The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-04-02
CHARLES TON.
TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 2, 1856
DISTRESS IN THE STATE.

- TUESDAY MORNING, APRIL 2, 1857.
DISTRESS In THE STATE.
It is impossible to neglect or misinterpret
the evidence which reaches US from all portions
of the State of the misery of our unfortunate
people. The statements of nearly all the local
newspapers are confirmed by the accounts OF
intelligent and public spirited men in the up
per Districts especially. There is no doubt
that to-day there are hundreds who nave not
daily bread, and thousands who cannot LOOK
forward for more than O few days to the GER
tainty of needful food. The statement made
bv a respectable clergyman of the condition OF
things in the neighborhood of Sumter District
which he investigated carefully and consclen-
tiously, is enough to startle every rejecting
man. Three hundred and sixty persons, within
an area of FIVE miles, without food, and the ma
jority of them living on husks, is fearful. anu
we are informed by some of the most trust
worthy citizens of the State that in their Dis
tricts the great majority of the farmers have
not provision for laborers or work animals
which will last month. That they are work
ing in the hope of finding some means OF credit
as their work progresses, and that no Whefe
have the larger planters surplus supplies from
which thew can, as has been the custom, AID
their poorer neighbors. We shrink from pub
fishing the details which have been brought TO
our notice. Think of case like this vouched
for by the humane pers on who afforded the re-
lief-a woman; whose husband was killed be-
fore Petersburg, rising from her sick bed to
bury one child, who literally had died OF starVa-
ton, and dragging herself thirteen miles,
though stormy night, to beg for food enough
to save the life of the child she had left. The
causes of this terrible suffering are for the
most part beyond our control, but there is one
cause we can reach, and that is the excess OF
cotton culture over the provision crop. There
has been greedy thirst for the profits OF cot
ten, which has induced too many people to neg
lect the food crop, and we do hope that it is
not vet too late for the planting community OF
the State to realize not only that it is their IN
terest, but their duty to plant largely Of pre-.
visions. We know all the difficulty, we know
that with high wages it is impossible to plant
corn proftab!y, and that large planters must
to meet high wages, e1tortionate interest and
the risk of uncertain labor--plant what will
pay. But, short of the point at which it becomes
a sacrifice, we think it the duty Of every man
who can to contribute to secure the State against
the recurrence of another failure in the pro-
vision crop:
Not only does this suffering destroy our peor-
pie by actual physical misery, but it de-
moralises their characters. A constant strug-
gle for life wears out hope; it makes men
reckless, and endangers even more than politi-
cal grievances the interests Of society. 1t is
useless to deny or attempt to conceal the fact
that large masses of our people are in condi-
ton of feeling neither right nor safe. Beside
the suffering from want, the returns to the
Spring Courts, now in session, indicate con-
dition of indebtedness, with all its consequent
embarrassment, from which no energy can ex-
tricate us. We believe that remark, at
tributed to one of the NEST eminent lawyers OF
the State, is true of the whole State. "1f," he
said, call the suits arc pressed to settlement by
execution, the sale Of all the lands in the dis
trict at present prices, will not pay costs'-and
they will be pressed to settlement. In the city,
creditors are not disturbed by false rumors
and unfounded alarms. The business men Of a
large community are always liberal; they un-
derstand that their interest is the interest Of
the community, and there is certain average
of profit and loss, which they know how to cal
culate and how to meet. It is not so In the
country. There mems minds are thoroughly
disturbed; their fears are excited; they know
that Convention is to be held during the year;
they do not know what is to be its composition,
nor what its policy, whether it will interfere
or not with the question of debt, and they
very naturally desire to secure the liens which
they hold. Most of the agricultural debt too
is secured by land. Negro property has been
dcstrc ged, and when land is sold the debtor
has literally nothing wherewith to recommence
life ,s---.SEz.s
We do not propose to sit in judgment upon
the action Of the Legislature. We compre-
hend the enormous difficulties with which the
whole question is surrounded, and we respect
the spirit of good faith and honor which in
duced men as wise and humane as any other
citizens of the State to hesitate in disturbing
vested rights and tampering with the obliga-
tions of contracts. But the condition Of things
in the State is such that no man with good
feeling, or good sense, can regard it otherwise
than with distress and apprehension. The
proceedings in York and Lancaster, and New
berry, are too significant to be disregarded
In Chester, the bar, through Mr.. MELTON, the
Solicitor of the Circuit, with admirable judg-
ment, we think, moved the continuance of the
whole docket, and it was granted.
Compelled as we are, to go through the ordeal
Of political agitation this summer, which is
full of danger and difficulty, it is most desir-
able that our people should be held together,
closely united Sin the bond of peace" that be-
tween them there should be no dissention and
no i'll feeling.
Is there not in the State intelligence, hu-
manity, energy, public spirit enough to COM
bine even our reduced means for common re-
lefs can we not at least, endeavor to tighten
each others woes? And if the ship in which
we all sailed into an unknown sea, full Of high
hopes and glorious anticipations, has founder
ed, can we net share in patience the disaster
of common shipwreck and not fight over the
scant provisions which must sustain common
life in the hope of common deliyerance?
An Rrnuax.N-IIis ExcellencY ey-United