THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



371 



understanding that either party might instantly 

 dissolve the connection. 



The Richmond Whig made two mistakes 

 in asserting that the present holder could not 

 keep an office in Richmond, and that it was a 

 sinecure in his hands. As to the last, though 

 perhaps there is no better judge of a sinecure 

 than the friend who made the charge, yet we 

 must demur to his decision. Taking his pay 

 for Ms services as the standard, we should be 

 very happy for that gentleman himself to as- 

 sess our rate of compensation; and taking 

 into account his bill, already presented, we 

 will wager that he himself has up to this time 

 made more clear money out of the Society 

 than we have. As to the first, it is proper to 

 say that there will be an office, so soon as the 

 Society obtains rooms for the purpose, always 

 open to the public, either by the Secretary or 

 his clerk. Whether the services to be ren- 

 dered shall be worth $1500 is for others to say, 

 but it is not very kind, though doubtless well 

 meant, either to the Secretary or the Society, 

 for a gentleman, who cannot know their na- 

 ture or their value, to depreciate them in ad- 

 vance. When they are not performed satis- 

 factorily to either, the incumbent will resign 

 the trust. Meanwhile let us say to the sub- 

 scribers to the Southern Planter that he con- 

 ceives the office, if it suits him to retain it, 

 will strengthen his editorial hand. When it 

 ceases to do that we shall prefer the Planter. 

 So much in justice to all parties. 



THE MAINE LIGtUOR LAW. 



One of our subscribers sends an answer to 

 the late communication of Mr. Hargave, in 

 which he introduced the Maine Liquor Law. 

 We inserted that part of Mr. Hargrave's arti- 

 cle with great reluctance, because we appre- 

 hended a reply which would open the whole 

 subject, and make the Planter the medium of 

 argument, and, possibly, of vituperation, upon 

 a matter with which, as an agricultural paper, 

 it can have nothing to do. We hope, there- 

 fore, that the friend who sends us the reply in 

 question, if we state the fact, that he and many 

 others are at all times ready to meet any oppo- 

 nent upon any theatre, will excuse us from 

 opening our columns to the crowds that would 

 fill them so long as the subject is agitated. 



We can assure both sides that whilst the views 

 of the Editor of this paper are unalterably 

 fixed upon the temperance question, he would 

 be the very last man, he hopes, to permit the 

 paper itself to do injustice to the views, mo- 

 tives, or policy of either party. 



PENNY POST. 



We have received a brief Prospectus of the 

 Penny Post, a new daily and weekly paper, 

 neutral in politics, to be published in Rich- 

 mond by Hugh R. Pleasants, V. E. Shepherd 

 and James Pleasants. Of course it will be 

 a good paper — and we wish it all possible 

 success. 



We are very happy to learn that at Amelia 

 Court House, on Thursday, the 24th day of 

 November, "between the hours of 11, A. M. 

 and 4, P. M." sixty-five men came forward and 

 subscribed thirteen hundred dollars in life 

 memberships. We thought Albemarle had 

 done well to raise her thousand dollars in one 

 day; but when we consider that Amelia has 

 only half a delegate to our two, which makes 

 her only one-fourth our representative size, 

 why, "the Court give up"— Albemarle must 

 hide her diminished head. 



VIRGINIA STATE AGRICULTURAL 

 SOCIETY. 



Proceedings of the Executive Committee. 



At a meeting of the Executive Commit- 

 tee of the Virginia State Agricultural So- 

 ciety, at the Exchange Hotel, on Saturday 

 evening the 29th October, 1853: Present, 

 Philip St. Geo. Cocke, President, Harvie, 

 Booth, Irby, Overton and Williams: 



The Recording Secretary presented a 

 letter from Thomas T. Giles, Esq., Secre- 

 tary, communicating the following resolu- 

 tions of the Committee on City Grounds: 



Richmond, Oct. 29, 1853. 

 Whereas, in compliance with the instruc- 

 tions of the Council of the City of Rich- 

 mond, the Committee on City Grounds 

 have caused the square near the western 

 limits of the city to be enclosed and fitted 

 up according to the plan approved by the 

 said Council, for the accommodation of the 



