The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-03-12
A.o.,er Relief Bill Gone Up

7, tho House Of Delegates yesterday VA
n nrrycnt the forced sales of personal pro-
n.,tx WAS defeated by vote OF % 10 o..
Under tho prctext Of protecting property
rr,n sacrifice at public sale, law was en-
nn,ca since the war which provided that real
estate sold under decree Of court shonio
ne SOL, on a credit Of not less than three nor
marc than six years. The previous law o.
the subject prescribed that the credit shout
moi extend beyond three years.
This relief bill provided that no persona
nrorcr,y whatever should De suhlec'cu -
sale for 4 debt contracted prior 10 me ip'" "
April. 1860, until the real cstate'i '',e "'D'o
ushould have lcen first cNiE'"steo
sh;o,1ino ncrsonal property from cXecutioh
e..doh, o,d pu;,ins OF the creditor as long
as possible. 49, o1;,o.
yct if arpears all the time that the real e'talc
men must he favored. a poor deVii VINO
owns no real estate must take care OF hln-
self.
We wonder when these relief measures for
,bo debtors whose obligations were con-
trac,cd before the 10th Of April, 1850, VII!
cease. They have been standinS--or tho>c
of ,hcm which have not been already Set
tled-ncarly seven years since the date spec
f.a and many Of them for much longer
period; ard yet We hear rs much Of them as
though the number Of debtors was not d'-
m;nisbcd and there was no change IN the
circumstances affecting the claim to longer
Indulgence and longer withholding from the
creditor his right. We suppose that the cla-
NOR for relief will be heard as long as any OF
these debtors live, and that the last one Will
be paradcd through the Legislature as tho
numerous last-suryiyng soldiers of the Revo-
lu;isnary war We're in earlier days OH tn
F""r'h Of July presented to their admlrlns
countrymen.
Inc LEGISLATURE can do no good 10 the
State BY making into laws such bills as this
The effect will only be to diminish faitl
amongst men. and faith in the Legislature,
too. The State is too PROSTATE to be sub
united to cxhausting treatment under this
system Of quackcry. We repeat that !arS"
propoItion Of the debtors have disappeared
frcm the debtors list, either by reason OF
death, the process Of bankruptcy, OF by up
ririlt settlement. The remainder Of the lisl
have had the seven years. indulgence, and
will they he hotter enabled to pay by further
procra,timtion? That is matter that should
be left to them and their creditors. We be-
licvc they would settle fairly. The Lcgsla-
ture can devise 10 mode of Just settlement,
and whenever it intclfcrcS il increases The
general embarrassment and general distrust.
AS we have often said, there is no sucli
class rs creditor class. The creditors AZ,
also debtors. And when the Legislature at
tempts to leSislatc upon the presumption that
there is such 4 class, it is only setting upa
dummy for a target for dcnagoSsm to shoot
at. A little money will pay great many
debts end afford much relief. But If meG
are to bc told that the Legislature will boil
ster them up and shield them from the just
claims held against them, they will rclal SC
into indifference while their Debt is stcadil!
growing. The result will be that prolonged
credit will be another name for increase Of
embarrussments md ultimate despair. II
will do no good to debtors, while i! only rolls
the creditors.
The great error Of tho State in such inter
ference is that it undertakes to classify IL
citizens, and take under its protection one
class to shield it from the alleged cruelty and
oppression of another. Thus it infcrs a de-
gree Of merit, virtue, and suffering, in the
one Which entities it 10 the protection Of the
Government. and an amount Of cruelty and
tyranny in the other which justly draws
down upon them the indignation Of the Com
monwealth, and makes it proper to dcpriv,
them Of the power to collect the just claims
which they hold against their fcllow-men.
The distinction is grossly unjust, and the ia
yor on the one hand and the restraint on the
other based upon this unfounded assump-
ton are greatly outrageous. This lcgls
htion does TO good to State or PEG
pie, and always aggravatcs the evils it Is
pretended to alleviate. 1t engenders dis
content. distrust amongst the people, and
doubt in the wisdom and honesty of the
Government. When a people get to that
frame of mind they are unquestiorably gov
erned badly and partially.
But we trust this Legislature has had
enough of tinkeriug the subject Of reiict, anG
that we shall have an end on it without see.
ing any other act Of intermeddlins with pri-
Yate affairs.
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