The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1878-02-27
r2AcMCNTS ns THE EARLY HISTORY
OF OHIO COUNTY.
BY II. D. TAYLOR.
CHAPTER Kill

During the appearance Of ualimlted
prosperity in 1916, George Madison was
elected Governor. aud Gabriel Slaughter
Lieutenant -G Governor OF Kentucky with
out any political excitement. Madison.
however. died in few months alter his
eleciion, ami ,-oy!dJe politicians soon ex-
hinj Ell TIE tact that lhefe are always two
sides 10 question. however plain il ma,
be, foc rot wiihS ardihg the apparent
plsin provisions OF the CoA-ljiu,;o on. that
he /. en,-nao, Governor should fiji the
Office OF Governor during The uneXpred
tie IA. YET the question OF new elec,ion
was raised aud debated with great zeal
add power, on stumi'-, at cross roads, ia
ta,orn-. and dr.'s,ins societies, a. though
ine destiny OF tie country depended on
the question.
The truth was that the Office Of Lieu>
tenaur>Goverror had been looked upon
as a hind OF fi:ure>head TO the governs
ment; of lillle use, honor or re>pons-
bili:y; and was voted tor 10y the people
with that unders' aDding; but when u
man whose qualifications for Governor
had never been weighed or InveSi gated
hy she people. became invested with that
Office 10y des,h. it was 'hOrsbt an orr.
rage. aud .eaiiiy seized upon Icy would be
great men to siit up the question of
new eiec,;on. The qocs.iOn, however,
was supp essed hv la,.e majority oil
The Legislature, and Slaughter permi,led
10 fill the Unexn'red term, doing which
there was no political excitement untIl
the great financial pHaic sprang up in
1890, of which an account has been
given in a former chapter.
J The financial distress of that period
perhaps surpassed the present financial
pressure, with di-similar features OF the
present day. 1t was mostly the farming
and tailoring class that constituted the
debtors, aud the mechanics and traders
who constituted the creditors. Lutte
property was then exempt from execu
non. and no rat hole of honor through
court OF bankruptcy nv which villains
could escape. The debtor had TO come
up Soto>iog fashion, and be sawn into fras>
ments by the due process of law Ohio
county perhaps was among the greatest
sufferers, owing to the great fall in 10,
tacco; but the distress WAS universal,
and the best and wisest men were anx-
ious 10 give the people relief
At this distant day il is hard to deter
mine the wisdom or folly of the relief
laws of that period, from the fact that it
is not now known what would have been
the result TO the community had no such
laws been passed.; the result might have
been worse TO the country than what
really did take place; had the creditor
relentlessly pursued the debtor he would
have acquired all his property, but OF
what value would it have been to the
creditor, when he could not again put it
on the market for want OF purchasers,
and the property would not have paid his
Eastern debts, and would either have
gone to waste or eat up the owner by
paying taxes.
1t is very true that the various valua-
ton, stay, and replevin laws aided great
~ TO increase the debt and burden of the
debtor, but where tie debtor was ener-
getic and Industrious he generally man
aged to struggle through TO better times
and save his property, but the indolent
and unthrilty had finally to succumb.
In the meantime the old Commons
wealth bank, which was established in
l620-2l had flooded the State with a
currency which, ike the greenbacks of
the late war, soon fell to fifty cents on the
dollar, but as the Legislature persisted
in the wise policy OF burning the notes
as fast as paid into the treasury, they
soon began TO rise in value so that by
the time the banks were wound up they
we're at par with other bank paper, and