Republican. Established on August 21, 1802. On October 5, James Lyon wrote from Washington to Jefferson: “The obligations under which your benevolence or your friendship have laid me, make it my duty, if vanity fails to prompt me, to omit no opportunity to appear to advantage before you, that you may feel a self approbation for the countenance you have been pleased to give me. Impelled by this sentiment I enclose you the first number of the Georgia Republican, &c. I hope the offering will be acceptable . . .

"The political object of this paper, is to inculcate the principles of Representative democracy, and to defend the present administration against its natural enemies, error and falshood . . .”

Some years later, on August 20, 1811, James L. Edwards wrote to Jefferson from Boston, Mass.: “I presume an apology is unnecessary on the present occasion; and shall therefore proceed to the subject of this communication without. It may not probably have escaped your recollection, that for certain services performed by Mr. James Lyon and Mr. Samuel Morse, formerly Editors of the Savannah Republican, you promised them the sum of $1000--a promise from so distinguished a character as the President of the U. S. was considered in the light of a debt, as much so as if it had been “ for value received” : at any rate, so it was considered by them: and as such it was transferred with the establishment of the paper above mentioned, to Mr. Norman M ^c.Lean; he informed me a short time previous to his death, that he had some expectation of getting the money, as he had the honor of receiving a letter from you on the subject. Mr. M ^c.Lean was in debt to me, and on my leaving Savannah I gave up his note which I held, in consequence of his promise that I should be paid as soon as he received the money from you--So much confidence did I repose in him, that I acted in the way I have stated--it was perhaps impolitic. I trust, Sir, that you will take this into serious consideration, and that you will be disposed to grant me some relief, as I at present labor under the distresses peculiar to the times, and to the republicans of this Town . . .”

Jefferson replied from Monticello on September 5: “ Your letter of Aug. 20. has truly surprised me. in this it is said that for certain services performed by m( ^~r ) James Lyon and m( ^~r ) Samuel Morse, formerly editors of the Savanna Republican, I promised them the sum of 1000.D. this, Sir, is totally unfounded. I never promised to any printer on earth the sum of 1000.D. nor any other sum, for certain services performed, or for any services which that expression would imply. I have had no accounts with printers but for their newspapers, for which I have paid always the ordinary price & no more. I have occasionally joined in moderate contributions, to printers, as I have done to other descriptions of persons, distressed or persecuted, not by promise, but the actual paiment of what I contributed. When m ( ^~r ) Morse went to Savanna, he called on me & told me he meant to publish a paper there, for which I subscribed, and paid him the year in advance. I continued to take it from his successors Everitt & M ^c.lean, & Everett and Evans, and paid for it, at different epochs, up to Dec. 31. 1808. when I withdrew my subscription. you say M ^c.lean informed you ‘he had some expectation of getting the money, as he had recieved a letter from me on the subject.’ if such a letter exists under my name, it is a forgery. I never wrote but a single letter to him; that was of the 28 ^th. of Jan. 1810. and was on the subject of the last paiment made for his newspaper, & on no other subject: and I have two reciepts of his, (the last dated Mar. 9. 1809). of paiments for his paper, both stating to be in full of all demands, and a letter of the 17 ^th. of Apr. 1810. in reply to mine, manifestly shewing he had no demand against me of any other nature. the promise is said to have been made to Morse & Lyon. were m ( ^~r ) Morse living, I should appeal to him with confidence, as I believe him to have been a very honest man. m( ^~r ) Lyon I suppose to be living, and will, I am sure acquit me of any such transaction, as that alledged. the truth then being that I never made the promise suggested, nor any one of a like nature to any printer or other person whatever, every principle of justice and of self respect requires that I should not listen to any such demand. ”