The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-10-17
Int fering With Contracts.

proposition, which, has no where been
more str;kingly excmplifed than in our
own State. According to R.msay's history
OF South Carolina, f. work. by the way.
which all re sons, and especially our law
makers, may read with prof) the period
Immediately succeeding the Revou,iona.
ry war was, Ike the present time, char
acterized 10y desire on the part OF the
people, aud Of Legislative Assemblies, to
Interfere with CONTRACTS, by tampering
with the Courts, and applying other
questionable remedies for the relief Of
debtors Had the historian been speak
ing Of the present period, re could not
have expressed himself moro to the point
than lie has done in the following ex
tracts from his valuable work. which We
commend to the attention of all who be.
lieve that the country can derive any per
manent advantage from the enactn.n,
Of Stay laws and kindred measures
n ulSpOsluOn 10 resist the laws became
common. Assemblies were called often. and
earlier than the Constitution OF laws required.
The good aud evil Of representative government
became apparent The assemblies were n cor.
rect representation of the people. They had
common feelings, and their situations were I'm
most cases. similar. These led to measures
which procured temporary relief. hut 1T the ex.
pense of the permanent aud extended interests
oi the community. Lawswere passed, in which
property of every kind was made n lega, tender
i'll the payments of debts, though payable, &C
cording to contract, in gold or silver. Other
laws installed the debt, so that of sums already
due, only n tn rd, aud afterwards only a 1 itl,
was annually recoverable in the courts of law.
Numbers were clam0rOus for large emissions
of paper money, armed with the sanctions Of u
legal tender"
"The effects Of these laws. inte fcring be.
tween debtors and creditors, were extensive
They dcsuoye public credit and confidence
between man and mani. injured the morals of
the people, ana III many Instances insured and
aggravated the final ruin Of the unfortunate
debtor, for whose temporary relief thy were
brought forward. The procrastination Of pay.
ment a5atrd exertions TO meet il with prompt.
tude. In the meantime. interest was arcu,nu.
Etng, aud the expenses Of suit multi lplird ,y
the number Of instalm-nts. At no time before
nor since, we've the fortunes of attorneys sn
rapidly or so easily Tade. At no period has
nm equal number Of planters been involved in
embarrns ments from which they were never
extricated, or only extricated by more than or.
dinary sacrifices
''Thc ci ht wears Of war in Carolina was fol.
lowed by eight years of dsorgnnizaton. which
produced such an amount Of civil distress IA
diminished with some their respect Tor liberty
and independence. Several apprehended that
sat uh Nod IL MA -, H.,
land in the seventeenth century, after long
and bloody civil war, would be acted over again
in America by tickle people, who had neither
the iortitude nor the wisdom to govern them
selves. Peace and the m st perfect liberty TO
make such laws and constitutions as the people
pleased, had not hitherto brought in their tram
the blessings expected from them, ut the pow.
ar Of making such alterations in BOTH rs pro.
missed to procure them, .were among the privi.
lcges Of frcemen."
Our readers will observe that the events
narrated in the foregoing occurred before
the adoption Of the Federal Constitution.
which prohibits the States from imp,ir
ing the obligation Of contracts Refer
ing TO that instrument, which had but 70
Gently been adopted, the same historian
1000 on ,o
"The individual States were left in full DOS
session of every power for their interior gov.
ernment, but restrained from coming money.
emitting bills Of credit, making anything but
gold and silver tender in payment Of debts,
passing any bill Of aitainder, er post facto law,
or law impnirng the obligation of contracts -
This Constitution was submitted 10 a conven.
ton Of the people Of Sonth Carolina, consisting
u; 224 members. by which IL was accepted and
ratified on behalf Of the State on tho 2sd day
Of May, I7sE. Their acceptance of a Const
tuition, which, among otherc auses, contained