Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-07-11
For the ADVERTISER

upon any plan by which our suffering people may
be satisfactorily relieved. No plan need be ex-
pccted that will relieve every case. Suppose,
however, we Yero torelevc throe.fonrths of them,
much would certainly thereby be accomplished,
and dacontrary assertion would ;beps absurd as rs
refusing to take thrcechildren from house on
fire. e.because we might not. be able to rescue the
fourth. :, We will now. proceed to offer aplan, by
which, in our opinion, very large proportion,
if net NIL, of our suffering citizens may be rescued
from the impending danger.
The first class of debtoS and creditors, between
whom, propose cquitably adjusting claims, is
the Guardian and Ward. I suggest, for that pur-
pose, that the Legislature pass nm net authorizing
Guardians to invest the funds Of Wards in landed
estates, the price, per acre., not to exceed, nor
come below, the value of the same lands at tho
time Of disappointment of the Guardians. SAID
lands to be to selected by the Guardian, and as
sesscd by Commissioners of the neishborhood,
who should see that the interest Of the Ward is
not detrimental by its locality and quality. The
Gaurdinn stock said farm, hire labor and su-
perintend the same, for the benefit of the Ward
until of age. Such course would enable Guar
dians to settle with Wards, with lands, that; pro-
bably would be valued at ten dollars per acre,
the value, of which, at present, would perhaps
not exceed five dollars in consequence of the war;
hence they would be, virtually, settling with their
WARDS at fifty cents in the dollar, and tho Ward
thereby not materially injured, for money, we
consider, has relative value only; and if fifty
cents will atprssent purchase as much real estate
as one dollar would before the, war, why should
the Ward DO regarded loser-the land possess
ing now the same productive capacity as in 1860
Claims for rcal estate should 'bo adjusted by q
return Of The lands with reasonable rent after de-
Quoting expenses iscurred for improvement.
Claims for slaves bought and sold should be
settled by paying hire, if worth hire, over and
above support, from tho date Of purchase to the
date of emancipation, and ifidead, interest from
the date of death to date of emancipation; the
principal in all said notes to bc null and void.
Such a settlement I1regard just and equitable
upon the principle that thenegrG'was warranted n
slave for life, impliedly,if not expressed.
Notes held for borrowed money and other con-
s;derations, not as yet disposed Of in this article,
should be nominally taxed by the Legislature fifty
cents to the dollar, which should be placed as q
credit on each note foriths benefit of.,hc makers
of them, the same to bc collected by the State
free Of iuterest-from the makers Of said notes,
at the expiration Of the year 1899; such taxation
IIegard just upon all such claims, as thoy are
the only species of property, not admitted by al
more or less, deprecated in value in consequence
of the war.
Such persons as have their creditors residing
without the limits of the. State should De rein.
bursed by the State to the amount Of their actual
losses only by said taxation. 1t is certainly within
the province Of the Legislature to levy tax tc
satisfy the actual wants and demands Of the State
and it would certainly be laying itself licblc te
gross censure if it failed to lay said tax upon thai
species Of taxable properly TINT would be leas
burthcnsome to the people Now the people are
the State, and require under the present extraor
dinary circumstances for their relief extra taxa
ton, and agree among themselves to lay it upor
that species Of property. Who, I ask, can eonsis
tantly oppose it, when it ia so clearly exhibited
that it is but satisfying the demands of justic,
and equity to do so?
With regard to unsettled estates, sold during
the war, would suggest the appointment OF ap
praisers to overlook the sae-b bills, and msdify tn!
prices of articles, so rs to make them correspond
with the prices of like articles sold since the war
the purchaser settling accordingly. Bonds in thu
Commissioners Office for landed estates shoult
be similarly modified and reduced to their value
/ in 1850, or rendered back to the estates as The
parties might choose, with rent for the same afte
deducting expenses incurred for Improvements
The Judiciary of. the State will tell us that w
have no right to enact any law impdring thu
obligation of contracts-(which ordinarily ad
NIT truc, ms that would he n violation of the Con
stitut;on of the United states.) Were VIC living
under, and governed by the laws of the United
States at the time of said sales? answer in th'
negative. Then every sale should be considered
| null and void, made during the war so far as tha
instrument is concerned, if the State chooses t.
mako it so.
By adopting the course herein suggested 1 SCI
no reason why we might not retain all our ole
and long. cherished reighbor', and thereby pre-
vent strangers and untried ones from occupying
their homes. The decision of the Judges at ,h'
Court of Errors recently, has thrown US in sigh
of the breakers, and We nre drifting rapidly tf
where destruction awaits us, if something be moi
speedily done for our relief. The Stay Law itself
never afforded tho kind Of relief the larger por
ton of our citizens were clamoring for, and was
only accepted by them as check to harsh meas
ures. until the people could devise some plan by
which the desired relief could be attained, and
am fully persuaded that nothing a short of partial
reputation will, OF ought, underline ciEcumstan'
ces, to satisfy them. No man, in my opinion
ought willingly to settle down to hard work after
having been deprived of from 3-A to As Of his
property, by the fortunes Of war, and without
remuneration, to satisfy the claims in full of an-
other citizen who had been go fortunate as to hold
species of property that was net destroyed OF
even deprecated in value in consequence Of our
bloody struggle.
Let us depict to ourselves the shattered consti-
tuition of some brave soldier who hals,faithfully
fought the battles of his country, nov so impov-
ershed MS to be overtaxing himself py hard lieks,
that he may be able at the end Of eachTyear to
meet the interest only due his creditors, after
scant support for his beloved wife and children
and perhaps in some instances even dictated to
by his shylock-likc, creditors US to what mis- ex-
ponses should be;-holding themselves, at the
some time, in readiness to pOunce upon their
unfortunate debtor, at any time the whole pound
ofiAcsh could be obtainaa.
Imagine, if you plosssSfshs unfortunate debtor
and soldier upon his bed of aflic.iOn, the vital
spark nearly extinct, his wife and little ones
around him in tears, he, with knowledge that
IL 49,. ,,on, tbo ;uIomonts oon;nsf his on1v