Western Sun & General Advertiser, Volume 17, Number 37, Vincennes, Knox County, 21 October 1826 — Page 4

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Poetical

A SKETCH FROM NATURE. She knelt beside me Sc mine eye once glanc'd Upon her form, 'twas but a glance butne'er From my remembrance will it pass away. Her arms were folded on her breast her head place. Bow'd down most meekly, as became the And her dark eye-brow, and still darker hair Shaded a countenance wherein was less Of beauty than expression : it was pale As is the lilly in the spring: it bore Some touches of the frame & mind's disease, Some marks of hidden wo. Her half closed c'e Was bent to earth, and shaded by a lash, Silken and thining as the raven's wing ; V Her lip was motionless, and it seem'd xAa though her supplications sped at word Forth from her pious bosom to her God. There was a with r'd fiow'ret on her breast, Perchance an emblem of the hope which Had blossom'd, and there faded. there I have viewed Woman in many a scene I have beheld Her gay and glorious in the festive hall, Eager of conquest and I too have mark'd The winning I mguMi and seductive smile, Both dear & dangerous to the yo ithful heai t, r And I have stray 'd with beauty by rny sid . Thro' the still glade atevcing's passing ho i -, I3y the pale radiance of the moon, wh':se

beams, l'ookcu Hath silverW o'er her smiles ; and she hath As she had thrown her soul into her eyes ; Nay, I have view'd her by the fevcr'd bed Of sickness, pillow the pale cheek, c bathe The fainting brow, where like a form of light She whispered peace, where else there had been none ; But never by the side of woman yet Such thrillings and unearthly feelings ftolc On my o'ercharged heart, as when I saw That pious maid communing with her god. :o:oo:o: Gov. Plummer, of N. II con tinues to amuse himself in his old age with political disquisitions, which he has published in the Journals of that State ; the Portsmouth Journal contains his one hundred and thirty -sixth Number: the following is an extract ; Salaries. The wages of legist (dors both in the State & general government since the establishment of our independence, have been greatly inct cased and are P ijimv, in my opinion, niuer man either justice or sound policy re quire. Until within thirty years the wages of each senator and representative in New-Hampshire was only one dollar a day and six cents a mile for travel ; but it is now two dollars the day and ten cents a mile for travel. The wages of members of Congress was formerly six dollars a day, and six dollars tor every twenty miles travel, with the privilege of receiv inc and sending their letters and packages free of postage during the session and twenty days after ; now their daily pay is raised to eight dollars, and fees for travel in the same proportion, with the ; right of franking not only during but for sixty before and sixt y days j after each session. Let every man who was acquainted with our senators and representatives in Congress and in our State legislature thirty years ago, or has the means of ascertaining their character, compare them with the present members, or compare their official conduct as it exists in the join nals of their proceedings and in the statute books with those of the present day. and I believe not one man in twenty will say, the raising of the wages of our legislators has in the smallest degree contributed to the bringing of better men into office. In one thing however, it must be confessed our present legislators, those of Congress in particular, have lar exceeded their predecessor who were in office thirty years since that is,' in dc clamation They appear to have eoosideied legislation consisted more of talk than deliberation, & of words rather than actions. The giving of high wages to legislators is an evil of great mugni-

hide, anrf ought to be studiously avoided. "No policy can b& worse than that of bribing legisla tors by high wages, to entail lasting evils upon their country. Wa

ges sufficiently high to protract legislative sessions, are a sinecure paid by the public to corrupt the department of government which j ought to be the purest" It not I only tends to deprave the legisla- j ture, but imposes a heavy unne cessary burthen upon the people. There is no nation on earth that pays so much for legislation as we do in the United States Some time since I took measures to as certain the number of legislators and their wages ; and from the, best information I could procure I think their present number is about four thousand, & that theiiv annual compensation exceeds a million of dollars. I have said the wajjes of lecnsla tors are too hiiih in this country. Can any other proof be reqoired "to support this opinion than j the tact, that when their wages j were much les than they now are ' a sufficient number of men well qualified ace epted the trust anil j faithfully performed the duty? But what appears to me conclusive is, that a large majority of the members of New Hampshire legislature are agriculturists, Sr for the tune they serve in the legislature actually make more money than they could in the same time from their farms The same obser a tion will apply to our membra o! Congress. Take all our senators and representatives to the naiimti legislatute from 17S9. to the purs ent time, & toe wes thev receiv ed from the public treasury a ' " they could have made hail tucv . , , remained at home. Another evil which attends high salaiies is, thai they are increan(jr frequently raised, but seldom reduced. The hitorv of our country and of oui proof of the fact. times affords rhis circum stance ousjht to excite the vird lance of the people to correct the evil they should withhold thejr suffrages from men whom they have reason to believe are in favor J ol'liigh salaiies. But it is said we have had men in high office who have lei'i it without property and died poor, I admit the fact, but deny its affording evidence that the salaries they reeeis t d were low. Thoe officers might have been not onlypoor, but deeply involved in debt. when they received their appoint ments : that I know was the ease with some who have held dislirr guibhed offices in our country ; or4 thev might have been destitute of economy and frugality, negligent & inattentive to their private concerns. The highest salaries cannot eniich such men. Experience shows that it is easier to proem e money than to keep it. In this country the fact is undeniable, our principal public officers receive as much as other men do of t lie same talents, profession and business to which our public men belonged followed before their appointment Many lawyers, and some clergymen, have been raised to offices from which they have acquired more property, lived higher, & educated their children better, than those who through life attended their professional business The late Luther Martin was pre eminent as a lawyer, did much business, and received, through

