The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1862-08-06
tFoR TIE LANCASTER LHDGER.1
EXtortioners and Speculators


character and patriotism Of the first class as
well rs determine the herosm and bravery
of the second class. The soldier who will
skulk from his duty on the battle field, his
name will go down to pos,erity with igno-
mny and disgrace. The first class referred
to who will stay nj home and cxtort and
speculate TO an exorbitnnt degree from the
necessities OF the soldiers and the people
generally. | say tina, the future history of
our country will chronicle their names n
mong The same category OF crimes. These
nre times in which every man ought 10
speak out md censure and denounce and
hold up to public gaze the greedy extor
toner together with the unprincipled spec.
uIator. For in this way, TO some extent.
public opinion is formed md when il is
formed, it has great weight in determining
| the acts and conduct Of men
There are great many planters who
would have planted their usual crop of cot.
ton had it not have been denounced so hi,.
terly as unpatrio,ic by public opinion That
public opinion, with the aid Of kind Prov
idence, will be great blessing to the country
as we'll as TO themselves, in filing our store.
houses with the nee essaries of life.
There are two classes Of merchants or
spectators in the country. The one cla..
lays out his money in goods and different
articles :or sale U have nlluson to the ne
cessar'es Of Efe) and puts a regular prof,
on them and sells them out nj that profit
and then goes and lays in another supply,
making only his regular profit Thi. class
OF merchants are a great blessing TO the
country at large. In this way suppose a
man wanted 10 lunches OF yarn and il would
cost at the Factory S2.OO per bunch that
would be $4,000. Then suppose it cost
him ten dollars for his expenses, that would
be fifty per cent, besides his time. There
fore il can be seen that the man who wants
the yarn had better give the merchant fifty
cents per bunch or twenty.per cent upon
his money, and he could afford to make
money by the operation, for the expenses
OF going to purchase FIVE hundred punches
Then after selling out whstever article he
has on hand, if the same articles have ad.
vanced twenty-five per cent higher, he is
perfectly jutiiiabe, in the eyes of every rea.
sonabie man, to add his regular profit.
say such class OF merchants or spec ula-
tors, ns you may call them, are great
blessing to the country, and further state
that the people are under great obligations 3
to such merchants.
But there are another class who after
buying articles for sale puts on their regu.
lar profits OF % or so per cent, il something
turns up by which such articles advance in
price, they put on another IS or so per cent
and 80 on until they are through selling, and,
perhaps, make from two to five bupdred
per cent. This class say are curse and
an eating cancer to the community, besides
they will merit for themselves eternal dis.
GRANGE and inherit for their posterity i'll got.
ten gains. Not only this, il 10 my opinion
when they will be arraigned before the tr-
bunal on high, thry will there stand cha.g.
ed guilty rs one having committed a great
crime. You may search deep into The re-
cesses OF human nature, and where will
you find crime more potent with evil and
black with disgrace, than n man taking the
advantage Of the necessities Of his disircss.
ed and bleeding country. What! take the
advantage and get rich from the necessities
Of those who have volunteered to defend
your country's honor. Those who have
left their families and their all behind and
gone TO the tented fields there 10 suffer,
bleed and die, that your wives, sisters and
daughters might not be insulted and raw.
ished by an invading foe. You who will
and have been guilty Of acquiring these i'll.
gotten gains, say you would rob and
plunder the graves Of the dead to make
money. ! have heard of some Boosting Of
their Iiberality TO the volunteers, who have
been galty Of The above charges. But, sir,
| tell you that your Gberality will recoil on
you with igntminy ana disgrace, for you
have forced IL from me and others by which
you could be liberal
IN time Of war we need men at home M
well ss We need soldiers in the tented field.
Some are so situated, from different causes,
that they would be Of little use in the camp;
but that does not say that he has 10 duty
to perform at home. lie will be as useful
at lone, il he but performs his duty and
bear his "bob" as the soldier in the tented
field. For there are poor mems families,
there ara rich mems families, there are rich
and poor mems farms TO be ATTENDED 10,
there are widow ladies farms, whose sons
are all in the war, some Of whom have fall.
en- on the bloody field Of battle, there are
widow ladies farms 10 attend 10 whose hus.