FOR THE STORY COUNTY ADVOCATE, FEBRUARY 17, 1857.
"In accordance with certain resolutions passed by the citizens of Story county assembled en masse at the court house, in Nevada, January 30, 1858, the citizens of Franklin township, Story County, Iowa, met at the residence of J. H. Keigley, February 6, 1858, for the purpose of organizing a protective committee to prevent the sacrifice of property at sheriff' and constable sales.
"The house was brought to order by calling Wm. McMichael to the chair, and appointing Philip Bechtel secretary. The following resolutions were unanimously adopted:
"1. Resolved, That whereas the scarcity of money and the pressure of the times, that we severally and mutually bind ourselves together to assist in preventing the sacrifice of our property at sheriff's or constable's sales, notwithstanding we are all willing to pay our debts as soon as possible.
"2. Resolved That we have appointed a committee of three, whose duty it shall be to appraise property when executed within this township at a fair average value. The appraisers are Solomon Young, Wm. McCoy and John H. Keigley. And we, the undersigned, pledge ourselves that property, shall not sell at less than two-thirds of its appraised value.
"3. Resolved, Furthermore, that when property is executed that so many of us as can will attend the sale, and see' that it shall not sell for less than twothirds of its appraised value.
"4. Resolved, That the proceedings of this meeting be published in the Story County Advocate.
"Meeting adjourned.
"Wm. McMICHAEL, Chairman.
"PHILIP BECHTEL, Secretary."
[The following explanations of the cause of the above proceedings were published soon after:]
"The Iowa State Journal is right in conjecturing that the citizens of Story have been `slightly annoyed' by the legal executioner. When a farm worth in ordinary times $1,200, sells at forced sale for $60 or $70,—when a good yoke of oxen worth $70 sells at from $5 to $15 per yoke—and a good two-horse wagon worth $75 brings only $15 or $20, and other property in the same ratio—is it not time to begin to be `annoyed' Mr. Journal? Yet these have all occurred here, owing to the absence of money and an appraisement law. Our citizens are an honest, industrious and law-abiding people, and are anxious to pay their debts, but owing to the entire absence of a home market, and want of means or channel to ship produce abroad, thus having no foreign market, they are unable to do so. They have waited for the present General Assembly to enact some law for their relief, yet nothing has been done, or is likely to be, it is feared, by that body until all debtors' property is sacrificed and their debts still unpaid. It was supposed that immediate action would be taken upon this all important topic, as it was absolutely demanded, regardless of what foreign creditors might think of it or us, by the Legislature; as they have done nothing, and believing it useless to wait longer upon their action, a large portion of the citizens concluded to take the only other course left them to get relief.