the course of his long and able j are mere tenants to the general practice at the bar, fhoncy to a government. The ownership of vast amount, yet died poor ; but the soil, on wh.ich the new states who will impute his poverty to are erected, by another governthe fees being too low ? But why ment is a fundamental vice;

not. as well as the poverty of the ( public officer to, his salary being too small ? The fart is. causes not connected with either the salary or the fees occasioned the poverty in both cases. Neither the public nor individual clients are rcspon sible to the officer or lawyer, that the salary of the one. or the fees of the other, shall he prudently 6c frugally expended Some of my reader?, no doubt, expect 1 should state what i mean by the terms high and low s ua Vres. I think the salaries of pub lic officer! should he neither nigh nor low both extreme ouht to be avoided The salary of public oftieers should he such a- will ,'jfive ' to the officer a just and rca-sona ble compensation for the services heperfoims, and the money hi necessarily expend in pei h ming scl vu"f S li more tit;m tnt ls granted. I consider the salary ,lgh uu ss, I deem it low FUF.LIC LAN DS Extracts from the Circular of Mr. Heed. Senator from the si ale of Mis sisippi. to his constituents. " The bill to graduate the price of public lands came up too late in the senate to receive a lull discussion or final decision It proposes, to offer the public land for sale, according to its yalue ; ii, upon repealed trials, it cannot be sold, then to ive it, as donations, to actual seithrs. Such is the policy and justice ol tins law that I think it will finally prevail The public lunds form the most inteiesting subject of legisla tion to the new state-. An opin ion begins to manifest itself, that the whole system of the govern ment in relation to those lands, is radically erroneous. In the first place, the vital sovereignty of I he new states is impaired, in so far as those stafrs are denrixed of tlie riiiht of soil within iheii own hunts. 1 ise exemption from tax .tion, on the part of the state, for live ye.u s. though beneficial to purchasers, is yet veiy injurious to state sovereignty. It would be better that this indulgence should now from the states respectively, than from the general govern ment Resides, when tlie expenses of acquiring Territory, & those incident to the sale of it are considered, the profits to the government will not be found very great j These considerations bruin to find their way into, and will in the end have a just inlluence upon congress. ?.s" becoming the prevail ing opinion, that the stutrs should

own the public lands within their fore a court for horse stealing afrespective limits. And the onlti ter having pleaded not "uiltv& the

d'Jjh uliy appears to be. in what manner, and upon what terms, the United States should cede their domain to the individual state. Some think the cession should be free and unconditional ; others. that the states, concerned, should take upon themselves the expense c trouble of disposing of the public lands ; and in consideration of the cession to them, respectively, pay a stipulated price, or a given proportion ol the nett proceeds This latter opinion is the prevalent one ; and I have no doubt the day is not far distant, when this measure, so useful and necessary to the new states, and so impoitant to their people, will be carried into effect. Until then, the new btatcs

which, as long as it exists, cannot

fail to degrade those states from that equal rank which thev ouht to hold with tlie other members of the confederacy. And as long as I have the honor of representing the state of Mississippi in the national councils. I shall not rest contented until something is done to remedy this evil, and to place the new states upon a proper footing of equality with the older one4? 4i I know full well it is unwie in a public servant, to make premises to be fulfilled in future. No man, especially in a body like the senate, can speak with certaiot v of the sued ss of a measure which may seem to him d irable Bot that a new era is dhnut to arise ( the interest of the iccfrrn n d oufhwe.sfcrn states, is obvious to any mY,! vho has teitnessl t-:c course of public sentiment ir the 'national councils during tin present session of coiwrrss T;.v enssions on the Judicial v bit!,' and the bill to gui.hiate the p; ice iff public lands." have mandV-' d this in the clearest manner. T e new states labor under privations which thev ighi not to endure in sileo e, and which the older states ong' t not long t impose. . 1 rf i upon them. : ese new sia ; have not ;m equal participation .i j the Irons ol national justice He j ', created t.pmi , the d..rmdn ;f j the confederacy, t hei, , wn lands do ..of neloffO to toem : anil ;irf eXfiiihud f'rrn heh jerisnietion. Ar.d u sentiment is n p ir.ging up. uhieh i;! ! ad : no dis tant day, fm niy opini.; .-. ) to a ees-ion of the public t ds, oi. e qnitable conditions, to t states in which thev are situated " , r-i t " JTeevils - Accident has discovered to a French Fanner a crv simple mode of desti c n u eeviis in corn u are houses nappenirg to lay in the coiner fihe granary, .in which theie u a a large quantity of corn, some sheep skins with the fleece on. he was not a little surprised to find them, a tew days alter, covered with dead weevils. He repeated the experirrent several times, and always with success. At last he ordered his corn to be stirred up, and not a single weevil remained in it. It appears therefore, although the cause has not yet been asceitained that greasy wool, when in the neighborhood of weevils, attracts and destroys them. Paddy, who was arraigned beJudge asked by whom he would ; he tried ? By the tv ties.' answered the pi -is iweive aposThe prisoner judge informed him that would not do, for il he was tried by them he would not have his trial until j the day of judgment. -Faith (says j Paddy.) and T have no obieedon to that neither for I am in no hurry about it at all, at all.' An old Highland warrior being on his death bed. sent for his confessor: k You must forgive eirn your bitterest enemy Kenmuir, now." said the confessor Well, if I must, I must, (icplied tl e chieftain) but my curse on you. Uonaldt (turning to his son. who stood by) if youjurgivc him"