Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1849-06-07

market value Of money that instant the effect is every
where felt. Holders unwilling ncnr The risk
led BY the law without engagement have aincreased
rate, proporoned 10 the danger which wond not exist
| had not the law ltIt'rieIed
Thus we see our Legislature whch should be watch
full guardians Of the public morals, the Patrts Con
script, whose duly by their concentrated wisdom
protect us from The very approach of njury thus say
we ind this notable conclave laying for US.
ing distractions where the way would Re otherwise plain
and easy and holding out premiums for the encourage
ment OF dishonesty. Let glance at the law as pro-
posed by the Revisors. The evil is lessened greatly
lessened, but is it removed When money is worth !
seven per cent must either owhout whereby may
may sustain great oSsnr must agree allow the market
price. viii one be found to plead the Statute Of Usury
tor the purpose of saving the per cent? Perhaps No?
Not for that purpose, avowedly. lie may be ashamed
to say much. But will he have good store of
other reasons What then will be necessary oonse-
sequence ? Money lenders will find that they are not
YET feed from danger, and the will rise in propor-
! ton.
The second argument so called, is that almost all
christian nations have deemed il fit some restrc
lions this subject, which could long have retain
ed their places in the several Codes had they been pro
ducve Of good. This can hardly be Considered
sound reasoning, when reflect that the experiment Of
aboIShng slc institutions has where been fairly tried
except in Holland; and there it has been attended by the
most complete To this may be added that the
Sumpluary Laws in full operation in England from
The days Of William, the Norman, till Stat Jac ::
period Of about five and half centuries 1t required
all that time to convince the world Of tie folly Of at
tempting what could not be done and Which, if it could
| be accomplished, would be productive Of no good
Others again mention that penalties required to be
enacted against whei they pleased to call usury by
authority Of Holy Writ.
eff thou lend Money To any Of my ope, that is poor
by thee thou Shalt not be to him usurer ~ Exud
Chap %, p.
Tile word here translated ,is,uu is neshec. from
na> a. 10 bite ard means jnate rate of interest
Had interest merely been meant, thai is reasonable
mount fir the Of money lent, it would have been
expressed in the original text by the word terebcM
which implies supply price paid for the Of money
1t is well known that the trade in England was long
confined to the Lombards and the Jews the former
combining themselves to imports and exports and in
cases where they sold BY retail, did only at fixed
shops in some seaport town or large city The Jews
likewise shOpkeepers, but they were also pedars
and money lenders, which mode Of dealing they
were led by observing that money and rich merchan-
die were easily concealed or transferred from one
place to another wherever concealment or transfer
were rendered desirable by the approach of danger
seeming poverty and sudden flight being often their
only protection against the unsparng and felonious
fingers OF their Christian oppressors whose pous zeal
allowed them to omit no opportunity OF Wrestling from
the unhappy lsraelite his hard earned gains. 1t is
not then, matter to be wondered at that the Jew
should demand large profit for the use of his mon
y
only, it came to be associated the public mind with
the idea Of that oppressed and despsed people and
the word nsurer became a term of orprobrium. 1t
was thus that in the reign ofJames l. when the Bible
was translated into English, the word neshec was rem
dcred uSHIy; since that word meant e.rto1tton.
''lt thou lend money to any ofmy people,, 10 lend
money, then not forbidden, but should if be lent to
any Of my peopie, (hc children Of Israel are every
where called the people of God. )and should the Dor
rover be also poor by thee, ia poor neishbor) then
thou shall not lay upon him usury, e. extortion.
Lending money even at an extortonate rate was not
held to be in itself wrong, appears from the follow
ing passage ia Deuteronomy, chapter XIII, verse
Unto stranger thou mayest lend money upon usurv;
but unto thy brother thou shalt not lend upon usury'
So much for those who hold that usury was prohb-
tied by the word Of God. But there others who
deem it prop that this Law should continue to hold
its place because, forsooth has occupied so long,
These worthless remind one of the Dutchman who was
wont to carry his corn to mill in end of bag.
while the other end occupied by way of counter
pise by large stone To a suggestion that he might
save himself the trouble of carrying the stone by sup
plying its place with corn, he replied mine ader and
mine grand fler did carry dis stone, and got along
in the world, and will do SO too' According toths
mode of reasoning the world ought never to advance
Whatt was thousands of years ago, it should be now
and forever. We should, as matter Of duty have as
we'll Gains as Ables--an improvement in Agriculture,
nay Agriculture itself should be looked upon as the
determination of desolation'' and man should dress
only in the skins Of the wild beasts he has slain for food
Finally, money,s the representative of property and
of labor and it be absurd to suppose that the val
nc of these be fixed by law so it cannot be less
absurd to aim at fixing that which derives its only val
ne from being, as were, counters which use to
keep their reckoning with each other.
The change proposed by the Reyisors, is one for
which they will merit and receive the thanks of the
public. But why should they stay their hands in well
doing? Why not remove entirely this most oppres-
sve and ruinous burden Isit feared that the Door
beast of a Public, may, in tsjoy, wax wanton .and
gamesome, and casting its clumsy heels into the air
expose itself in an unseeny manner :?
| Among the numerous grave matters which we have
committed to the charge of our Legislature very i'm
portan one is the guardianship of public moyas, and
should the bill pass in its present form, the law will
still offer a premium for fraud and keep the rate Of
money above its proper degree. In good sound Anglo
Saxon it will still be- though to loss extent than for
mery, holding out inducements for rascaty and
should be entitled act for the encouragement of Ro
query and the Interruption of Traffic.
And now. 81 am weary with my groaning." II have
roared by reason of the disquieness Of my heart
and my groaning is not hid from theen Like Chari
ty, we have been patient and long suffering" GLOW
long, oh Lord -
| sLanguendo, gemendo
Ac genufectendo,
dura catena
| IT miseya pena
Adore, imploro
Ut There's me-"