Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-10-28
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.


LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE.
ANDY Radical"
EDITORS APPEAL-This is the frat
time have ever asked you for place In your
| paper, and Il may be the Last. The Ard aRcle
l has been very much excited over the question
| of United States senator And what has been
the result9 Substantially the same as in ls72,
TO congress, and come near losing the legisia
lure 20 us. They are loud IN their condemna-
ton of the 'funding bill" 50 am l. But VINO
opened the way for the election OF Us support
eTs. For, after he had gone to Nashville ana
taken a look at the situation, he concluded IL
| would be doubtful whether he would get the
! nomination or not, and having confidence IN
himself Is demagogue, he Withdrew, ana
! after him came lOag list OF adventures. de
pending on Andy 70 take them into ONCE.
! Now IL comes again. he Is the leader OF tile
nameless party, or the ~, rs;,
lar nominees. IL be is Democrat ne sets
into very bad company somehow; l an az
much oppt sed TO John q. Brown as 10 AheIew
] Johnson. with tke exception above. Let re-
| pudiate the flinders and Inc "Ahqf-haoi-
calls" and elect the regular ticket. Don I ley
names as the Peoples Reform sid WORKING
men S party. II is nothing but "Andy-kssdi-
cai." ONSh'
EDITORS APPEAL-While politics
and laws are all the go. and white mems
tickets, and wOrkingInens tickets, and negro
tickets are discussed, we would say lew
words for the poor men. Under the present
law, man may own home stead Tree from
execution, II pair Of horses ana wagon, cows,
calves, sheep and hogs, amounting 10 some
eighteen hundred dollars, II he happens TO be |
IN the farming business, or any other oust- |
ness that he can use such things; put II ne Is |
a clerk on a salary, or a mechanic on wages |
without three hundred dollars worth OF
household plumber, the law wlll not allow
him a car pet. or a wardrobe, or picture, or |
hundred other articles that are calculated TO |
adOrn his home and make 1t attractive 10 |
him. Even his wages, scanly as they may be, |
must always be kept fully drawn, or at least /
within thirty dollars OF ii, or the constable |
can take them; and some employers make IL |
a rule to discharge any one from their employ |
for whose wages they are garnished. Thus, |
man may be out OF employment for month /
or two, and necessarily get few dollars be. |
hind, and perhaps when next employed can
only get his pay once each month, which, |
when due, viii be over the thirty dollars. |
malicious creditor can garntshee MS
employer and stop "a, all ms Pay, |
charged for \ a small debt, though the |
debtor may not have three hundrtd |
may owe a thousand or fifteen hundred uol-
lars and hold eighteen hundred dollars worth |
of property Tree from execution, ana that VIII |
make MS living without the fear OF dlschaIge
from any one. Let the law be changed max
ing all salaries free from execution, and al
lowing man so much personal property as
-
six hundred dOllars-to be selected IN any
thing he may choose; and not say II your
vile makes your carpet you may nave one
but you shall not buy one and Keep II, and
that If MIR. Z. prefers a wardrobe 10 bureau
he may have it. Again, according 70 lne
present law creditor can put an account
Into a constable's hands OF his own SELECTION;
the constable can serve the summons one
day, set the trial for the next, get Judgment,
and the third or fourth day make a levy; but
If he has the kind of property the law says ne
may have, Notwithstanding 1t may be Tree
from execution, IL gives him credit, so that
he can stay his debt for eight months But
the man who has not got that kind OF proper
ty must raise the money or have his carpet
taken, or ms wages garDisheed, ana perhaps
discharged The law should De changed so
hat trial should not take place IN less than
ten days after service OF summons, ana an
execution run fifteen days before a levy, ana
a sale ten days after a levy, and repeal the
stay Law. A man would thus nave iull
month 20 pay az er the suit, SO t nat. II ms his
execution before Z. sale, and be on an equality
with his more prosperous neighbor, who could
moi take advantage OF stay law That Is
only a benefit o those who have property ana
who arr best iole 10 pay LOOK MAN.
what Will be tire Effect OF RepudiaiiOn.
