The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1877-06-08

And no one who has any acquaintance with
English literature can doubt for moment as to
how usury was regarded there.
Under the fostering influence of her laws
against usury, and her homestead law. which
Georgia gave to her people she at
tanned the right of elf-government-which she
did sooner than any other State in the South
she speedily attained pre-eminent prosperity,
which is, as yet, unrvalled amongst the South
ern States.
will now refer, Mr.. Editor, to the resolutions
of the Chamber of Commerce Of Charleston,
against the reestablishment Of the law against
usury, addressed to the South Carolina Lcgisla-
turc, and recently published, in the Journal Of
Commerce: With perfect respect for the high
character of the gentlemen who compose the
Chamber of Commerce, I, nevertheless, beg leave
to say that the doctrine of "thc natural right
of the individual to untrammellcd freedom in
the condnct Of money and Commercial AFFAIRS
is rather startling one. Certainly the Supreme
Court of the United States knows nothing of this
doctrine, for, few years since it decided, fol.
lowing in the track of the Declaration of Inde-
pendcnce, that ''the rights of life and personal
liberty were the natural rights of man.'iS We
hear of no other natural "rights," save these
form this the highest legal tribunal in the land.
In the excellent editorial Of the 10th of May,
of the Journal Of Commerce, entitled the "Legiti-
mate Sphere of Government" we are told that
Protection to property, protection against in.
justice, protection of the weak against the
strong, IL tho legitimate sphere Of government"
and Jeremy Bentham, the great English political
| aNnn .s,t ALL ll.uA-
| aim Mt making such laws as will enable tho poor
| man to provide subsistence for his family
just now the farmer in South Carolina is in ur-
| gent need Of such protection and such a law
Should the capitalist, in the exercise Of his ..un-
| trammelled freedom in the conduct of money
and Commercial AFFAIRS trespass, as might
sometimes happen, upon his neighbours right to
provide an honest subsistence for his family,
how then should the case stand? Is there not
law needed, which should step in just hero
and say, Ito quote again from the editorial above
alluded TO Thou shall not? The doctrine of
'the natural right of the individual to untram-
mellcd freedom" &C., it strikes me, MIR. Editor,
is, so to speak, too broad and too long The
gentlemen of the Chamber of Commerce of
Charleston are men of the highest character, as
\ wo have said, but there are men of money,
here and there, who are not, and wilfully misin-
tcrpreting the above resolution, and citing it as
authority, they will base upon it exceedingly
crooked practices, in the use of money.
| AS to the doctrine, also, announced in the
resolutions of the Charleston Chamber of Com
merce, at the meeting above referred to, that
the Legislature has no more right to legislate
| Ia. 4
has it not been the practice, heretofore, of oil
civilized governments, to legislate upon their
circulating medium, they saw fit and as the
necessities of the times and the people dcman-
| dcd?
There arc those, perhaps, who will think that
| the statements of the wretchcd condition Of the
| agricultural classes in South Carolina, are too
e1travagant. They have they say, "no
| knowledge Of such u condition Of things they
are constrained to believe that the stat cments are
too highly coloured." With pink and whito palms
upturnel, with the self. satisfied urbanc smiles
! of men with whom success, whether il business
or argument, is a foregOne conclusion, they de-
| nonstratc, t. their own entire satisfaction than
the whole thing is fgmcnt of the brain oS
some "lcan and hungry Cassius;" or if it is
| truth, 1.-THE people have nobody to blame but
| thcpsclves."
Wrapped in the comfortable consciousness of
''much goods laid up for many years." they ara
totally unable to realize such things as honorable
poverty and bidm,eless misfortune. Clothed in.
purple and fine linen, and fariDg sumptuously
every day. they arc unaware of any duty
which calls to them in the shape of Lazarus Sit
ting at the gate, in need Of all things. Doubtless.
If Lazarus ever attactcd the attention of Dives.
the latter regarded the wre; ched man with q.
mixture of pity and contempt, and sagaciously
reflected that the man must have been greatly
to blame to bring himself to such horrible con-
diftpn.i, ,s..,s. -.
" There arc hundreds. my, thousandS of mel
in South Carolina, who can neither be bought
nor browbcaten, nor wheedled, whom all the,
declarations resolutions and statements, of oil
the Capitalists of the State, cannot blind to the
plain facts of the case and wo hope they will
make themselves heard, as they have the power
and the right to do in demanding the re-cstab-
lishment Of the law against usury. In this case,
the ''voicc of the people would be tho voice Of
God" With this law again in force, South Car.
oina would be, indeed, redeemed, rcgenerated
and disonthraled without il, God help the
poor. j.
RsJ" While we sincerely sympathize with all
who lost propcrerty by the fire last Sunday, par
ticularly those who had labored hard for what
they, obtained, we cannot help feeling more deep
ly for those industrious and worthy Mechanics,
j. p. Mullinax, Thos Nelson and r. =. Lemaster,
Their losses wefr- severe. because 1t took from,
them tho tools by, which they earned the food
and clothiuo for their families In