Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1866-07-04
For the Advertiser.
, stav Law. Taxes and Roads.


Errors, annulling the Stay Law. Since that
writing, the newspapers bring us intelligence of
the final decision of the Supreme Court of Ala.
bama upon the Stay Law of that State. In Ala
bama it is held, that so much of their Stay Law
as iperdcts the service of writs, and other mesne
process before judgment upon. contract is un-
constitutional butthatso SO much of it as allows
stay of Execution after Judgment, so as to
prevent levy and sale for limited period, is
constitutional. For all practical purposes this
decision gives the people Of Alabama just as
good Stay Law as ought to be desired.
Is there any ground for hope that our Judges,
after they shall have realised the ruin and dis
tress brought upon South Carolina.by their re-
cent decision annulling our entire Stay Law, will
retrace their steps and compromise upon some
such construction of the Constitution Of the
United States, in relation to enforcing contracts
as the Courts Of Alabama have done? II is Sc
riously 10 be appr0hcndcd that there is but small
ground for such hope. Pride Of consistency in
the Judges, and tho o7esshadowing influence Of
the Ga-, are likcl5 TO prevent any considerable
measure OF relief being afforded by the Courts.
Our people may yet have to claim protection
of The United States Courts against tre Tribu-
ls of the State, in reference to the Stay I:w.
The right of appeal from the Court of Errors to
the Federal Courts exists, and it is urged upon
debtors, by all means, to take such IN appeal-to
make case, and raise funds enough, even by
subscription if necessary, to secure the services
of able Counsel. There nrc many strong reasons
for believing thattbe Supreme Court of the United
States would affirm similar doctrines in regard to
staying Executions as have been established by
tho Courts of Alabama. Stranger things have
happencd than citizen Of South Carolina sue
cessfully seeking redress from tho Courts of the
United States against the cruel tyranny and ruin
Gus oppression Of his own tia'id state Courts.
If the startling surprise and Indignation Of tic
people, ut the annullmcnt of the Stay Law could
be concentrated and properly expressed, it might
be that tho Legislature at its next Session would
be ablc to enact come sort Of law cnjoining Exc
cutions, 20 MS to meet the appreciation Of the
Court of Errors. Many Courts Of last resort,
have often before now reccnsdercd and reversed
their previous decisions from motives of public
policy, and to promote the general wclfa:e. Be-
cause no petitions, oS memorials praying con-
tinuance Of the Stay Law were sent up to tie
Legislature at its last Session, it was hence in
ferred, by those who were anxious to have some
ground for drawing such IN inference, that the
people were careless about the Stay Law. Nine
tculhs Of the people of the State never had the
remotcst dread but that the Legislature would
continue tho Stay Law, and it was for this reason
islaturc Let public opinion now speak iu thun-
der tones SO Us to reach even the ears of the
Judges, as well rs those of the Legislators, and
some regard may yet be had for the wishes of
the great mass of the State.
In any event, some remedy can, will and must
be found, to prevent the Stale being bought at
auction by the strolling Yankees with carpet
sacks of Grcenback Shinplasters, who are now
prowling about the country, or shortly will be,
in search Of the best Cotton plantations by the
time the Sheriff. advertise them for sale. The
people of the South have no money. Their gold
was shipped to Europe to buy muniti"H and stores
for the Confederate army. Their Bank Bills and
Confederate Notes were utterly destroyed by the
war The remnant of cotton they had on hand
at the close of hostiliies, has been sold for the
most part, and expended for neccssaries. Then
where are our people {" to the manor born," to get
money from, unless they be allowed to make two,
or three cotton crops, with which either to pay
debts, or buy their neighbcr's land, in ccmpct-
tion with n Yankee purchaser Grecnbacks arc
more plentiful at the North than ever COEteder-
ntc Notes were at tho South, and Ii our Judges
wish to have the State inundated with Yankees,
If they would destroy the homogcnity Of our
socety,-if they desire to drive the mass of Caro-
linians into pcnni!css exile, for no fault except
too much devotion to the State, and to the teach
ings Of most Of those very Judges and chancel-
lors, thcn they have only to persist il annulling
all. Stay Laws The debts Of Guardians, Execu-
tors, Administrators and Trustees alone, which
are generally owing by the very bone and snew
Of the land are quite sufficient 10 sell one.t!ird
of all the property in the State, if debtors are
not allowed reasonable time to work tkcm out,
and most Of tEcsc large debts are past due, as
but few estates were settled up during the war.
Ncvor, in the history of the world, have set
of public officers so misunderstood what the exi-
gencics of the times required at their hands, to
promote the public good, as oil. Judges in annul-
ling the entire Stay Law Il! blow, in the present
rained condi itcn Of the country. Even tho very
Chancellor who wrote nearly all the ordinances
Of the Secession Conyenticn-who aspired to
lead in the Secession movemcnt,-now seems
equally anxious to turn upon our impoverished
people and hunt them down, thereby suhjecting
himself to tho Suspicion that he only cspoused
Secession principles to ride into power. His
course in both the recons: elton Convention, and
tho Court Of Errors, appears clearly to indicate
that he is demolishing the spring board by which
ho vaulted into his present eminouOc. lie may
think that he has risen so high the people cannot
reach him, but such pleasant thoughts might
prove delusion. Our people Mt least, will re-
main .teadsast to their ancient faith, although
their old leaders may turn renegades. Volumes
could bc written upon the necessity of a Stay
Law at this time, but perhaps I weary the reader,
so will quit tho subject for the present at loas:.
Something now of Taxes. When thc late war
broke out South Carolina contained over four
hundred thousand slaves. who bore the chief
burden of State faxes, which wcro extracted
from tho pockets of their masters. Since Eman-
cipation has taken place, without cordial and
general cooperation among the white population
Of the State, the negroes will pay hardly any
Taxes at all, and the burden of carrying on the
State Government will have TO bc shouldcred by
the three hundred thousand whites alone. 1t is
vol kncwn that it was diflcu 1t 10 collect Taxes
from Free Negroes, even from those who were