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G-EOBGIA AND GEORGIANS 525
a member of the preceding Congress. Judge Reid's career in Congress
ended with the expiration of his term in 1823. Saddened.by the death
of his wife, he seemed to lose all interest in public affairs. He also 'be
came indifferent to his law practice. Finally, however, accepting a
Federal judgeship in the Territory of Florida, he left this state, to be
identified no more with its political fortunes.
In 1819 the Southern Judicial Circuit was created by an act of the
Legislature and to preside over the courts of this circuit Judge Thomas
W. Harris was elected.
Long to be remembered in the annals of Savannah was the year 1820.
Besides witnessing a disastrous fire, in which over 400 buildings were
reduced to ashes, entailing a loss of $4,000,000, it sustained a devastating
scourge of yellow fever, to which thousands fell victims.
Slavery at this time became a disturbing factor in American politics.
Since the Ordinance of 1787 excluding slavery from all the territory
of the nation, west of the. Mississippi and north of the Ohio, there had
been no legislation seriously affecting its status. But, on the question of
'admitting Missouri, a grave sectional issue was sprung. Congress, of
course, was powerless to interfere with slavery in the states. It was
free, however, to enact laws for the territories and to fix the terms on
which these territories could enter the Union. At this time there was
an even balance of power between the states, eleven of which were slave
and eleven free. Missouri had adopted a constitution favoring slavery;
and there was strong opposition at the North to admitting Missouri as a
slave state for the obvious reason that such action would destroy the ex
isting equilibrium. But the matter was finally compromised in 1820 by
creating a state out of the domain of Massachusetts to be called Maine
and to be admitted as a free state. With this off-set Missouri was
then admitted as a slave state. But the free soilers gained a deci
sive victory in a proviso attaching to the Compromise of 1820, under
which no other slave states could be formed out of the Louisiana Pur
chase north of the southern boundary line of Missouri, corresponding to
latitude 35° 30'. This imposed a limit to the further expansion of
slavery and foreshadowed its early loss of power. But the admission of
Texas in 1845 added a vast realm to the Southwest, thus restoring the
balance. Georgia's increasing wealth in slave property made the Com
promise of 1820 one of absorbing interest to her people, but it did not
affect her holdings, except in so far as it threatened an ultimate over
throw of the slave system, through its gradual loss of power.
Georgia's support in the presidential campaign of 1820 was given
to President Monroe. The following electors were chosen at this time:
from the state at large, Oliver Porter and John Graves; district electors,
Henry Mitchell, John Rutherford, John Mclntosh, John Forster, David
Meriwether and Benjamin .Whitaker.*
Under the census of 1820 Georgia gained an extra congressman but
the new apportionment did not become effective until 1823 when the
following delegation was chosen to the Eighteenth Congress (1823-
1825) : Joel Abbot, George Carey, Thomas W. Cobb, Alfred Cuthbert,
John Forsyth, Edward F. Tattnall and Wiley Thompson.
*Lanman.'s "Biographical Annals of the U. S. Govt.," pp. 519-521.