The weekly clarion., 1873-11-20
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The Legislature when it assembled in
extra session. did several things worthy
of praise. 1t proposed an important
amendment to the Constitution. It gave
the people short respite from the troub-
ling of the tax-cOllector. Itrepealed the
law. exempting railroads from taxation.
But it passed unheeded the suggestion in
favor Of measure suspending the en-
forced collection Of debts. In another
column, we have published strong ap-
peal from one of the best known planters
and most distinguished citizens of the
State. He shows the necessity of relief
There is no avoiding the conclusions at
which he arrives. 1t is ruinous-it is
cruel in the present condition of the
market for our chief staple to leave the
debtor class to the mercy Of creditors.
The Legislature viii ere long meet again
and its first duty will be to do what was
left undone at the late session when the
difficulties of the times evidently were
not fully realized. 1t is a sad condition
in which the country is placed. The
future is dark and gloomy. There is no
money in circulation. Credit is dead.
Our people have not raised anything like
a sufficiency of bread. They do not
raise their own meat. Cottonis is not only
selling at ruinously low rates, but it is
difficult to sell it for money at all. Look
at what few months will develop! The
great majority of our farmers will have
realized the last dollar on their crops
They will have no money-they will have
neither bread nor meat-and their credit
is at an end. What can be done? 1t
will greatly embarrass them, to get money
to pay their taxes-that is as much as
they can bear. Suppose, in addition to
this, creditors resolve to collect their
debts? Then bankruptcy and ruin will
be the lot of great portion OF our peo-
ple Laugh at it who may-disregard
the admonitions of what we see before
us-yet, in our opinion, the year coming
will be the hardest, mot grinding,
aud trying, that we have seen since the war.
/ The crops of cotton are shorter than they
have been for years. The price is going
down, down, all the time. The pressure
and tightness of the times coming are
awful. Nothing but a staylaw to sds-
pend the collection of debts, can save the
people from ruin. After paying their
taxes, it will take every. dollar of what
| nine-tenths of the farmers have left, to
enable them to make crop next year.
Suppose the collection of debts is en-
forced many an unfortunate man-aye,
women and children too, will be deprived
of the shelter over their heads That is
not the worst. They viii be without
bread and weeping and wailing viii be
heard over the State. This is no fancy
sketch-we wish it was.
With the blacks, it will be no better.
Heretofore, there has been a struggle, as
to who should get hands" and in every
neighborhood farmers almost quarreled
over the negroes, as to who should get
them. There will be none of that this
year to come. The struggle will beamong
the blacks, to get places on good mems
land. Mark our prediction, If nothing
is done to protect debtors from the
savoritv Of oroditOrs- Of tho
men in the State will have the other nine
tenths in their power. That nine
tenths can't ''run" their colored laborers.
We predict now, if nothing is done be-
fore the end of 1874, we shall see plenty,
both black and white, eager to get work
for just something to eat. We have given
our warning in time. If the worst comes,
we have done our duty.