Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1868-04-15
DR.. Devore,s Address.

cally philanthIronic address of Dr.. JAMES A. De-
voRE before the Meeting for the consideration of
the Debt Question on Monday the 9th inst. It's ad-
vice and suggestions are worthy of universal re-
spect and adoption.
Mr. CHAIRMAN. AND FELLOW CITIZENS Eight
years ago. happier and more thrifty people were
not to be found on the face of our globe, than the
Sou,hern people.
The truth is, that little word "want," as applied
to the common necessares of life, scarcely had
place in the Southern vocabulary. Whilst to-day,
the same little word is so familiar in almost every
household that it might be justly termed the COM
mon password of our country. Nor was there
ever people who dared to claim the name of
freemou, moro down -trodden, oppressed, and en-
poverished, than are the Inhabitants of this, our
once glorious, happy, sunny South.
Such state of things wc all recognise as the re-
suit ofono of the boodiestcvl strfes to be found,
perhaps, in the annals of either ancient or mod
ern history; and unless We 90 to work in earnest,
and in the right way, we are destined to witness
ere long much worse instead Of better state
Of things.
Our first effort should be to resuscitate and re-
store, if possible, the lost energy of people
towards the accomplishment of which end, know
nothing that would more conduce than the reduc-
lion of old clnms, on the part of creditors, there
by placing, as nearly as possible, every debtors
liabilities within his limited means TO pay; with
something left upon which to subsist himself and
family, if possible. Tell me not that any man,
of natural and flial affection for his offspring,
could go energetically to work, oppressed with ne
belief that the last ear of corn and pound Of
| bacon, the result of his own hard toll, would be
sratched, as it were, from his hungry children, to
satisfy old claims, dollar for dollar.
Think, if you please, for a moment, and we
should all shudder at the thought Of an old elaim
whose principal was fearfully augmented by tho
interest for four long years, against some unfor-
tunate debtor, who was in the army, undergoing
| ell the hardships and privations attending SOL
dior's life and, for aught know, fighting the
battle of some bomO-proof positionod, but now
shylock.spirited bond-holder.
If We would have speedy return of the ener-
gy of our people, with consequent increased
interest in our agricultural pursuits,-than which
there is nothing we should look more closely to-,
for our very ifes blood depends upon its success,
II would says scale heavily the.old debts. And
| il we would have tho rotrogrado movement Of
the morals of our country arrested and their di-
rection changed, I.would say, SCALE heavily the
old debts: If we would have an unwelcome in
strument, shortly to be presented to US for ratG-
cation, defeated would say blot out negro claims,
and scale heavily the other debts. For creditors
say to your unfortunate debters, you must have
the whole pound of flesh, and if he, the debtor.
knows that be cannot meet the demand, with some
thing left upon which to appeass the hunger and
cover the nakedness of his starving children, his
6rst aim will be, and in my opinion should be, to
secure suficiency. for that purpose in the most
certain possible way, regardless of old claims.
Fellow-Citzens, know but little about law,
and with due respect to the profession, care but
little about it. + think, however, know enough
about it to say the less you have to do with it
the more money you will have. have always
been taught that the intention Of law was to mete
out justice and equity to the parties living there
under and amenable thereto, bat must confess
that not very many Of the decisions have heard
in this Court room, according to my feeble no.
tiOns of justice and equity, did much towards
verifying the truth of it. havo no doubt, how
ever, but that our present code gave entire aats.
faction, and even gave us justice, in most cases,
up to the close of the bloody and devastating war
from which we have go recently emerged. But l
nm sorry to say that in those particulars it fails at
present, which may probably be attributed to the
Inability of the trainers thereof, TO look into the
future, and behold an outside power, falling upon,
and doprving US, with one fell sweep Of the sword
of from three -fourths to four-ffths of our legal
property, without any remuneration whatever for
it. Then fellow citizens, if the law was made for
our benefit and, by the extraordinary circum
stances, which at present surround us, is made
to fail to answer our purpose,-we being told from
every nook and corner by the legal profession
that we cannot modify it go as 10 make it answer
because, forsooth, they say it will be an &c pos
| facto law, why then I would say, for our OWL
safety, we should do as our State attempted to do
in lS6O-let us secede from it at least SO far a'
OUT debts ere concerned. And my word upon it,
the result will be much more favorable than in
tho case of our unfortunate thought gallant little
State. Yes, fellow-ctizens let US, with our debts
secede FROM the Courts. and settle our claims
among ourselves, taking the teachings of the
moral la,0 as our guide, q law not Of human in
vention, but of divine origin, and of coequal e1-
istence with the Deity himself and whose teach
inss are all by the golden rule, {" do unto others
as you would they should do unto you"
And should parties fail to like these and similar
views of the teachings of this law, they need but
call on three or five of their best neighbors whose
decisions, in nineteen cases out of twenty, will bo
morally correct.
Yes, let US compromise and arbitrate among
ourselves, and keep our claims out of these double
tolling machines, the Courts; for tell you, il
you start claim through the mill, it will be very
apt to come out scaled plenty. In these hard
times, the only trouble would he as to who would
reap the benefit; and if it should be necessary to
run it through the mill second time, as is gon-
erelly the case, why then I would say sell it on
the wing to your Attorney for what you could
get; because it might involve some of your other
claims, if not some of your ready cash.
citizens, would by for prefer having
liabilities of mine scttod by arbitration, at so cts.
in the dollar, to verdict by Jury at rs cts; for
there is no telling how many times the Jury may
have the work to do over, and evory recurrence
adds to the cost; whilst the nrbitrators have the
work to do but once, and that generally without
money, and without price.
| As matters now stand, must acknowledge
there is nothing to be seen but darkness, even in
the distance. Still, can but believe, if We will
DO true to ourselves and to each othor, dividing