Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-06-16
RELIEF CONVENTION.

The Relief Convention is in session in
Richmond, and some very passionate
speeches have been made. The lien debts
of individuals in the State are estimated
at S35 10000 The creditors are called
Shylocks, and all such twaddle. The
question is argued as though one half of
the people owed the other half, and they
were clearly defined classes This is not
so-the man who is indebted is almost
certain to have considerable amount due
to him.
LIST. We believe that it is very doubt
full whether the poor man of the country
are not fully as much the creditor class as
the rich. Let any individual amuse him
self by counting up the Indebtedness in his
own community. and satisfy himself
whether the poor or the rich are the cred
tors.
I'd. People do not need time-they
need settlement and adjustment of the
debts. They want the whole matter put
on footing where there will be certainty
of enfor.enent--and wind up the matter
in some manner.
Sd. We believe there is but one party
which should come in between the obligor
and obligee of contract-and that party
is Court of Equity. Any distinction
made in contracts, merely on account OF
their having been made between certain
dates, is contrary to the principles of law.
making laws uncertain. as to their exc
cution, must result in harm. The Legis-
lature cannot frame. nor can any other
body do SO, general law which shall have
general application and only self execu-
ting. which will not only operate serious
and irremediable INJURY in individual cases
but the number of these cases will be con-
siderable. It is principle of common
law that all the laws in existance at the
time of the making of contract are con-
sidcred as part of the contract, so too, are
all circumsta ices surrounding the making
of it. An individual is presumed to credit
another on the faith of the property which
the other possesses. If the property. on
the faith of which he trusted the debtor.
is taken from the debtor in consequence
of the failure of the government, to pro
tect it-should the debtor lose all OF it !!
We believe that law granting equity
jurisdiction by statutory provision, IN re-
gard to all contracts-so that the Court
may take evidence and determine upon it
the manner and extent Of relief, in con-
sideration of the circumstances and con-
dition of the parties at the time OF the
making of the contract. aud the subse-
quent change in the condition and circum-
stances Of the parties. not resulting from
their own fault or negligence. would give
the only reasonable relief. capable of adj
justing itself to each individual instance.
The relation Of debtor or creditor essenti-
ally belongs to the organic law. 1t I'M
derlies constitutions as we'll as laws, The
subject of contracts embraces almost the
entire business operations of the country.
It must be approached carefully. Agrar''
an ;sm is the twin-brother of Repudia-
tion-and anarchy, and the tendency to
general disregard Of legal obligations, is
the parent of botlr. Flying from pres
ent to future evil-postponing the day
of reckoning, is not always benehclal.-
The creditor has been allowed nine years
to settle his anti-war debts-has he set
tied any considerable amount?
4th. We have Bankrupt lava
Homestead Lava Poor Debtors Law.
"a Law regulating Forced Sales, (Which
we published to-day.) Now, il the Home
stead prevents ievies to an amount OF
S2,OOO-is all this noise about relief in
tended to benefit the poor man? A man
is not poor who is worth $4,000, and q
poor man can't get credit to that amount.
The rich man gets the eredit-the rich
man is the debtor the rich man has the
homestead-and the poor man hurrahs for
relief. Let us look at the thing calmly
and reasonably. Look at the community
around you-see who are the debtors and
who the creditors. Can suffering from
poverty come to a man who has 81, 5OO
secured to MIN. We do not know that
we ever will be worth $4,000. Our
views are not personal prejudices: We
owe comparatively nothing and have few
persons indebted to US from before the
war.
The great need of this country is not
relief. bat aoork. 'rork. cork! Labor,
honest, faithful. intelligent labor will cor
rect the evil. II man OWES too much
land to operate advantageously, let him
sell part Of it to some one else and use the
money. We had rather that every man
in the State would take the Bankrupt law.
and all start fresh, than to bequeata to
posterity a shattered and temporarily
patched up body of laws. to relieve men
worth over $1,000 from paying their
honest debts. Posterity needs we'll
established, fixed aud certain laws, more
than it will moaey. The tendency Of
Republican Institutions in America is to
uusettle all the laws which emb,dy the
wisdom and experience of Centuries
Constitutional amendments are ofshoots
Let us cling to that which tine has proven
or, if We amend laws. do SO By the
forms and without conflict with the basis
Of laws. Observation-Disclosures are