The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1868-02-12

debt was $4,000. The war come
loa and the rebel government took
from the people the power to pay
| this debt with rebel money. Now
| the debt would amount to- S16 OF
ksl7, ,eD0s and the land would proba,
bly bring from s25o-500- This
pitifaFsum would scarcely pay the
bbiffls bin Of the lawyers and, sherifs,
Tie creditor is ne better. off and
the debtor is ruined. Again, the
case Of a town lot with dwelling
worth: $4,000. The owner owes
probably few store accounts, in
all say $3.50. The war breaks
out and the. debts -have2to stand
over. Now his house and lot un,
der the, csheFiff's hammer would
bring probably So AGO.. Who is
the: gamer? Not The creditor who
gets scarcely anything, Not the
debtor who is--ruined. But only
the lawyer, the sheriff and the
speculation, Newondsr that these
classes are ~elameang against re:
lief, and~urging the Necessity of
Eobeymg' these unjust laws. Now
how stands < iis with the banker
compared with the owners of reaf-
estate, 7 A. bank pays 5, 10, Is or
20 cents on the dollar as, may be
regarded the, value,of his paper.
Why this-discrimina alton in favor
ef:banks 2 Why may not the own
.er Of real7estateehave the same +ad-
vantage from the changecef cir
>cumstances? Gentlemen T tell
you it is the principle Of shiloek. to
attempt to make. the, debtor pay
up in fuH the demands against him
during andprior tothe war, Fhe
Jew had the righss by ;. contract TO
demand the pound Of flesh from
neSrest Ahtonio's heart. Bnt was
1t just for him to demand it? AS
entirely GUST as It is to ruin
thousands Of families for old debts
contracted On an entirely different
basis.
Justice demands relief for all
classes of thazpeopie. But espe-
eiaLy fer the poor both white and
colored. fwoald Ike TO hear any
one show by% argament-not by
appeals to passion-shew the poog
man, either white or colorsd. is s-ta
be benefited by the run foff +he
present real- estate own ers'in S. G.
is there any dhs n this conven-
tion SO ignorant, Of the. condition
ofthe a Aeedhen and poor whites
in tbe Country as to imagine that
one insa hundred wouId:be: able, to
BUY, land even lift were alt. to. be
Isoh? Or>if. they had the lands
given them where would they
fnd the means to cultivate them {
E: e Let us new consider; fora mo-
sment what class Of men would be
ssesne6tted by the ruin that is
threatening the country. First
are the lawyers. These were, our
former .pplitieians. - These=are re-
spensible forthe9 unjust laws We
have. always had, These, are re-
.
spoasible than any other one
class for secession and the ruin
which has attended-it. These are
'.the,mer who now cry out loudest
against the legality, of any measure
Of relief. These are the men who
are looking for the Hons share in
the general ruin, and they Dc not
wish to see It escape them: There
are few honorable exceptions,
and these, of course, are not inclu-
Fded. Next come the sherifs, those
executioners in times like the pres
ent Of the public welfare. Then
come the spectators. These are
the men who in various ways have
managed to save money in these
hard times. Some bought cotton
during the war with rebel money
and have since sold it at a high
price for gold. Some bought
bonds and obligations of various
kinds for almost nothing, and now
demand payment in full. But the
most numerous class in the coun-
try are such as have worked the
freedmen since the war. and havo