American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1866-03-10
To His ExcellenCy Governor Berj, G.
a Humphreys:


one can be found who entertains more sin
cere respect for your public and private char
acter than the humble individual who no.
addresses you. Our acquaintance commenC
cd in " the times that tried mems souls, an
my admiration for your military career
surpassed only by the still higher estimate
place on your private worth.
But, sir, it is not my purpose to addres
you in terms of panegyric. My present de
sign is too serious and too important. l wis
plainly to call your attention to the preseu
and future prospects of our beloved State
yours by nativity mine by adoption.
The disastrous events of the past five year
have impoverished our people, and especial.
the agricultural class-the true bone an,
siuew of the State. All classes have suiTere,
gricvously but The blow has fallen heayies
on the producers. Their capital was invested
in slaves and lands; false philanthropy hal
destroyed the first, and with the destruction
of our labor system, there has been a fearfu
decline in the market value of the latter
l design to institute no invldious colapa0i
sons as to the relative usefulness of ditferen
classes to the body polite. Each and every
iuterest--agricultural manufacturing anC
commandments be fostered, in order tC
the attainment of the highest civilization
but the fundamental basis of all prosperity
is the producing interest. Our producers are
in debt, but, in the main, not so heavily but
they might extricate themselves, if creditors
would extend them indulgence and make
such abatement of the debt as the crisis de.
mands. And we ought so to legislate as to
make it the interest of the creditor to make
such abatement Of his claim as would in
some sort equalize the burdens of the rero.
luton. The stay law Of last session met your
disapprovar Your Judgment HIS been vim
dicated by the recent opinion of the High
Court, which set aside the law oe pnconstl.
tonal.
am not sSncientfy learned to expires. any
correction as TO the correctness or incorrect
ness of that decision It was pronounced by
learned and upright Judge, and concurred
all the elements of character equal to any of
its predecessors And this is no slight com
plment to them for Mississippi, whatever
may have been her shortcomings in other re.
speots, has always been so fortunate as to
have an appellate tribunal of which any State
might well feel proud
without the learning to form any opinion
of my own on the point, take it for granted
the opinion was correct; at all events, it is
the law Of our State, and our action must
conform to it.
may be permitted to remark, however, in
passing that the condition of our beloved
South is indeed melancholy and pitable; for
whilst the Federal Constitution is utterly
powerless to protect us from personal and
political wrong at the hands of the dominant
majority North, that same Federal Constitu-
tion is by our own State courts made an in
strument to strike us; it is powerless as
shield, but terrible as s,cord
1t requires no prophetic power to see the
inevitable condition of things twelve months
hence, if something is not done to arrest it.
Your courts will be full Of SUITS to the
cupidity of constables, bailifs, collectors and
small attorneys, the prospect may be an al
Turing one some of these classes may find
compromising counterpoise to their natural
sympathies for their distressed neighbors in
their own individual gains, and though sym
pathetically affected, they may still be able
20 bear it, FOR we are so happily constituted
that we can stand other peoples trouble with
a vast deal of composurs and philosophy.
Under the present formula Of the courts
these suits will ripen into judgments next
winter, and next spring a large amount Of
land viii he sold under execution, and will
pass into the hands Of strangers, and at fig
ures so low as to leave the debtors still in
debt
But it may be said that the debtors can
still hold a certain quantity Of land, exempt
from execution. That is true but under the
high pressure system Of hasty collections
which now prevails, 50 much land will be
thrown into the market that he will have
no indncement TO labor beyond what is nee
essary for his present support, for all his fu
iure gains beyond that will be liable to exc
cutiou and thus an active, energetic pro-
aucer will be converted into an idle drone.-
And such will be the general rule. Those
who have hitherto been most distinguished
for activity and energy are more or less in .
debt. 1t is always so in a new and enterpris-
ing country, such as ours was. All that en-
ergy and activity will be paralyzel, and, TO-
stead of producing s4ep'rs, as in former
and better days they will labor only for
bare subsistence
Such is the sad picture before Us. 1t is
,afe TO say that in twelve months one half
IF the survivors Of your own gallant brigade
win see their land and that Of their fathers
told under the Sheriff hammer.
This widespread Pecuniary distress will
be followed by consequences still more de-
,lOrable a general decentralization and law
essness will prevail, fearful to contemplate
The soldier, himself and family, made
&paseless wanderers and bis lands IN the
as Of spectators and Yankees may not
very law-abiding citizen.
Ne violence and civil strife will pro-
e,e Of society worse than war itself
sraught with Perils Of fearful mag
ere US, If some kindly legislative
ors not obtain.
it be averted2