The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1871-02-02

We cannot expect to be exempt froil d.
preston, in financial and business sense,
when every other community is Affected
Our people, however, have tho indomitable
will to meet these transient difficulties, and
will meet them. With a soil unsurpassed
for productiveness on the continent, buried
wealth, almost unequalled, in our mountains,
all we want is pluck, perseverance, stiff
upper lip, and within fow years all will be
right. Let unusual difficulties be met by
unusual exertions-moments OF idleness and
ease be converted into moments of labor and
push-economy be substituted for extraya-
gance, and tho end of the year 1871 will
find us in more prosperous condition than
at any former period of our history.
This hue and cry about the forlorn condi
ton Of the people Of the Valley comes from
people generally, who had they been brought
down to the square in 1860, wero thon insol-
vent. They held possession of their proper
ty through the indulgence of their creditors.
The stay law was enacted to give them time
to pay their Indebtedness by instalments; but
instead of striving to do this, and meet their
obligations, they rcsorted to every shift not to
pay, hoping, Micawbcr like, that something
would turn up which would entirely relieve
them Of their honest debts. These massive
| Judgment dockets in our courts are the result
Of, ante-war debts, many of which might
have been paid, before this time. had econo.
my been practiccd and disposition to pay
controlled. This is the plain truth Of the
case, whether it is palatabe or not.
70 Justify our position that the intrinsic
Indebtedness of our people has no comparison
in amount with that exhibited on the judg-
ment dockets, gentleman Of the legal fra
terEity told us, the other day, that he was
counsel in various cases, in each of which
Judgment had been obtained, in the aggre
gate, about $4,000, each case having re
lation to the other, and that $4,000 would
pay the whole amount Of the $4,000, and
then enable the party to whom he, as special
receiver, would pay over, to start the $4,000
again in its round Of liquidating debts. This
is but one instance, but it is representative
in its character.
I We repeat that tho people Of the Valley
II J,tiop fruth fha n
they were before the war, and that they are
able to pay their debts, as people, and will
do it. Let mutual confidence be restored be-
tween debtor and creditor-for nearly all are
really debtors-and disposition manifested
to pay as fast as possible-if not the whole,
then part OF each ones indebtedness-tor-
bear unnecessary resort to expensive and
hurtful litigation, and few years, at farthest,
will show that we have given truthful rep
resentation of the financial condition OF the
Valley. We do not wish to drive emigration
and capital from our splendid Valley by dis
pairing groans, when there Is no real
cause tor them. Parties have emigrated, and
will continue to emigrate from the Valley to
the West, but our observation has taught us
that not one in twenty betters his condition
one half of them return, satisfied with their
experiments, and the greater part o. the
other half would return, if they had the
means to do So We have travelled all
through the West, have lived there and pros
pered there, blu! take it all in all, we would
not give the Valley of Virginia for any coun-
try the sun ever shone on. Let men make
the same sacrifices here that they are com
PEELED to make there, and the reward, in ell
thy lucre," if that is what. they are after
will be equally as gratifying; while the ines
timable boon of rosy health is more fully
guaranteed here than there.
| COUNTY SUBSCRIPTION.
| We stated last week that the bill authoriz-