344 JACKSON COUNTY. 



sented to have been a display of brilliant oratory, followed by 

 long continued applause. " With these sentiments, Mr. 

 Speaker," said he, in closing, " I submit the facts I have 

 brought forward to the House, and with them I commit the 

 rights of myself, the rights of the State of Georgia, and I had 

 almost said the rights of the United States, to their decision ; 

 and I beg leave to repeat, that a free representation was what 

 we fought for ; a free representation was what loe obtained ; 

 a free representation is what our children should he taught to 

 lisp, and our youths to relinquish only with their lives." 



The Legislature of Georgia, December 21st, 1791, passed 

 almost with unanimity the following resolution : " Resolved, 

 That the approbation and thanks of this Legislature be com- 

 municated to Gen. James Jackson, a representative from the 

 county of Chatham, for his exertions in bringing forward to 

 public investigation an attack on the liberties and privileges of 

 the citizens of this State in the last election for a member to 

 represent this State in the Congress of the United States." 

 In general politics he was attached to the Republican party, 

 but acted always with independence, according to his sense 

 of right. He was opposed to high duties, and to a bank of 

 the United States, both upon expediency and constitutional 

 grounds, and voted against the charter of the first bank. He 

 was among the first that took ground for the South on the sub- 

 ject of slavery. As early as February, 1790, he foresaw the 

 difficulties now impending over the South. A few days pre- 

 viously a petition had been sent from the Quakers, praying 

 the abolition of the slave trade. On the 12th of February, a 

 petition was presented from a Pennsylvania society for pro- 

 moting abolition of slavery generally, calling upon Congress to 

 "loosen the bands of slavery and promote a general enjoy- 

 ment of the blessings of freedom.'' This last embraced the 

 incendiary movements of the present day. Mr. Scott, a mem- 

 ber from Pennsylvania, followed the presentation of this peti- 

 tion by saying, that he could not perceive how any person 

 could be said to acquire property in another, and declared that 

 if he were a federal judge, and imported Africans were brought 

 before him, he did not know how far he might go. It was 

 then that Gen. Jackson uttered the words which brought upon 



