The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1865-09-21
For the MtelHyeacrr.


be-. and I hope is, to watch over the NOR
ais of the people, I,hopc you will publish
this, as am persuaded there is at the
present time a very domoralizing senti-
ment prevailing among the people of the
Confederate States, viz: That it would
be right to repudiatc indiscriminately all
debts.due in the South, for the relief of
our suffering county Now, I am per-
suaded that no honest man; unless blind
ed by self interest and lost to all sense Of
honor and justice. upon mature conside-
ration, and prayer to a just and righteous
God for direction, could for moment
sanction such q law. A. few of my rea-
sons for thinking. so are--lst. Look at
the many thousands of minors and orphan
children it would rob of their all, not on
ly those who have become so during the
war, but whose estates have been in
credits for many years. The Lord says,
"Cursed be he that pervertcth the judg-
ment of the stranger, fathcrless and
widow, and all the people shall say
n."'-Deut. 27-19. Again. "A great
many good and honest citizens, to be
freed. from the trouble and cares of busi-
ness, have years ago sunk their property
into credits on good men, whonow hold
good deal of real estate, purchased with
the funds thus borrowed, and the credi-
tor left destitute. would q heathen
sanction it? Again. Hero is man
holding real estate to a considerable
amount; and indebted to poor men, own,
ing not fourth or fifth part of what he
owns. Would it be right to rob the poor
creditor to save the property of the rich
er man 2. Who can say so and not blush!
We might bring in cases innlimerable to
show the barefaced injustice of such an
act, but we let the above suffice, only ,ad-
ding the saying of the wisest teacher,
CHE THAT IS UNJUST IN TIE LEAST, is UN-
JUST ALSO IN MUCH" We will now no.
tice some of the, arguments in favor of
the sentiment. One is, it would not in
jure more than one, to twenty it would
benefit. This is just as good an argument
as. to say, it is right to rob q rich man,
who by industry and economy has,
through long life, obtained his wealth,
and give it to twenty who had no right
to it, Suppose it would benefit one hun
dred, and only one suffer. Would that
Justify it? Again. It is said great
many men who were very rich, mostly in
slaves, and in debt, it may be nearly to
the. amount of their real estate, it would
be hard for them to have to pay their
debts. Does any man, who has common
honesty, say that it is right to rob the
fatherless and widow to save his real es-
tate? It is the LORD that maketh poor
and maketh rich, and where does he sane
tion men to rob the innocent to save that
to the rich, which in his providence he
has taken away from them? Again. 1t
is said every man ought to lose the same
proportion of what hs is worth. AS this
is an idea have never heard advanced in
any ease of loss or misfortune, in-my life,
and as it would be perfectly impracticable
to put in force, leave it to stand for
what it is worth.
And now. as we have as much sympa-
thy for our soldiers who are in debt, and
have been in tho army during the war,
and have had no opportunity to make
money, and for all others who have lost
all--make bankrupt law for their bene-
fit, and I think no feeling man would OBJ
ject for all such to take advantage of such
o bankrupt law. For the relief of such
as hold property, and are in debt, pass a
law, giving debtors time to make the
money, say.2, 5 or 10 years, if SO long a
time is necessary to keep him. from hav-
ing his property sacrificed to satisfy an
unfeeling creditor, his paying q portion,
with the interest yearly, &C., &c. [ know
that the recent war has had demorali-
zing effect on almost all Glasses Of men.
This is too visible everywhere to be de-
MED; but 1 do hope that we are not fal-
len so low in the scale of morality as to
sanction or pass such a law as would in.
discriminatory repudiate all debts Then
we must say, as Josiah said of Israel in
his day, {. And judgment is turned away
backward, and justice standeth afar off
for truth is fallen in the street, and equity
cannot enter.".
Let Confederate debts be reduced te
= thevalue of the property at the time con
tracted in good money, or in its value in
specie at the time.