The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1868-09-09
9nbersorr yr}telige1rter,
The Debt Question.

The Debt Question.
Ex-Gov. Pickens, in q recent letter to
citizens of Laurcns District, advances
the following just andsensible views upon
rquestion of all-absorbing interest to the
people:
I am satisfied if the people we're to
meet and agree among themselves upon
some plan Of fair and reasonable settle
ment of debts among each other 1t would
save much ill-feeling, and really be better
fer the creditor as we'll as the debtor 1t
was o. common war, in which we all en-
gagged with enthusiasm, and all is lost !;
and we ought nowSto try and settle with
each other all old debts by liberal com
promise. If we are freed through the
courts by legal process, at least one-half
5 of all property will be divided with the
lawyers, clerks and general costs of suit
IN nine cases out of ten the land is the
only thing left to pay with. The de-
pressed prices forit will not settle more
than one.fourth of the debt attempted to
be- collected. Who, then, is benefited by
: such process? It is really no benefit to
g man 10 500 uiS SiDot AoiiAoo es"" ''S
one get any profit except attorneys, shcr-
ifis. clerks and constables. In any gene
raasoempremise that may be made there
must be particular. cases of hardship, and
r may be great wrong, but if all are forced
to settlement by legal process, then there
must be universal ruin. Now, too, whsn:
tho Radicals are about to inaugurate their
courts, with negro juries and negro Off
seers, and, what is worse, vile white
skiInks, who have betrayed their race
and are merely trying to plunder the
-state-under these circumstances it isnot
only the duty but the direct interest OF
every one who feels for bis State to cor
daily agree with his neighbor upon some
principle of compromise, or leave every
thing to arbitration made by three or
four men. / suppose you have seen the
principle agreed upon by the mass meet.
ing at Edge6eld, saleday in April last. L
prepared the report and resolutions,
which were unanimously adopted, and
q tho people are, for the most part, making
settlements upon these principles agreed
upon by the people of the district. If
suits should be brought, i think the juries
would bring in verdicts upon this basis
generally. The upper districts will be
the first to move, for the desolation of the
war was. mot so great upon them, because
they were not so much ravaged, and be-
cause they bad more white population,
and wherever there are more whites
: there will be more labor and moro pro-
ductions. We mover can be rich.in. our
day4and generation but what we need
is abundance of provisions. We are too
poor now to feed any population, and
cannot support any great enterprise, be.
cause we have no provisions to spare. II
swo had an abundant provision crop we
would at least be independent, and would
invite immigration of white labor; but,
as il is, we-haye no means to feed white
labor on any large scale, for we can hard
.lY feed ourselves. We could not retain
foreign white labor if we had it, unless
we had moro cattle and sheep, for white
labor requires milk and cattle and NUT
ton and beef. And mutton and beef are
easier and cheaper to raise now, with our
waste lands, than hogs are, and far more
healthy. The first thing to be done, then,
by tho upper districts is to raise moro
provisions ar1 less land in cotton. Then
we can maku revision for whito immi-
grafton among us and be able to support
them. IF we could have just and pure
government think we could advance.
IF we settle. our debts and plant less cot
ton and raise breadstufs, cattle and sheep,
and have less ambition for wealth, we
will be happier and more comfortable
people. The loss of our slaves is nothing
compared with the loss of character, in
tsgrity and manliness. I at one time
owned five hundred and sixtyseven, and,
as God is my judge, l would not haze them
back as they ,cere I have been relieved of
them by violence and brute forco. The
care, aa1iety and responsibility that opprcss-
ed me in relation to them I no,u feel relieved
of. True, the dogration and ruin of my
State are constant sources of pain to me.
particularly when l know, with high COM
manding craftsmanship in 1868 at the
head of affairs, the result would have
been different to our country. We now
have nothing left but to bear, with Chris
tian resignation, our fate; at least such
is the case with those as old as am.
There is somo hope, l Isupposs, Of change
in the government from the election in
November next. [ trust it may be, and
that God, in His mercy, will preserve us
much of the conservative principle of q
constitutional government.
GsooD-BYF-The editor of the Albany
IN Wy Ro1jefor comments nNon those