D. Clurrey to Richard Yates

DeWitt Ills

Feb 2nd /62

To His Excellency Hon Richard Yates

Gov of the State of Illinois

In pursuance of the many private

& public opinions exprefsed by the citizens of

this & surrounding vicinities I beg leave as a

private citizen of DeWitt County & State of Ills to

to ask of you an answer to the few interrog

gations that I shall submit in the following Epistle

I shall approach you as the chief Executive of this

State & hope that your dignity may condescend to

answer the few Broken Interrogations of an

humble Farmer Citizen. First, therefore, we feel the

unusual Pressure in businefs in consequence of the

present Rebellion against our Great & good Government

and in consequence thereof those of us who under

more favorable circumstances have involved ourselves in

Debt to a greater of lefs degree & now there are perhaps

Four-fifths of our Community thus unable to Pay our

debts under the present state of affairs. Although our

harvests have been abundant the prices of Produce

are so extremely low that the amounts realized are

insufficient to defray the necessary Expenses of living

& the payment of Taxes that are necessary to be paid

for the purpose of Putting down this Treasonable

rebellion. There are a few Tyranical Capitalists who are

purposed to encourage the forced sales of all kinds of

property by Law and are anxious to purchase the

Same at a Sacrifice of at least Nine-tenths its real

value to the holder and are making their boasts

that they intend Making their fortunes thus off the

many poor honest men who are unable to Extricate

themselves from this dilemma in which they are

unfortunately placed & no fault of theirs either

Can there be no remedy for to save the property [illegible]

of the many very many poor honest citizens who

are toiling day & night through Sunshine & storm

to secure themselves homes in this fair State?

Why Sir If your honor please through all our Country

are to be found those who have Emigrated to this

fair and beautiful State which under more favourable

circumstances is destined to be (as has been anticipated) styled the

Garden of the West Yea & of the world, the very

bone & sinew of this great & noble State are they

thus to be crushed out in the Spring time of life &

these Dishonest Gourmands suffered to accumulate

their treasures at the Expense of those who are thus

toiling to Support by their Labour the Popular Name

of this great State. The Majority of the People would

ask for something to be done to Exonerate them

from the tenacious hands of those, whom it is their

boast that the Law Must take its Course & it is

your own misfortune & we are bound to live on the

fat of the Land. I am satisfied that there can be

procured from at least Four-fifths of our Citizens an

assent to have the Legal proceedings for the Collection

of debts of a civil nature Stayed for a Season & let

us have an opportunity to save our property from the

hands of speculators & Capitalists. We do not wish to be

exonerated from the payment of our just honest debts

nay verily far be it from us; but let us have a chance to

live, defray the Expenses of our Government & then when

as we fondly anticipate our Glorious Government shall

be again restored let us pay our debts and be saved

from the curse of being Made Bankrupt as a large

portion of our people must necessarily be unlefs there

is something done for our relief; we feel that this

thing may be looked at by Professional Men at the

Bar and at the Bench, but Sir this is undoubtedly the

voice of the Labouring Clafs of Community the voice of

the people who should hold Sovereign all the rights

of citizens in Life Liberty & the pursuit of happinefs

I may perhaps be trefspasfing on the valuable

time of your Honor but I claim that it will be

but justice to this important moment of our lives

to be heard when the voice of our people would

emphatically tell to the above Question

I am convinced & can fully assure your Honor

that if the thing Could be put in motion a voice

would go up from the people that would tell

to your Excellency's Satisfaction

With these few Broken Suggestions I now

hope to hear from you as one who feels

deeply the importance of Something of the

nature of the above proposition & I presume

that Ere long Petitions to this effect will

go up from the people to your Honor

for the self same purpose

I have the Honor to be

your humble Solicitor in

behalf of Many Citizens

D. Cheney

To the Hon Richard Yates

Gov of Ills

P.S. Direct your reply to DeWitt P.O.

DeWitt Co

Ills

D. Cheney

Dewitt Feby 2

Wants a Bankrupt

Law or something

of the sort

ansd 11 Feby

[illegible]

Answer sympathy

zing - and say that

perhaps his best

course now would

be to get up a

petition to the con

vention