American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-06-21

the legislature of Mississippi declared thf
!. her courts should not take cognizance ,
claims of any Kind which were made prc
- TO the surrender of our armies. these court
had no right TO re-enact laws thai had bee
repealed, and TO entirely SET aside thos
which repealed them, II any part @
the stay or other relief laws which are O
may be enacted do, or shall conflict with tn
= constitution, these Of course the courts may
n If convinced of the fact, set aside but i
is not the prerogative of the judiciary tt
II restore those laws which were repealed
though the repealed laws should have been
. or shall be, hereafter declared uuc0nstitu
tional in their main FEATURES The old law
IS repealed even if the substitute be I'M
constitutional. The laws Of our States are
all repealable by the same power which
created them. They are conditional this
far, that they exist as long as the State
may deem them advantageous to the people.
aud no longer There is no implied promise
10 any party, except when tie common
wealth may herself have entered into con
tract VITA her cilzeus-oue or more-tbnt
Jaws which impose upon the Conrts the
duty of aiding in this or that manner in the
| enforcement Of engagements entered into b,
private individuals, stall continue to en-
join this mode Of procedure ~ lonp AS any
| contracts remain urcompIird with. witch
were made before the sdopf;on of measure.
'ess stringent became necessary. The Stat
should ne free 10 Judge Of what the prbIir
necessities require, ard is fptierpd b, M
imaginary oh igations to Der own citizens, or
to those of other States to extend to them
On all the nultifarious opers,rons wLich |
make up the grand aggregate of his mo,ino
jnstIng, busting. hurrying world we live in
The Southern States have PASSED ri,rouob
the most irving ordeal to which any neonl.
of equal intelligence, wealth and refinement
were ever before subjected. Ia the esti.
nation even of our enemies, they have lost
in the planning States. Mt any rate four
itths of their pronertv. Thousands have
been reduced from stfluence to want. and
many others have only a home. ana n few
horses, and other means of cnltivating their
ground. To compel these persons To nav
debts contracted under different circpn
stances. and to withhold all aid bccause
such aid would "impaIrn the contracts en-
tered into before the revolution. when tbs
mpairing 10 the cases where time only is
lsk ed to make the means of novipo don.
lot cause sny diminption or cbsng
n the nature or essence of the con
ract. il we conceive an entire ,ni.,sLe o,I
he meaning and a., erro,oo,, o,.,.Iioo,;,.-
If the principle, which the cmusc in the .
constitution mon the su.;.cr Of ,irp.ir,l,
he validity Of contracts" h.s reference IL .
We feel that it is the solemn duty as we'll.
Ter indubitahle right for ,he Stale to CON
onward in this hour of sore rial, aud AZ ia,
IS our uufeelug enemies will allow. civ,
very aid to our oppressed people TO SAY,
themselves from bspkruptcy. and THAR f,ri =
les from A condition cva, w,r.e ,b,, l,.,
v,erisncod r;,,,,Lo
" " 'o''''E" "'"'t y
d" """' "oue sue may nest ana De
''Eene, anu promote th'lF general welfare
ma she cannot be bound to re'aiu upon II
tatute book laws, which were ndnrted +
circumstances aItogether 4 ,g4rert frou ,bo
hitch nou owls, Noris i,,,,....
y
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