The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1899-04-25
AN ANCIENT eRERK.FINANcIER.

They hoped he would help them over
their diff sulties and chose him archon,
but with power in substance die
t~atorisl"
"Ot all grievances, the most urgent
was the condition Of the poor debtors.
To their relief SoIon's first measure,
the memorable z 9isachthia, or shaking
off of burthens, was directed. It can
celled at once all those contracts in
which the debtor had borrwed on the
security either Of his person or Of his
land; it forbade all future loans or con
tracts in which the person of the debtor
was pledged as security, it deprived
the creditor of all power to imprisor,
e~nslave, or extort work from his debtor
and confined him to an effective judg
ment at law authorizing the seizure Of
the property Of the latter. It swept
of all the mortgage pillars from the
lands Of Attica leaving them free Of all
past claims. 1t libelated and restored
to full rights all debtors actually In
slavery, and provided means to repur
chase and bring back many in~solvents
from foreign lands. 1t forbade every
Athenian to pledge or sell into slavery
his own person or that of any member
of bis family"
by this extensive measure the Door
debtors-Thetes, small tenants, and
proprietors- together with their fami
lies, were rescued from suffering and
peril. Bat these were not the only
debtors IN the State; the Gre ditors and
landlords Of the exhonorated Phetes
we're in their turn debtors to others
and were less able to discharge their
obligations in consequence of the loss
inflicted upon them by the SeisRchtheia
1t was TO assist these wealthier debt
ors that Scion resorted to the ad
ditional expedient Of debasing the
ID standard. He lowered the
standard Of the drachma in a proper.
ton something more than % per cent,
80 that 100 drachmas Of the new stand
ard contained no more silver than 70
of the old, or 100 OF the old were
equivalent TO 138 Of the new. By this
change the creditors Of these more sub
stantial debtors were obliged to submit
to q loss, while the debtors acquired
an exemption, to the extent of about
y per cent"
Lastly Scion decreed hat all those
who had been condemned by the
archons to atimY civil disfranchise
menD should be restored to their full
privileges as citizens, excepting those
condemned on trial for either murder
or treason"
The Sais8chtheiR must have exas
perated the feelings and diminished the
fortunes OF many persons; but 1t gave
to the large body Of Thetes and small
proPrietors all that they could have
possibly hoped. We are told that
after a short interval it became emil
nently acceptable to the general public
mind, sud produced for Scion a great
increase Of pOpularity-all ranks con
curing IN a common sacrifice of
thanksgiving and harmony"
While the ~Saisachtheia cannot be
acquitted OF injustice, we may conf
IDENTIFY affirm hat the injustice in
dlcted was an indispensable price paid
for the maintenance of the peace Of
society. Never again do we hear o:
law OF debtor and creditor as disturb
ing the Athenian tranquility"
Not only was there never any de
nand IN the Athenian democracy for
new tables or a depreciation Of the
money standard, but a formal abroga
ton Of any such projects was inserted
IN the solemn oath taken annually by
the numerous Dlkasts, or HeliastiC
lurOrs,-the same oath that pledged
them to uphold the democratic consti
tuition also bound them to r~epudiate
ali proposals either for an abrogation
Of debts or for a redivision of the
lands"
There was no legal rest riction on the
rate of interest. Money was freely
loaned on lands and the mortgage
pillars were undioturbed in the future
history Of Greece from the era Of
Solon's laws.
Now it will be noted that the in
duence of those primitive Greeks is
powerful to this day.
We Of the United States owe
many Of our free institutions to the
laws Of Solon,-world conquering gen.
JUS Of q race and man.
They had families; so have we. They
had denies; we have townships and
counties. They had cities nearly au.
-ODo-o,n. ~ ho- NIL