Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1803-01-07

thee extends &c all DEBTORS who do m,
owe more than 100 pornds Gerling. II
other cafes il is ufaal for the legsllatp,s
to PATS an annual law on the petition ~
debtors. If they purfue iinilar courts
|. all their time would be occupied to n,
neglect of buhuels of infinitely create.
Importance. Il became, therefore, ne
cellary TO pas general law on the fnh.
jet !; 10 doing whichno ehensial iniury
could be done the creditor, while an Il
fentiaI feryice would be conferred on TIE
debtor.
Mr.. Goddard was oPpoied to the Fec
ton for realons additional to thcls ctfer
ed by the gentlemen from Virginia and
Kentucky. This provihon appeared 10
ii;m TO extend much farther than thoie Of
the bankrupt law. By this bill the debt.
Girls to preGent to the court a liz Of Bis
creditors, who are to choofe Trulee to
whom all his property is to be aligned,
and he is TO be liberated, on doing this,
without their content. This was not the
principle Of the Bankrupt aet, under which
Bankrupt could not be difeharged bu,
by the concurrence Of two thirds of tn.
creditors bothin value ard number. How
eaiy you'd it be under this bill fora debt
or to render liz of his friends only, and
by getting them to appoin, an afignee &C.
cording to his wifhes, iraudulently to rob
bis creditors. This bill was of fuch ma.
tare as to operate nos alone in the diGria
CT Columbus, but upon creditors diiperfsd
thloughoa. the union. The Bankrupt
law, notwithstanding all its checks, had
given rife TO many frauds. How much
more extenfiye, therefore would the frauds
be under this bill, where all thele checks
were removed.
Mr.. Nicholfon replied to the ohferva.
tions of Mr. Goddard, by remarkins
that it was entirely left to the difcretloa
Of the court TO give fuch notice to the
creditors as they iaw fit, who might come
in at the time, or within two years, ard
on hewing fraud, deny all the benefit Of
the at to.thelleb,or, who might be punih-
Cd for perjury. He agreed with the gen.
tleman that under the Bankrupt law many
frauds had been committed. This was
inevitable. He had been no advocate for
that law, or one of thole who paIed it.
Bat as nloa of the fates have iomc pro.
vifons on this iubjett, he thought this dil-
trift, viewing il as fs.e, ought TO have
iimiiar psoyiions extended to il.
Mr.. Mitchell faid he could not agree
to the amendment, as he did not view the
original principle of the bill with that alb
horrence thar had been exprened by iome
gentlemen. He had always conhdered it
as paradox that in countries, compare
lively free, the love of property lhoald
prejominate over that of freedom. iiav-
ing feen this principle once relorted to, 1t
afterwards appeared to be acted upon asa
matter Of courfe. He could not, however
but refea on the time OF our Saxon ANGEL
tors, confdering US as having derived our
origin from England, when no deprivation
of perlonal liberty was allowed for debt.
By them ii was provided that the Tree
dom of the perfon fhould never be In
fringed but in cafes which concerned the
breaking of the peace or tor offences
agsina' the organization of the realm
Thsie rights had been confirmed under
Edward the ConfeGor, and again adopted
as part of Magma Cbarta 1.-THE words OF
which Mr.. Mitchell here quoted.) And
yet the Legislature of tina, country had
acted in direct violation OF This liquidation.
This however was, he believed, eaiily 10
be traced to fpirit Of commerce that
eure fare tamss, which made them rea-
dy, with one accord, to commute money
for liberty. Tracing the fabjctt from us
hril Gage, the Legislature Of that country,
and we in imitation, had ioon proceeded
from the procefs of srrefing the perion. 10
thc pcrioil of ultimate confinement, IN