Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1866-02-22
REMARKS OF COL. mokoY. OF SAMPSON
In The Senate upon the repeal Of The lar forbiding til
-asaIei,as of~asortaaaes.-

Mr. SrEAkER:-The bill now under considera-
ton may beSwe1 classed with the more important
bills OF the Session and may be safely set down
the important It is one by Which Yitalits in
business way is to be restored, and without which
those interests dear to us embracing all and
every kind of trade, either by the commercial man
or the farmer OF the country, must 1anguish and
Mr.. Speaker the section Of country which I
have the honor to represent having been visited by
the1nVador, and its treasures and tscomfors
become the spoil of federal soldiers, we have been
changed 1t from thrifty. frugal and enter
prisng people, into one without means to supply in
full the necessary comforts for our wives and chill
dren- The track through which the enterprising
soldier from Massachusetts, and the rough hoozier,
from Indiana and Illinois, have passed with full
possession from the boarded Golfer TO the childs
clothing has been and now is almost as u Wild
waste, not having ,..- -
$50 q rose of the wilderness left on its stalk -
... 10 tel, where the garden had been. &c.,
The wants of our state, IS I believe them and
as the testimony of every senator will bear me out
III saying, are great. aud ops need the sorest. ,
In the memory OF the oldest inhabitant, there
never such dcarth i'll the moned market of
the state. Men, who were well to do i'll the world,
with means at their command, have by the raya-
ges of war; the destruction of currency and the
general desolation of the land, suddenly become
poor that their names are no guarantee for the
payment of tliing sums, either for themselves
as surety for their neighbor
Public confidence has for the time been swept
away, and without the means to work tlieir farms
TO trade with energetic, thrifty, honest and i'll
dustTious men, are left rs idle dIones, or perhaps
cultivating much Of their lands us can be with
their individual labor. The large farms of ON
State arc growing up and going to waste Tor the
want OF labor Labor can not be obtained with
ont money. and the question may well be,;lslled,
why not pledge the lands to borrow money, and
thus revive again the energy and industry Of the
country The answer is made, T fried 50 to do
and the legislature OF North Carolina had forbid
dep that, by express enactment. Tie lpil(cr says,
cinnot risk Iny money upon the uncertainty Of
personal industry Thus thwarted, the farmer on
trader is compelled to sit down i'll idleness and con-
tent himself With the subsistence which he may by
wearcd and profitess toll, make bv his own hands,
or he is compelled by the force OF circumstances
to sell his lands (as the law does not forbid that
and to turn his back upon the house where he Was
born, the grove through which in childish sport
he was wont to roam, and blinded by tears, crush
out from his unhappy thoughts as lie wanders
forth, houseless and homeless, the recollection Of
all those hallowed recoilections whic!l cluster
around that dear place. Imagine, Mr.. Speaker,
the feelings of proud old Indian, the pet OF his
brothers and the honOred Sachem of his tribe
when bidding adieu to the hunting grounds of his
fathers, and you have some idea of the Anglo
Saxon, parting with the old homestead of his
family and the spot where his friends lie buried.
The cold calculating mind may think this weighs
but little in the discussion of the subject But TO
my mind the dearest thoughts of life cluster
around and cling to the spot of my birth It's
said that the surest way to rid yourself Of yonr
home Is to mortgage 1t to some shylock, who viii
ere long demand his pound of tesh yea, will take
1t nearest the heart. This might be an argument
in ordinary times and migh have show Of reason
on its side. But ask, how do matters stand to-
day; put the question in all honesty, and claim
an answer candid and fair. When this answer
comes, it will be, that the people of North Caro-
lima are mass hopelessly bankrupt, and were
they this day compelled to wind up they could not
pay their Indebtedness. Not because their in
debtedness is so great but for the want Of money
Enforce the law as it stands and Fettered as
ley will be by it, they will grow worse and worse
"a when the day OF reckoning comes they will
~ .it 0ut one cent to pay those creditors whose
'Ioo,.as+ - eerests the opponents OF this measure
now are so NJ UGH exercised over Mr. Speaker,
fo,t" t 7 - eoresent on this iloOr neither the
ios+ presented by of the oppo
1n,+e ~ +T;s measure uOr the shylock creditors
Joecr;bed Nv onotber who, ia his language,
:swouId, should this measure Sass' prey upon the
poor debtor would Talthres up '" 81 EtIt'e0, III
til he would make an assignment for f-F4t oeh-
Eft 1t is my good fortune to represent "oll
est upright fair and liberal minded constituency,
characterized by impulses generous and liberal, |
and class of creditors who are willing to heed the
wants of honest Debtors believing that they will
by industry and enegry retrieve their fallen for
tunes and when thus mended, will enable them |
to pay their Indebtedness to the full eXtent-a
class of debtors intending to discharge their liza
bilities whenever the means can be honestly |
gained. When I speak thus [ want to be under |
stood as intending that large majority are SO, |
and not claiming for my people entire exemption
from all the foibles of human nature
The land of the country, the only available ba-
sis whereon money can be raised, is by the pre-
sent statute so fettered and hedged about that it
is impossible to realize money short of SALE
Sales will be made. and ere two wears elapse the
face of the population of North Carolina will be
changed and q population now found throughout
the world as honest, industrious, moral and frugal,
will give way to one that may be more enterprlz
ine-vet want many of the virtues of the native
born North Carolinian. And in using this argu-
ment, let me be understood. Let noman say that
[ oppose the emigration to this state OF worthy
any land. No sir, let them come,
there is room enough and to spare. But, II their
coming be to displace worthy men Of my own
State, desire not their coming Though she may
by scorners and witlings have been 'sneered
at and 'sdefamed' yet, thank God, she has never
been dsgraced by the free choice of her own peo-
pie Though poor she is-yet honest and though
she may be ir,solvent, she IS not willing repud1
ator In other days and after years, history will
do her full Justice, and then she will occupy no
mean position in the eyes of the world. But dc
earnestly beg Senator'S not to check the energies
and rising determination of our citizens to start
afresh on the road to prosperity and wealth.
Among my early teachings, 1mblbed one no
ton which believe yet to be true one, and that
is if you desired the rich to grow richer and the
Door to grow poorer fetter property SO as to deny
to the masses the light to acquire. Ours has ever
been a commercial and trading people. The
earv demand for the cutting off of entails opened
the doors to theindustry and energy of the nation
and from that day to this one OF the principles OF
our legislation, both judicial and Legislative has
been to unloose the letters trust to the honesty
and good sense OF the people and all will be well
And is it to be said that the masses of North Car
Dina are to be kept penniless and cramped for
fear few dishonest NAV seek to Qefrall0