The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-05-14
ABOUT PANICS.
How Things Were Nearly Seventy
Years Ago.
CORN FIFTEEN CENTS The BUSHEL
When Eggs Sold at Two and Cne.hal1
Cents The Dozen.

(Jno F. roard. in Statesvie LandmorkO
Panics are the products Of the
credit system and the love Of gain.
Persons of small means make debts
to live or enjoy luxuries. ofted with
out knowing when or how the money
is to come to meet obligations, either
of necessity or to make unnecessary
display at the expense of themselves,
families and others. In the Bible
money-lenders are called usurers.
but in modern times the term usurer
is applied to lenders who exact un-
lawful interest and such lenders are
often called LAND sharks" Misers
are those who hoard money to keep
or lend at high interest or to be en-
ployed in concerning the labor or
products Of others than themselves
and families, and for 100 years or so
such persons have so managed as to
bring on periodical panic, when in
terest was low and the people pros
pering. This system is the product
of older countries, but transferred to
ours by agents, or as other heredita-
ry evils, or grown up with individ-
uals who exchanged their former
lives from humble circumstances to
those of affluence, idleness and luxu-
rlous dissipation, or so-called aris-
tocracy, which makes panics neces-
sary to foster and perpetuate un-
righteous living.
| The first panic known to the writ
er was that of 1837-40, when cotton
was sold at Sc. per h., corn at l5c.
per bushel, meats at &c. and eggs at
2 1-2c. per dozen by farmers who
cultivated their own or rented lands
and wore homemade clothes, shoes
and hats. The laws then required
sheriffs to sell any or everything ex-
cept the wearing apparel of debtors
and their families, and imprison the
debtor until he would swear he was
not worth 40 shillings. This system
depleted the older states and created
new ones by persons moving to lands
occupied by Indians, to live in log
cabins and endure untold hardships
and vote for men to make laws to per-
petuate panics, that made it possible
to increase millionaires by the thou
sands and paupers by the million in
land of plenty and Christian civiliza-
ton, while teaching the Ten Com
mandments, but practicing just the
opposite; after abolishing African
slavery at great loss of life and prop
erty and substituting system of
financial servitude worse than death.
robs heaven of its dues and fills pam
demonium with souls Christ died to
save from temporal and eternal mis-
cry.
1t is all right to contribute our
time, labor and money to evangelize
the world, but the best and most easy
way to do SO is to practice what we
teach. Our Christianity should en-
brace our legislative halls and courts
of justice as we'll as colleges, schools
and home culture, all of which should
conform to the teachings Of the Bible.
by making an executing righteous
laws for the benefit Of all classes,
without affection, fear, favor or hope
of reward. Then, as a nation, we
may help to convert the heather
world and make this earth what it
was before the fall of man and angels.
Our country is controlled by million
aires, combines and the mobocracy.
They manage for their own selfish
ends, which must be charged, or
free America will go as Egypt, Baby
lon, Rome and other nations that
served other gods than the Creator OF
the universe. 1t is only question
of time when our favored country
will succumb. Our obligations are
less binding than formerly, crimes
are on the increase, dissipation
prodigality and lewdness abound.
and governmental authority ignored
to an alarming extent. The people
were fiddling and dancing while
Rome was burning! Are we not
sleeping over volcanoes more threat
ening than Etna or Vesuvius? Lei
these calamities be averted while
they may.