The national Republican., 1868-12-04


Runners. Cotton and Tobacco Rum
pcrs and Confederate Army Con-
tractors, &C., and the Mass OF the
People OF the state.
DEoRNBER s, lsos.
To THE REPUBLICAN: The current effort
to induce interference from ofieiai sources at
this point to bear on the action Of Genera
| stoneman, with reference to the existing stay.
law Of Virginia is. to say the least Of II, .
very mischisvouJ one. The IntelGgsncsr Is
eminsntly right 10 Its comments Of yesterday
upon the subject. That law, and that law
only, has saved the people Of Virginia from
world Of misery Without 1t beggary would
have overtaken nine.tenths OF the inhabitants
Of the State who had property before the war,
In addition to the many other calauities their
rebellion folly brought upon them.
It's adoption by their Legislature, while II
may have "di'commoded" thousands OF cred
itors, has saved tons Of Thousands equally de-
serving people from utter (pecunisry) destrue-
tion, without In any manner weakening tho
security for the ultimate payment, with In.
terost, Of the claims of the former. The prin.
ciPlo Of stay-laws i, wrong one, But there
sIo tuut ONorrluo cOTroCt Dutl
ness principles, that make exceptions to gen.
sral business rules necessary at times. Bank.
ript laws also do abstract injustice to eredi.
itors, aud are therefore wrong In abstract prir.
ciple. Yet how few there are who do not now
s1lnit that sooisty at large is greatly benefited
BY granting the insolvent debtor q full and
free discharge of his liabilities, after his pay.
msnt Of su h portion Of his indsStedness
only as his current mean, may cover. With.
out such 4 provision Of law, many Thousands
Who are now adding, by their enterprise, In.
telligenoe, experience and labor, to tho
material wealth Of the country, would have
no incentive whatever to lift . hand or
to direct a thought to that end. Bat for
this Virginia stay law. the industry atd
enterprise Of the current generation Of her
sgriculturalists, and other business mer,
would have been as dead as the bodies Of those
OF her people who fell in the war. She Is
fairly working out the promise under which
tho stay law was enacted. Her people are
rapidly accumulating the means Of redeeming
their personal obligations in fair time, with.
ou. reducing themselves and their families to
| bsfBHys IL Is DctltT tuo Sthbo-IOE Nuo
whole United States, if you please-that this
should be so, than that her handful Of North
sru creditors should have opportunities to
sequire the property Of their Virginia debtors
Al perhaps 4 tithe Of what that property will
sell for in Ave years at the current rate Of tn,
7 States recuperation, which must, Of courss
be almost wholly checked, II we'll nigh hal
Z Al atata v.ithip har limita ha m ur NJ
psremptory sale, in perhaps tbs next twelve
months. That is the alternative, and tho onl,
alternative. for the temporary exteasion oi
her stay law until tho Virginia Legislator,
next meets. Tho United State, Govsrnmen,
General Grant, has been called on and
arguei With BY Virginia spectators. the nsws
papers tell ~, to induce instru,tions to Gen
Stonsman to remit tho S.s,s's real estate thus
TO far more wholesale conf,o ition than wsi sveI
drsamsd Of by M. Th,disu, Stevens, as Bit
tsrIy as he hs, been roviled by Virginians for
holding that the lo,se, OF Virginia Unionists
through the war should be made good BY the
application Of Virginia property to that cod
Thousands in Virginia made "good things
through the war, accumulating far greater
means or wealth THAI they had previously
These are the parties. for the most part, in
Virginia who now demand at General Grants
hands the wholeiale eonfssiiion Of Virgin's
real estate. Neither the Governmsut Of the
United State, nor the people Of the North
, have the slightest interest in them, or in the
success Of this last speculation Of theirs
Wholesale eonn,cation Of Virginia They wers
the stockholders in blockade running; the
spectators 10 running cotton and tobacco into
our linesi the eonfeioracy's army aud Other
contractors, 40. They are indeed the mos,
. despioable and reprehensibls of our country
enemies during the war Few Of them ar,
$ creditors seeking to get back their own-nin
tsnths Of them being Simply usn with NOR
Q or less ready money, aiming to make thei
. fortunes out Of the general distress they air
Is to bring about by their proposed general con
, | 6scation of Virginia real estate.
= They reckon without their host 10 fancyin
o that General Grant will interfere with Gsnsrl
D stousman to accomplish for them their en-
and aim. stoneman's duty Is to protect th
u general interest Of society within his militsr
!, | district, and to sec that the reoopstructio
n laws Of Congress are duly carried out not
Is make opportunities to swell the wealth Of th
Is blockade runners and Southern cotton an
IS tobacco speculator, and army contractors VII
u during the war absorbed an undue portio
, Of the available means Of the people Of Vir
" | ginia, as matters stood at that timo.
TINS rolls Of the House at the coming sessio
will bear the names Of 1913 Representatives
!, including the delegations from GsOrgia an
Alabama. -Four members Of tho prsssn
House, have died, namely: Mss,rs. Finns
l. and Stevens Of Ponnsylvauia, Mann of Lousi
u ana, and Hiuds of ArkIusiJ. The death G
g neither Of these has been announced othciall
n in tho HOUSE, and ono Of the first features O
a the coming session will be the passage Of th
!. customary resolutions and the delivery Of th
a usual addresses by the colleagues Of the do
y ceased members Mr.. Finney was able to oc
eupy his seat only about 4 week. lie Is sue
cseded by S. Newton Pettis, Mr. Stevens /
: succeeded by c. s. Dickey, and either Jons
or Menard will succeed Mr.. Mann, tho cleo
tion being contested. Tho latter IL 4 colore
, man
The Senate rolls will contain the names
66 members, including MsSsrs. Hill and Mi
Ter, Of Georgia, and Mssss. Spencer and Wa
| ~ Alabama haing ;n,Yaasa - I