the said laws, statutes, and ordi-
heirs and successors, in our or their privy
shall from thencefOrth be
in full force and virtue within our said Prov
ince of Georgia, and our further VIII and
pleasure is, and we do hereby, for rs. our
heirs and successors. declare and grant that IL
shall and may be lawful for the said Common
Council, or the major part of them, assembled
for that purpose, IN the name of the corpora
ton and under the common seal, to distribute.
convey, assign and set over such particular
portion of lands tenements and hereditaments
by these presents granted to the said corpora
tiOn unto such Of our loving subjects, naturally
born or denzens or others that shall be willing
TO become our subjects and live under our
allegiance in the said colony, upon such
terms and for such estates, and upon such
rents, reservations and conditions as
the same may be lawfully granted, and
as 10 the said Common Council or the major
part Of them so present. shall seem fit and
proper. Provided, always, that no grants
shall be made of any part of the said lands
unto any person being member of the said COR
poratiOn, or to any other person in trust for
the benefit of any member of the said corpora
ton; and that no person having any estate or
interest in law or equity in any part OF the
said lands, shall be capable of being a men,
Der of the said corporation during the con-
tinuance of such estate or interest"
The lands which were thus granted to these
trustees consisted of that magnificent domain
(which lies from the most northern part of
stream, or river there, commonly called the
Savannah, all along the sea coast TO the south
ward unto the most southern stream OF GER
tain other great water, or river, called the
Altamaha, and westwardly from the heads of
the said rivers respectively, in direct lines to
the South seas: and all that shore circuit and
precinct of land within the said boundaries,
with the islands ON the sea lying opposite to
the eastern coast CT the said lands within
twenty leagues Of the same
The word westward. etc, in direct lines to
the South seas was meant due westward in
definitely.
In the charter, as just cited, ample prOvis-
ion is made, which to the letter and spirit was
fully carried out in the establishment of courts,
organization of the militia, protection of life,
liberty and property, with all the shields of
the common law of England.
OglethOTpe, who was himself a member OK
Parliament at the time, Immediately organ
lied the corporation. who entered UpOn the
ica bo1. of OH
seal they adopted was significant, and should
be perpetuated. On one side was group OF
silk worms at their tolls, with the motto:
mon sibi sed aliis,' ''They were working not
for themselves, but for Others
Under the provisions of the charter Ogle-
thorpe soon organized courts and trials by ju-
ries, the surest of all bulwarks of liberty: and
II may not be out of place here to say that the
first jury ever impaneled in the colony of
Georgia was selected and sworn in on the 18th
day of July, 1913, and was composed of sam
uel Parker, Thomas Long, Joseph Cole. John
Wright, John West, Timothy Bowling. John
Milledge, Henry Close, Walter Fox, John era
dy, James COnnel and Richard Cannon. One
of these, John Milledge, became the founder
of family of descendants who has shed lustre
upon the subsequent history of the State. One
of these descendants was very distinguished
Governor. The seat of the State government
bore his name for upwards Of half a century.
1t was not until after the late war that the
seat of government was moved from Milledge-
vile to Atlanta. The family is represented
on this occasion by Col. John Miledge, Jr., of
Atlanta.
But the most important of all the features
of the charter TO which your attention has
been called, is in these words:
provided, also, that no greater quantity of
lands be granted, either entirely or in parcels,
Ia OF teE the Use ar in trust fe4.lnX one per-
son, Tran i've hundred acres; and tlla.t all
grants made contrary to- the true intent and
meaning hereof shall be absolutely null and
void" This land policy thus fixed in the
charter of our colony was that feature which,
above all others. has marked the history in
the development and prosperity of Georgia
In the very charter mOnOpOlies in land were
forbidden. and the declaration made ''that all
such grants, if made, should be utterly null
and void" This policy in Georgia thus
formed in what ! have styled her Magma
Charta, continued and has continued from
that day to this. Many attempts and en-
tlcing allurements were held out to get
Georgia to deviate from this policy, especially
after the acquisition of the territory South Of
the Altamaha by the treaty of Paris in 1868.
Georgia, on this acquisition, extended west
ward to the Mississippi. In 1864 most earnest
the General Assembly for large grants Of land
in that section of the colony to an organized
company, at the head OF which stood Denys
ROLES, gentleman of high family and position
in England. This company endeavored assid-
uOusly and most approximately to purchase
an extensive tract on the southern side of
the Altamaha. Many enticing inducements
accompanied their offer and efforts, but the
beguilng temptation was sternly rejected.
soon after this Alexander MOntgOmerie, the
tenth Earl of EglintoWn. with Others pre-
sented a petition to the King in council. set
ting forth proposition by which large grant
of land should be made to them They offered
4 guarantee that in the event Of the favorable
reception OF their petition one hundred thou
sand settlers would come to and occupy the
territory asked within the course Of five
years. This proposition was likewise reject
ed. After the acquisition Of territory from
the CherOkces by the treaty of Augusta
in IVA, the same landed policy in regard
to it was pursued. When the "headFight"
land courts were opened in Augusta and
Petersburg to dispose of this purchase. as il
was called, more than three thousand appli-
cants for ''head rights appeared the first day.
The landless. Of other colonies and
other countries, appraised of The
policy of Georgia, fiOcked thither in great
numbers for the purpose of securing per-
nanent home, with the ownership of the soil
without money and without price. This
policy on the part of the founders was the
chief cause of her rapid growth while in a
colonial status. 1t put the crown of indus
rial glory on her head and the rock of con-
ciOus independence beneath her feet.
In only one instance in the history of our
state has this attempt to cause Georgia to de-
nate from the polar star OF her landed policy
leen even temporarily successful. That was
n the matter of the celebrated YazoO sale in
794. Spectators induced by corrupt means
he Georgia Legislature to dispose of vast
racts of land on the Y YaZOO river in Mississippi,
which then belonged to Georgia. This is one
# the most memorable epochs in our history.
This attempt thus to cast a foul blot upon the
scutcheon Of the State was most signally de
eated. Gen. James jackson, who rose to
ligh rank. and had distinguished himself in
he w1r Of the revolution. and who was the
uncle Of him who is chairman of
he committee regulating these ceremonies.
hen resigned his seat in the Senate of
he United States and came home, becoming a
for the Legislature, aroused the
'eOple Of Georgia from one extent to the
ther, to rise in Indignation and remove the
Infamous attempted stigma from their States
OnOr. This ] aZ0O act, under the leadership
f this ever to be remembered patriot. who
las left an illustrious line OF descendants
ong like honor to their State, was not only
he words of our charter, but was burnt the
ire being kndled by the use of a lens so as to
make it. in the words of one who has described
he scene, "a consuming fire from heaven"
GeOrgians we have nothing III our history,
colonial or State. of which we should be
shamed, or of which we should not be proud.
n what I shall add, strength permitting,
propose to submit some general reflections
IpOn our history of the past and prospects in
he future. First, from what have said of
ur great founder, OglethOrpe, il is proper
hat something more in detail of his character
md life should be given. He was born the
LIST of December, 1853, from one Of the best
antilles in England. lie was thoroughly edu-
ated at Oxford. At the age of p ne was ap-
pointed Ensign in the British army. At the
lge Of 26 he was Adjutant General of the
Queens forces, and took position upon the
taft of Prince Eugene, where he won great
distinction under this renowned warrior in
lis campaign against the Turks-at the bat
les of Peterwardian and Belgrade in lTl6-lS.
After this war, in the year l7lS. at the age
# 30, he was elected a member of Par
lament, which position he held for thirty
v-uff ffr-nn hn