Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-06-27

who will again uprear the mighty standard Of the
Southern Cross, md fight under it for the great
est of all yictories,-a victory over themselves.
These reflections lead me to say, that, though
as stated in the beginning, our mother, our dear
est pride, is dead,-yet she has not died GAS one
without hope" and we have come together on
this momentous occasion, not to assist In her bu-
rial, but in her resurrection from death. We
come not even to place garlands upon her tomb,
hut TO assist in restoring her to newncss of life.
We have met to take counsel together, how to re-
establish credit aud confidence among ourselves,
how to prevent an indiscrirnnlte anu universal
litigation, which would bring US to poverty, degra-
da,ion, crimo and iufamy. We wish to save the
Scared and battle.wofn soldiers, who have es-
CAPPED through so many'storms of war; froui CON-
,nit,ng violence uponone another and OF accom-
plishiag destruction which the enemy, with oil
his lcgions, failed to do.
How then arc we to effect this great doliyerance!
In the first place, we must become able' IN tue
spirit Of the Lords Prayer to cry out, and to cry
inwardly, Forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors" and VIC must read and adopt, US
preached directly to us, and applicable to our very
cases the beautiful lesson Of our Savior, Begin
ming ut the 2lst of the 18th Matthew, and ending
with the chapter, and remember, that charity is
the crownine virtue Of the Christian, and the most
illustrious ornament in the life OF the citizen.
Commence the great work by having mercy upon
one another. Let ne thoughts of reputation or
Of resistance to law enter into your henrts or your
conceptions, to dishonor your cause. but let
spirit OF comprcmi,c and mutual fOrbearance pre-
vail. Let it be made disrcputuble for man to
sue for the present, while his brother docs not
mean to dcfraud him, because during this disas-
trous year, with the scanty means of agriculture
in the land, and new system OF labor to organize
the farmer cannot supply the wants of his family,
furnish his hungry children with bread, pay his
taxes, and puy his debts too. general and a
generous feeling of indulgence must be evoked
and practiccd, and cherished throughout the land
Ard surely the men who exhibited so much man
hood so much singlenoss Of purpose, SO much
forpetfuness of self, and such contempt for
wealth during our late conflict, can give one more
illustration of their heroism, and of the nobility
of their nature, for tho love and admiration OF
mankind.
But mn sad to own, that "the tender merces
Of the wicked are cruel" and though large
majority of our people will rise to the standard OF
duty have respectfully and humbly advised yet
Mummon has some worshippers so ravenous for
gold, that the plea Of an angel would not beheard
by them while sitting in judgement upon their
dcLtorg These cannot be restrained by the cries
of innocence by the appeals, Of mercy, or by the
arm Of flesh and blood. dh5s~ill begin to sue,
which will compel his debtor to do the like, aud
this uovement impeled nt first, like the waves OF
the sea, Sy gentle breeze, will soon be la'hsd
into fury by tho force of the storm, and all OF
us, pilot and helmsman, ship and ships crew will
be overwhelmed in IN abyss of ruin. These men
must be controlled by the arm Of law-of consti-
tutional, inAe1ible law.
Neither, my fellow citiEena, am / so despondent
as to believe that such o remedy is beyond our
reach. To the hopeful and rcsolute all things arc
possible. have already vcnturcd to suggest the
enactment of liberal Homestead Law, and
though from the hurry Of copying and printing,
and the omission of line or two in the original
manuscript, may have appeared 10 speak too
confidently of its constiutionaliy in particular
form, yet Constitutional Homestead Act can be
framed, which will give more relief more salisfac-
ton, more confidence, and more encouragement
and tone to the community than all the other e1-
pcdicnts that human ingenuity could devise. 1t
is true, that two.hundred and ffsy "ere0 of land
may not satisfy the ambition Of those who have
owed their thousands and tens Of thousands, and
so sm all an allowance may be contemned by them,
but in the end, and, in crisis soon to approach,
II msy afford shelter to their otherwise houseeaa
and shivering little ones. To the great mass OF
small farmers however, and they are their coun-
try's glory, and "iheir country's stay in day and
hour of DANGER" it will be the greatest boon, that
Heaven could afford. II will bind them indissolu-
bly, to the soil. It will animate them to exerton
for the payment of their debts, and it will iniuse
new life into their bosoms and now vigor into
their arms. Having homes, that they know to be
secure, they will adorn them with all the appll-
ancos of art and all the ingenious devices Of taste.
They will love their little dwellings with deyo-
ton akin to piety, thousand pleasing reminfs-
cences will cluster around and about them, and
for the land that contains them, they will be pre-
pared to fight and to die, to tho latest OF their
generation. Sports and nmusements peculiar 10
Themselves will be cherished and handed down
from father to son, and thus will be formed and
fostered homogeneous, patriotic, and nm inrin-
chile people.
If. in addition to the Homestead Law, the Leg
islaturo should am. nd the 1nsolvent Debtors
Acts, SO as to enable the young men, and any
others who choose, that feel oppressed by the
tranmels of debt, to make m honest assignment
of their whole property, and thus to receive ex-
emption from the demands of all their creditors
q. once, this alone would bring relief to thousands
Of our suffering people, and make one more step
in our advance on the road of compromise and
settlement. The Insolvcnt Debtors Act, Mt my
rate, is behind the age in which we 1.-Two, and
whilst it is perfectly constitutional to amend 1t,
in the respects mentioned, until Congress shall
pass uniform Bankrupt law, the time has arrived
when Imprisonment! for debt should be abolished
in South Carolina, as an oppression OF herr nie'
which, from their absolute poverty, may be-
come grievous and intolerabe.
But, as speak, there are yet other con''itu-
tional remedies, that crowd upon the mind and
press for uttcrance The Legislature OF the State
has provided, that on all sums over eighty-hve
dollars, i. shall require two terms for the obtain
ment of judgment. Why mayit not then proceed
little further, and provide that it shall require
four, six, eight, or ten terms7 This wouldaffOrd
breathing spell to honest industrious men,
prompt them to energetic action, and prOIent
another induuement to creditors for that compro-
misc with debtors, without which there can be no