Untitled - the Digital Library of Georgia

400 GEORGIA AND GEORGIANS
town lias been fairly prosperous, a statement attested by tlie fact that it
supports two banks, has an oil mill and a guano mixing plant, and does
a good mercantile business. The population of the town is about 1,500."
To the foregoing resume it may be added that the Louisville Gazette,
founded in 1796, was one of the pioneer newspapers of Georgia. The
handsome oak press used in publishing the Gazette was bought in Eng
land. It was afterwards sold to the Georgia Messenger at Macon. Ac
cording to a local authority,* when the present courthouse was built
an excavation was made which disclosed the foundation of the old state
capitol; and by a singular coincidence, this corresponded exactly with
the plans for the new edifice.
Political sentiment, during Washington's administration, was
broadly divided into two parties: Federalists and democrats. The lat
ter in those days styled themselves republicans, but they were staunch
followers of Thomas Jefferson, were opposed to the centralizing tenden
cies of the Government, and were strong supporters of home rule. Fed
eralism was never numerically very strong in Georgia; though a vigorous
organization might have been effected, had the course of events been
differently shaped. Georgia's need of protection predisposed her on
entering the Federal Union to support a strong central government and
inclined her to principles advocated by the federalists; but Georgia,
became estranged from the party when the Federal Government began
in 1790' to negotiate treaties with the Indian tribes on her soil—and to
confirm, these tribes by solemn guaranties in the possession of certain
lands without inviting her to participate in these conventions. The
neighboring State of South Carolina was a stronghold of federalism;
but while the rich Charlestonians, led by Pinckney, were pronounced
federalists, the Savannah aristocrats led by Jackson, were staunch demo
crats. Georgia's indifference to federalism was accentuated into a
stronger feeling when a citizen of South Carolina sued the state. It will
be remembered that in this famous case known as the suit of Chisholm
against Georgia, the Supreme Court of the United States sustained Chis
holm ; but the judgment was not enforced and in 1799 this issue was
forever removed by the Eleventh Amendment to the Federal Constitu
tion. The result of all this litigation was to make Georgia more than
ever tenacious of her sovereignty and to put the emphasis of her politi
cal creed upon State Rights. Consequently federalism in Georgia was
short-lived. Gen. George Mathews, a federalist, was strong enough to
secure the governorship twice, but he was a popular man in the up-
country, independent of his politics. For years, there were a few scat
tering federalists in Georgia, some of them men of means, but as a politi
cal factor federalism ceased almost entirely to exist when democracy
triumphed in Jefferson's election to the Presidency in 1802.
Streams of immigrants pouring into Georgia during this decade rap
idly increased the state's population. Most of these new settlers came
from Virginia and North Carolina to occupy the virgin soil of Georgia's
rich uplands. But some of them settled further to the South. When
the Legislature met in 1793 there was a great demand for new counties,
coming from settlers on the frontier belt. The counties created at this
' Judge W. L. Phillips, of Louisville, Georgia.