EDITORS APPEAL-While our polit-
ical circles are so much sgitated over the
great all-absOTbing question, the stale debt,
and the various means and policies advanced
for reducing, or, il necessary, repuC lating the
same would IL not be well for us 10 look a IT.
tie to the other side of the picture before this
I
advocates of this measure point 10 US what
viii be the differentiation Of our now worthy
state, whore name is the synonim OF honesty,
and wha Will be her loss when cisrobed OF
this fair name, stigmatiZed with approol lums
OF repudlating, even at the gam Of renewing
herself of n debt, though great II may pc, was
made with her sanction, ana which in honor,
at least, she Is bound TO hold tnVioiable And
secondly, how and in what way Is this 10 be
accom- plished Should we determine 10 yield
10 what seems 10 be the popular wish, ana |
wipe out with one stroke the whole or even
any portion OF this debt, and thus, in the Ian
gusge Of one OF lis advocates, ieaNe Us
Jreemen, uutrammtl c, without obligations
which we find it hard 10 meet. God forbid
that such freedom (eyen were II posslble)
shonld be purchased al such a price There is
a moral obligation upon every individual to
meet his just debts, and when be fails to so do,
If from inability, he is pitied; but II, having
the means and ability, he then does not COM
ply, he is justly branded as a defrauoer-dls-
honest, and forever unworthy OF that credit
formerly enjoyed. Those VINO nave suffered
by his treacnery can never again be persuaded
into the condition Of trusting him, however
fair aud persistent his promises. Dies not this
ust rule of Judgment apply equally true TO
the State-in fact, Is She no. bound and eX-
pected to di play rule of conduct even more
rigid and circumspect toward the faithful per-
Torrance OF obligations than that OF the prt-
vate citizen? In the one case, the honor and
integrity of one is at stake; in the othef,th OF
the whole people and their future generations
to come. hold il 10 be the duty OF every state
to watch with Jealous care and keep
untarnished her credit, to consider as sacred
those deOts which She mas in confidence and
good faith contracted with her people. And a
failure 10 so do, not only blasts her name with
a stigma which even time cannot e1ace, but
the confidence and trust Of her citizens de-
Serts her; foreign capital shuns her borders as
a line in which their investments are leopard
lied, and all commerce and enterprise must
Of necessity cease 10 flow within her limits.
By repudiating she teaches her people by her
example, and they who nave been taught to 5
look to their sovereign as a criterion Tor ali ]
that is just, right aud honorable, are too apt ]
20 follow her steps in this; and disregard their {
fellow men. such results are and must for {
ever be reaped by those who attempt to avoid I
their lust debts. But 10 tue second part OF our 5
inquiry, how is this TO be effected? Can we
one of the contracting parties, with
out the sanction or authority Of the
other to violate a contract which
has been solemnly entered into. Morally,
this question needs no answer, for there are
none ignorant of the laws of justice as 10
ton cannot ind an advocate, what would we
think should IL DE attempted by a party (the
state, for instance, in this case), who mas
alone received the benefit under the Contract, /
and rested and fiOurished under the emolu |
menis thereby required, and now only pro- q
poses to cancel when the day of payment /
comes? What would the law say TO this ] a
For should such be attempted on the part Of '
The state, il is fair TO presume all no ders of L
bonds would call 10 their aid the rights guar a
anteed by the constitution. Now, in the de- /
elaratiOn of rights OF the constitution, article {
one, subsection twenty, is the following pro '
mo laws tmpairtng the obligations Y
Di contracts shall be passed." and although I
the legislature has often, in violation OF this :
clause, passed laws which have had the effect [
of impairing the OBJ igations between par t
lies, they have been always declared /
void and Of no effect, and must 5
ever share a similar fate when brought for q
before a wise and heightened I
court. This section has been so often tested I
that there is now no man who is familiar In
with the authorities VIII Tor q moment doubt {
its result whenever construction thereon is r
demanded Then how are tue advocates of I
this reputation measure TO overcome this I
ssction2 VIII they have a convention and
strike IL from the pages Of the constitution?
II 50 they are met with similar one, equally
rs strong and as fatal TO their measure in that y
Of the United States, which declares that
mo state shall pass a retrospective law, or
one impairing the DBL cations Of contracts"
Will they say that such prohibition is in a
Tended TO apply only TO individuals, and the C
state exempt and cannot be forced 10 meas
are her obi gallons by such laws? such an
argument cannot fEd Judgment for a mo- Il
nent with any well-infOI med man; and, be- D
tides, our courts have long since set this at
est, and there cannot be doubt
h to sucl liability equally with indi-
yiduals. Now, il does seem thai states being
table with individuals upon their contracts,
/ is useless. Is well as impracticable, for our
people 10 further discuss this question, for =,
my display of willingness TO repddiate must
necessarily prove injurious 70 the credit Of q
he state; an 4 if q cannot be effected, why q
igiIaye il. ~ a. can, will some one inform
Is how ? one ofthe advocates OF this measure,
ju ,tificatiOn OF Its end, cites Mr.. Jefferson
or saying that a perpetual debt should not
,e ou cJpragec, and that nineteen years Is a
efficient duration for any bond" such, no
IOuDt would be 8 good rule IL adopted by a
,tate: bat we cannot see how this would be