The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1875-06-09
For the Hartford Herald.
"HARD .TIMES."

In the closing paragraph OF our last
communication, we attempted to give
some reason why we could not, by legis-
lation, give our people a just, equitable
and permanent rate for the use, hire, or
forbearance ofthat root of all evil, money,
or its representative, the paper rags
which we now use in its stead, for money
proper has long since ceased to circulate
as such, but is a commodity ofcommerce,
and is bought and sold in all the United
States marts Just as cotton, wheat, and
tobacco, except in some two or three of
the Pacific States, and there they always
have the bonanza in the money mar
ket, for it is all coin and does not fuctu>
ate, dollar is dollar, in fact.
Our legislation, it is true, has as a gen
eral rule been damaging and delcteorius
to both agriculture and commerce, and
has been one of the many causes which
brought on our present financial troubles,
which has caused business to lag and
wane from Maine to Texas; but, on the
other hand, it is impossible to recover
from financial crisis 10y means Of legis-
lation. You may lap off and trim mp the
ragged edges, but SO long as people give
and take credit, and have the power to
involve themselves in monetary liabilities
beyond their means Of liquidation, so
long will financial panics be probable and
always lurking in the back ground.
The true preventive is not to be found
in legislation, but in the intelligence, in
tegrity, honesty, economy, and financial
skill of the people generally. We are
not without hope, however, that even in
this direction legislation may be indirect
ly productive within certain narrow linz
its of useful results Law cannot create
prudence where it does not exist, but it
may, in some cases, call into action pru-
dence which now lies dormant. Further.
more, there should be a well-defined
stringent legal limit to credit. The man
who contracts debts beyond a reasonable
estimate of his ability to meet them. com
mis an act of fraud for which he should
be punished The law should so regard
it, and make the penalty severe and OPP
erative Make a law to prevent imposi-
ton and rascalIty, if possible means for
the detection and punishment of fraud,
and the Industrious honest men who try
to earn an honest living in legitimate
way will profit thereby. Rid our laws as
much as possible of technicalites, and
thereby you will render them less liable
TO the hundred and one constructions
which the courts almost daily put on
them, and then it will be that in most
cases the guilty will be punished, and the
innocent will have the protection thrown
around them as was originalIy-by those
who set our present systsm on foot-in-
tended; but it has in modern times been
so much tempered with by legislators, and
so many and often conflicting construc-
tons put on it by judiciary who, we
with shame confess, have not in a few in.
stances been corrupted-at least there are
grounds for believing such is the case
until our whole system Of jurisprudence
has become so mystified and complicated
and, in some instances, contradictory
dIscrepant and such mass of underlined
stuff that the lawyers themselves know
but little about it, and the most profound
aud learned disciples of Blackstone are
disagreed as TO one half the issues 0
common law, to say nothing of the Ba
bel of pettifoggers.
All of our laws should be so framed a
to favor economy and despatch in the
execution, not keep one charged with al
offence incarcerated for years, and il
painful suspense, and at the same tim
Involving the State in untold thousand
of debt, which we are heavily taxed T.
: pay. 1t Is our opinion that it would b
well to revise and in many respects t
change our entire judicial system Thi
class Of legislation is all that will in an
way help to relie'e our present or aver
. future financial troubles, and this wou
necessarily be very SLOW, but we thin
would help some. As before intimatel
t we must not look to any political or 9th
5 er organizations nor combinations Tor re
t lief, but, on the other hand, each one
s us must take it home to ourselves, fir,
5 set our own house to rights" and the