Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1850-10-25
NO. 40.

had already feferrcs esnhodyipg facts and opinions
Of the last importznce, il the consideration q ahs
subject; for history hadheen well described to Re.
4 philosophy teaehing By Fuxamples.n II was as
felfowss IN Ia Rome, there was law respecting in
sterest three Centuries more amer the foupea-
sion Of tae city; The two principal Roman htse-
sIians, Iry and Taei,as, differ 10 the period when
The tirsl enactment this subject lock placer the
latter milking it enc OF the laws of the twelve tables
Tact AnIal, L. vi, G 16l whilst .fofmer repre-
SCENTS n haze been adopted in the wear SOS, from
The building OF the city, two rihunes being its pro
I posers. ltsiYy L, vii, G. l6,) The laws Of the
I: Twelve tables we've enacted about the year 900
-Taeiius IS boldly pronounced in the wrong By Mon
tesqnieu, ESPRIT Ges lois, L xii, ~ D and in
deed, il must be admitted thai such a law wur
proceed more naturally from the tribhHsse
ttIeaple tARn from The deccmrirs since the lESs
set The a7Fsteefaeg. Whensoeyer the x go
1888 4sss i fixed the rate 3 inierdf
sAEe5HQm. Ten years later, - lSs.-.ss y
Liyy, IAlvii, c. "a D twas reduced TO hak Of one
Fer cent and the fact of the reduction Is also stated
by Iacitns, slough he does moi mention its date
tAnnal y. vi, { l6) Sill later, all interest is.
said 10 hare been -prohibited X Taciius Ibid and
Compare Iiyy, L. vii. {. A. The GRAFTON 81 III
treS wasoRt main ground OF the 19tey qiarrei which
existed bai@een the S4iYifaa and ple1siea orders in
RENE. Taciuts terms thai ancient calamity 10
Ae cir, and frequent reason 6ff sedtions and dis
cord -(t.. vi, {, I6 The laws against ii were
inefteeiaal. Lyysspeaks Of il aSgrowing more agd:
iapge ex6Hbitant ss7ieIHs the popular sensbiiytof
t gHIct lind add5ng asperity to the public contests
01. vii, 2i) Facitas says, that many occasional
enactmenfs were Gaadeto suppress frauds, which
However were atwaysferpettated I'M one way or
gs he's IicSN arts being devised 10 supply thepacc
VI those ohYRted. L. viz 4 l6; see, also l.. xxxy,
q Z, any Cicero, epist. al Atteum, L. vi, c,,l)-|
EA9Sc >Wh9 violated the laws were treated With
gEeaI rigoar. FoarfolY the sum loaned was for
lsited white MT forfeited only ttsice the xalun
which he kt0let (Cato en- Agriculture. Compare
Isivy Il Will c, Is Il. x, c.23i L. xxTv., {. AID
Gate, the censor, from whom we have this state
iaen exeEcised particular severity towafdsusuFers
III the pabtic.otices which he held. When helen
isEedupan the goyrynment Of Sardinia as PrpatorA
lR at gncs expelled ffcrP Gsartr nom Ae island -,
tEiyy, E. NxNti,c. FL Cicero tells us that when
sbmc ono asked him what he thought Of usury, his
ais w1ef.v aF y what a. think Of murdfrl" (Cicer
r5 de OIL, H. H., c. p About century before
Christ, the Prrtor. A. Sempronius Assellus, having
Undertaken TO euTce the laws an fGrQgT 81 debffrs
/ Ehd agaiaa asRreTs. who had for somes time Wac-
ts6d thtir calling with impqnity, was publicly
Murdered Ag ne ertdtorS (Appian de bell. civil l..
i5 cr54 and Iiyy ePitome Of Llv,i I. SKiy len
Gr fifteen years afterwards, the consul Yalernt
Piarcus was ess5ssiHattazby his own Lieutenant,
chiefly because he was the author of law alolrias
srieyfs 1.-The rale5f three per cent. per aiinum.
eNeilius RatereulGs L. ill., c, %; Compare Livy,
spitqtae, H. lxxxiH) The historian, Paterculus
aenominatrs this law shameful one. Afew years
htcr still,Nc find Cicero charging Verres with
Rsu4E IL tAe rate III per cent per anntfn. (Cfce-
4Io IL VsTFea, aFttii. l.. ill.,, 20, seq.l Al about
h he-same period, ih+his leltesso kiicus, he speaks
W II per fcht per annum as the common rate;
&hieh rats compodnd interest, he himself estab-
6ishqd by hip edict5R Gitica, when be was pro+con-
j. 5Tf H.. c.riN1 bn,,dr,er III s55dsd m
slcct ssiy&lys As PeT cehf PER annlimi on a loan
hade 10 tie people Of Salaps in Cyrus '(Ibid. .ex
I aepl the fist feeteaceA inc time Of the1 death
IL tLir,i I 9 - 4 ,,3sI ri III. IN 1Dian
Gassius, IL. HI, c-2fA .Iei about this same period,
Horace speaks OF one who exacted 60 per cent.
