The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1867-11-30

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between Interested and theoretical and practical
honor, and to try psdisabuse the irindaof sopo
people oftheiaea tbpt ssall that glittcrs ;s mott
goldY and that preachers do not at all fu'cs'
practice what thcy prcach. q ~ s.
The people of South Carolina are sufferers
"a calamity has bcfallcn them from which it
will probably take century to recover. Tho
pen and the sword 4haye reduced tliern ttos
condition, which compared to the position they
occupied before the war might beplaced in the
ratio Of one to fifty For this comparison VIC
can have no exact and tangible method by
which to arrive at the correctness Of its truth.
But everything considered we do not belevo.it
an exaggeration. The federals destroyed our,
dwellings, our granarics, corn houses, gins,
mills, plantation fences, burned our cotton,
carried off our mules and horses, also our hogs
and cattle, or shot them down in our yards and
pastures, and by it's final achievement reduced
our currency to naught. BY the. North, our
slaves have been cmancipatcd, which resulted
in the loss to South Carolina Of two hundred
million dollars. Many of these cmancipatcd
slaves have died since the war many have em
grated to other countries, and those left be-
hind are so completely in the hands of party
power as to be rendered of very little benefit as
an clement of labor The only property left
us is our land. This without tho means to
work it has reduced in value from an
average Of ten dollars an acre to three dollars
bnd even us low as ten cents an acre. Tho pco-
pie who could have paid thier debts when they
1 owned property, and money was plentiful but
were prevented by the existence of n stay law,
which strange to say, was allowed to remain in
force rs constitutional thief, but which since
that time has been adjudgcd of different ma
ture, are now more deeply involved than ever
by the accumulation of interest, with not the
onctenth part of the means for satisfying the de-
mands agoinst them. Since the war they have
made every cxertion to pay out But instead
Fof accomplishing this object they have only
got farther from it. Generally they have been
I barely able to make enough to subsist on. But
what are they to do? 1t would not do to fold
their arms to their situations, and yet every
effort seems only to increase their cmbarrass-
mcnts We're they ont of debt, they could
I, make enough by their own labor to the exclu.
sion of the negro to subsist on. But how arc
\ they to get out? Would that some wiser head
than minc could suggest. Probably you who
daknow nothing Of the character Of the labor
with which we have to contend will say, worh
out. W. have tried it, the plan don't succeed
under existing circumstances. tits as impossible
for the land owners Of this State to pay their
old debts as it is for them to change the course
of the Sun. l do not make this assertion te
discourage those who have any desire to make
the attempt nor to promote my own interests as
I do not owe a single old debt in the world
|Eralk about paying old dcbts-it is absurd
There is no use in trying to conceal the fact
|itis impossible and the people know it. "Blooe
cannot be extracted from a turnip." You may
throw open the courts and sell their property
but this will not pay the debts 1t may be
satisfaction for Mr.. Creditor to bid in Mr.
Debtors land and thereby gain IN addition of Q
thousand or two acres to his already large and
unweildly body. G is very little better c!gs i,
This change Of ownership while D is rendered
penniless.
! Tho war was general calamity. The
losses and misfortuncs it en.ailed upon us
were unavoidable and we should not be held
responsible to make them good. Nearly every
one in the State are involved in debts contract
ed during and before the war owe b, G.,
owes d and d, i, &c. In order for me to nav
B what owe him must sue A G, in order
to pay D sues B, &c, probably the sucing con-
tinuing down to the seventh or eighth man.