The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-01-13
For the vIRGINIAN
Reflections by our Middlebrook Cor
RESPONDENT

/. For the vIReIN1AN
r Reflections by our Middlebrook Co
respondent
1KaddLebr00k is about the same as it W,
!, twelve months ago, and we are rather afrai
that if we should write again twelve montl
hence, we could reiterate this same statemen
Building seems to have entirely stopped
not a single additional building, except
, very small bar-room, and while that is an ad
dition of one to the number of buildings, it
, not considered by the majority of the cit
zens as an addition to the morals of the place
though Middebrook and vicinity will i
point of morality, intelligence and industr,
compare very favorably with any of the neigh
boring villages. If the people would regard a
more sacred their obligations, it would adj
4 very materially to their comfort and pleas
Z ure in their business relations. We do no
mean to say that this community is NOR
! indifferent than others in this respect W
believe this is the result Of that sort of legs
lation which protects the the debtor class a
the expense of the creditor class and which
we believe is doing more harm to the who'll,
State than anything else. This is the strong
est argument against REIMBURSEMENT, anC
against any law that saves the debtor from
the payment of his honest debts There is
more in the idea that the laws are the edu-
Gators of the people than we can appreciate
at mere glance. whatever is law is
right won't do. The grand object of leg
slation should be to further the ends of JUS
tlce but We recognize the difficulty of our
legislators in framing general laws that will
cover special cases that will benefit those it
was intended to benefit, and not be miscon-
strued and taken advantage of by those for
whose benefit it was not intended, and thus
defeat the object of the law We believe that
re-adjustment of the public debt is very
long stride towards the reimbursement of the
private debts The principle is precisely the
same. The private citizen argues that if the
State will take and recognize and take advan-
tage of such law, then why is it not just as
right and as applicable in his own case. Then
carry it further-a man laborlng under close
contract that will scantiy support his family
cannot tolerate REIMBURSEMENT at the end of his
time. Yet he has very frequently to submit
to it IN affect because the impression seems
to be that the laws will not protect him in
his rights, and it is useless to resort to them.
Yet this man pays his tax for the protection
of his life and property, Now, where is his
protection? Where is his stimulant to indus
try? We heard laboring man say but few
days since that he had labored very hard for
ten years, had been cheated out of his earn
ings, and now he had nothing Would have
been just as well off if he had done nothing,
and what was the use of his working? And
yet there are men now bowling for a law
that will protect more efficiently the debtor
class And that class being largely in the ma
jority, the office-seeker panders to their de-
mands to secure the Office, and brings all his
influence to bear in, that direction, while in
our legislative halls, in order to retain his
position. In other words we elect our legis-
lators and pay them 1--WE don't mean all, of
course) to strike at our fundamental primer
pies of right and justice, to rob us of the very
object for which we labor; to bring about
chaos and bitter feelings in our business re-
lations to distract our attention from more
profitable employment and to go through end
less trouble and expense to realize that for
which we have labored and then fail to get
it. We want laws that will guarantee as near
as possible to every man the results of his
own labor We do not like to see one man
apiOv ho hapof.fc hot fro,,, No /,
Dor of another man and, protected in it by
homestead and bankrupt laws. Let us have
law that will secure to him his rights by
the shortest, quickest and cheapest route. Let
our laws teach him that when he labors it shall
not be for nothing. The idea of a man labor
ing to pay debt when it is so much easier
to get rid Or it through one of the exemp-
ton laws, and no disgrace either, as such a
law comes from headquarters, when it is con-
venient to presume that these men are honest
We are one Of those who believe that hon
esty and policy demand that every delt
should be paid, and that there is enough of
honest money in circulation to pay all the
debts. Not that the amount of money is
equal to the amount of Indebtedness but |
when we reflect that 500, passing through
ten different hands will pay $1,000, there is
sufficiency to pay off the Indebtedness. I'm
agine this country without its Indebtedness
what difference in the feelings of the peo-
people-how much better would every man
feel to know that his effects were to accu-
mulate with bright prospects? How can this
,o bro,, frI,t oh to bn idpa ,rh
the laws that all honest debts must be paid,
then will men be more careful in making |
debts. Then will that confidence be restored /
that is so necessary to the business prosper
lily of the country 1t is said that the Valley
of Virginia is one of the most fertile parts of
the country; this being the case, then why is |
it that money is not more plenty ? 1t must
be because more money goes out than the |
products of the country bring in. 1t is true
that our farmers have paid out good deal
for agricultural mplements-reapers, mowers,
drills, wagons, carriages, ploughs, harrows
fertilizers-and yet we believe more money
goes out through the merchant than any 9th
er way. In the town of Staunton there are
probably forty stores that average over $10,-
900 per annum--that is 100000. There are
numerous other establishments in Staunton
and in the county. On the Middlebrook road
there are six stores within the county limits
same number on Greenville road-equal
twelve stores that we suppose will average
$4,000 per annum, and so with other parts of
the county, suppose by little trouble l
might approximate more closely-would it
not he worth the investigation However,
we are satisfied that our merchants carry out
an enormous amount of money, and the only
remedy we know of is manufactures. We
have all the material necessary for the manu- |
facture of almost everything we need-the
cotton, wool, iron, slate marble, SC, plenty OF
water power, SC, bread stuffs in abundance,
and it looks as if all we had to do was to de- |
yelop the energies Of the country, and pros
perity must follow.