Sue5nius medlFpus HAT Augustus sdginatized GER
III i,.s r,t IN i5aS 81. ~ b{ghsr fS1etonf,s;
l.s'ssf,ls y sSN be a,nt, laIibar and raritus
Iat5 lbat5in ms rsiaD 81 iriberius there was III
Il 5gi fE,l,Y On aeeolnt of he g,ssa1r Of psafru
f,d.Ti6erius, 4 i.{ TacitQs. i. VII. Z liz. liz In
tae time oT Pluy. HE Younger ~ per cent was
apparently the-nsllaE demand ner annum fPliny.
+ch Isix H. 2F an. 90 dr55A Finally lie emperor
listinian Weafe lelF bY GibbUn made per cent.
ita oriinaE apdIaaai fate confined persons Of Aish
rsak rs alI9N5s fr lh6 convenience Of m anu.
E.autsfs aad fag9sfaris 8s.l ~ 10 nautical in
,tance yi0laFfa 81 these rules being nj sofously
paHisaed lG1Ab3It's Dec and Fan Of the Roman
Enprrl The wA;ar might have GONG farther
aal siat&I sth iastaa4te In Roman history, when 4
sliaga gnw8Eg on Of the PRACTICES Of Hsufy, came
nA3r ~ EFdiyldt lbe empire itself in ruiti Proper
t# Aaa 2ecame eugroSsdd III few hands and The
paWerof ttekfprS extended even to enslaTing Tie :
uaiappg stby5r Tile people had sough2 from time
t03tjmt a Tedflss .df grievances. AT length, the i.
arti!y gilkdrc4g from lhe city to Tie MONS Sacet
2buntain near K pine and were there Joined By the
p@Bles lheT refused 10 detCEa the from f0r-
eiBn enemies unless usury and the contracts
filinded on ii were put down and the result was
'thht debts were abolished " n
Nov all these historical facts deserve 10 be care
GRiv r6ndetad IN n those ,rhotalk Of t} BLESSINGS
6F iIntrsfficfe fi,[ary ar ytb, wonld sfaeken he
o4tIs 5aU- hrob Il IN cyistnt, LAW or extrnd its
r3yter y. iIe E.a3t. deoree oHe world commend
il1n esntsrially n he careful considerations az he
plptnter 5frdrn Aleranaria Who seemed n regard
ifsiIry Ta,ysIas e rernnanis ofbarbarous apes and
stsaI9ttftbd views dfenfokteTed Enropdan nations
Hi fe4ar,i't1 ham Hawtlrfnd mai tbese enlight-
cIas2risr5 ryrr1isa AVID ,scre nrdcfjsdd U1on for
nIarlv f,,y III IL ,ts ~ Roman hstdrv. and ne
(. It jyn III f.c,s stated Win ,rbat res5Iis grhe
gtf.v ami TrgSfiFes ri tho enlighfened nations ofc
liroIa arc no pnidcs f5r rs The result of their
Il llicv AMI bractres has been trample The masses
fi4hs dns,F ami hi sustain rnonarchies and despo-
( tiiInst bg hsyorafs This was done b. reducing
s35Ile IL ra,-art,, ana nf course ignorance which
5felseyed crew ont of the ,mpropcr use OF money!
N Ea which labottr was cheated Of lis rewards and
r5tr,etlta tendency created 10 centre every thing in
tia hards III al few Wherever the slightest head
Wv hal been given 10 the money power such were
itltenlencies ana though it was designed s3the
nltre serr1H Of labour and ether properly and the
agslI 10 exchange-ard transfer ii, it was always
pEbne 10 bedome It's master and tyrani. The people
oilRorHc, aud hetgreat men, were not singular in
ihf yiewsihey held and expressed q uspry ana, u.
sers Ie same yews ana me same aof2[renee
~ inc al5ra4 do'r ,o
KID rSsb ceit,,r, III ,nisbf orn,e from he same
stAclea tbat Jfsc, hi he ,road bimselfby
T3sdiys n ornion III 4 distingnisbed EngIsh Bish-
dbi Dra 5Pboinas wilson about he beginning Of the
s1b cln,ury II IS remarkable for its resemblance
HI he opinions of Cato expressed 50 nycenturies