Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-12-11
THE sTRYnAw.

II Is understood throughout the cOuntty
that combined effort Willbe made on the
part Of the money lenders, paper shavers,
merchants and a paek of yoracious sherifs
and constables to have the act passed by
the legislature to stay the collection OF
debts, repealed.
The passage of this act WAS hailed by
the people as an aet Of deliVeranee from
impending ruin Throughout the land, be.
the wearied dehtors hose heart beat high
with joy at the prospect of being able to
gather head aud tihAlly pay OF his debts
without being Gztily hRFrassed by sherifs
and constables, OF bending sleepless nights
in contemplating misery and RuintO
which his family might be reduced the
next day
Let facts be submitted 10 the candid con-
siderati0n Of the Legislature, before il does
an act that would precipltate the whole
country into wretehedness and misery,
merely to crafty hungry creditors and Of
fcials, and deprive helpless families Oftheir
small snbsistance in the heart of winter.
The great mass Ofthe people, heretofore
greatly distressed with pressing debts, were
almost ready at thelhteakiug out Of the pres
ent revolution to honelessly give up every
thing in despair butin the midst of their
the hearts ofthe honest masses began to heat
high with the hope ofsOon being able to ac-
eumulate u suf6eiency OF meaus to pay of
theirdebts, and be relieved from tile horrible
incubus that had hithetto weighed so head-
ly upon them and deprived them of the
long sought comforts and happiness of
home, and who, with an honest energy and
are now going to work to
provide for the payment of their debts;
aud hundreds have gone into the military
service of the country as a means to pro-
vide funds for that purpose, leaving their
families and limited means of subsistence
behindithem, believing them secure from
the hands of hungry creditors and officers
under the protection of the stay law until
they could provide the necessary means.
Would it be right2 Would it be just to
have lulled these people into this sort of
security, and then, during their absence in
their country's service seize their property
and dispose of it at mere nominal prices
to satisfy the cravings of heartless cred
itOrs who are Snngly enjoying the comforts
of home under the prteGti0n of the strong
arms and brave hearts Of those whose
property they wonid sacrifice for their own
aggrandizement, and that too npnn claims
that many of them have purchased since
the passage of the stay law at half-price
or less. E
Again large numbers of our people plum
dered of their property by gangs OF ma
rauders and guerillRs, who have In many
instances entirely robbed numbers of our
citizens of all their horses and cattle and
nearly everything else, not even leaving
them bed clothes or wearing apparel, and
nre now lefe 10, the utla 6st d6stitutiQns S--
Then, 1000 largo 9ptabers Of pee BE have
of the disturbed conditioner tho country,
and many with large families dependent
upon them have US yet been unable to Gnd
employment of any kind, except in tue mil
tary service of the government, for which
they are wholly disqualified by physical
,debilities, age or other causes.
Again, many of our best Union citizens,
living along the principal highways along
which our armies have been advancing
from time to time have had their entire
farms laid waste by the destruction of all
their fencing, buildings, and in many in
stances almost entire crops of grain and
grass, leaving them entirely destitute OF
the meaus of subsistence during the ap-'
prOachipg winter, and many have really
been obliged to abandon their farms.
A Stay Law exists in Eastern Virginin
to protect the rebels there from pecnniary
distress and sacrifices, aud why should the
loyal citizens of Western Virginia be dis
tressed and their property wrested from
them, in this dark hour of their trials2
a few brawliDg creditors are heari
about the streets of our country villages
declaring money everywhere plenty, and
deuouncing the Stay Law, when in reality
there is scarcely any money in the eoun-
try anywhere, if the statements OF the tax
collectors be true, except along the high
ways upon which troops have been pass
ing TO and fro, aud that has principally
fallen into. the hands of merchants, gro-
GERS and tavern keepers, aud perhaps few
cattle dealers, who hold on to o. s, gold
and treasury notes with death grip.
Be not hasty, for the people Will soon
be at your doors with their petitions, for
they will hold their representatives TO a
strieh accountability upon this subject.
A VoICE PROM HARRISON.