Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1816-04-17

"tH heShnrfS al night II yOa sue them, thVN
wall swear tlev have 40 property TIE hDnest CT
'li,or he, bosie, icsrg iis money and his time t.
carry na sat to procure Witnesses though the ac
SQUAT be n"t henie, and haaliy - pay III the ex-
pence ! htse nen are gcner .lY d. uukay,.s, aud
m".N otheu. tave families who iiYe in want, even
~ irs pent and happy country. Man or them
nave ni;rrt q rtnN women lou, res eetaLleis FAM
lee. nat Who arr Therefore dooraed To s,.t.i Il then
~ IN misery ana poverty. The evils here brought
view are almost entirely pre-, eated H. tLose states
"hti, :; iuan may be imprisoned a Few weeks ~
month"; in close jo for every Il. 1t lac calls to nav
But people in Virginia canno; coinpr. bend or be
made 10 believe thar such laws are So eiirctl,L TO
support industry. honesty, order asd happiness in
society, as they arc. We, Their tore, 1T MN c-,-
tract What debts they can aud our provide not
the su allest pniihment or dsg,Sce to rrevert the
practice amor those that have visible proper
u.
The practice OF covering properly, however.
coo'non here, Is rare in niost places, and totally
unknown IN maay. Among tie methods OF loiae
us, the cilo ing may b. enuni,.l q, ed "A Iran
will make decd Of git oral his pronerty TO Child
AMI con tute himself the perpetual agent OF the
Sih!d or eiiiGren; lac cunt9crs all the debts be
cans he is sued, bus he is irs WENT though IS y
gent he acts as he p'e3ses and applies the property
Us lie eho1ses Tie may owe IS May thcu-anis rs
he is years old, his creitors can neither ;npisou
hn, punish hin as s7lnter. nor get their ji,t
due. he property Ct another is male over To
trustees, Tor the benefit OF lis wife end children.
.ie IS the person cossu.ted in every thing he en-
Joys the ben ut o. all the props ~ in Language
AID dress, he appesrs as a gentieman; he deals
VAN you ana pay syn pdnctuaiiy, till he can get
s'ehit 10 so0e amount he paws more he isa
m@gistr"te, militia oHioer-enjnys land, servants
nors' 5, earrages--but tn merchant, the mechanic
the iHoourer cannot get cent of their iu.t ciaini
while her children or, for food and arr uuurutcc-
ted from the cold ofwinter
Another las given deed oftrust upon all his nro-
pertyt'r hy thousand dollars aud ms receipts for
lhe whole amount Iii lis custody lac psys.A.s debts
With punciu=ly Tor Il time, by which he gaiUs. the
co'tdence of people; needy man is dr,en BY ne.
ceslity TO sell to iim, work for him TO greet a.
mount payday comes but no payment A. tie
Industrious man is ruined
Another man has visible property but land h
trade. nd takes care not 10 give bonds and the ere.
dnor has little chance OF getting hS money.
The numerous class who have no visible proper
", rs well rs the Above, get credit wherever they
can IN every store; buy OF wbo:nsoever dat
WIN trdst thea; apply "a physicians, whenever
SICK, and when the bill is carried TO them, they Win
pay as soon as they cau, deny tie amount COR tue
industrious poor, welt t.e middle class transact
tier own busint IS, aud employ no clerks tuey
thcFSlore canaot prove theiraccount, and the law
does not require the debtor deny II ON oath But
most VIII acku owledge tie debt, AID promise to
pay th= industrious loses part Of one dr, and
then 81 another 20 so tor his money! bat gets none
And what's the creditor todol Our law inGicts 30
punishment uG any person Tor contracting debts he
A"S ilN pIu~tScto III pay .lS. NiiSn one SNIals L.
Is Ih-JlVent, he gives 40 account Of hiS transactions
so as u shcw how he became So. 40 iu., are ait
pointed 20 hear aud scrutiriz1 hi, testimony, and
10 declare his account satisfactory c. mol ,atisf.co-
fy "a aigG proportion Ot erIniIs are panisied -
raons us onlyb by ii"e damages lriiooither can
be reeoyersd nom the sciptiuns 4 ,i sons abs,e
alluded 10. nave, therefore, GATED them free
D0o1eis They may cont act what debts ,ney
p!e-se, and many OF them scheme 10 10 il Ihcy
may commit wat crImeslhey please. provided tley
abstain from such would seat, then. u the salle~s
OF pentcnuarN. the instances oi puui.hiue hy in.-
piiscnmcnt axe cry lew. People, then, who have
40 yisIble property, Or whose pfupeit, is made o.
YER To relation @" FREUD free 20 cont. act debts
aad 10 10 many evils The law las 10 bea,iSg ~
I'll them. DtbtoIs no doUbt, ra;liN c,Ant il. ar.
PUNISHED with t&e ssivc rgnuT, aad are people
Tor small crimes But W0uil ash, whether On.
tire napnuty in such eases ALL not, like the moth
q sttoj Industry, economy 1d virtue in s.oiet, -
" 81 "Gt tlis impuity increase the corruption AID
assC''"ie tbs dlpra'ty Of the people Tie laws
nope, pun.si nothing with lines OF damages b. al
cviis ,n,i y,ees. These are more Infection, and
spreading tsii tie syua!! pOx plague. Does not
therefore, tic interest vi sscitty, b=ueyCisIce a.d
the eternal rites Of justice require that every d, nor
and uansgIlSsl should b. moderately punished -
thi'S that pu.is',iDg debtors with Imprisonment
Tor iie, aud every pe;y transgressioh with dettl ave
very cruel bat an entire iHpuuity "a such peeDle
IS perhaps Got less cruel; for ii und, rui;les The
cause Of virtue and destroys every hope OF present
ann ot eternal happiness. infer from the practice
vi the other states, wci as !TOu general rcdecf-
obs that lev months mptisoumeG. tor every de bt
person would moi pay, would be very s.lutaly aud
we may rest satisfied few men would pros, cute AMI
l'npi.s'c person tor not paying wnst VIII, indus
t'y >nt economy he could not pay. Free-boot us
as J call the people who have covered property aud
others who possess none, IA CO sequence of prodi-
g..ity or id!cuo5s, axe c!.,ss Of Ied I would not
"Sh tusee beeo'aiis NUMEROUS az more dian Ut
tlGs,itkes.
Impunty to Gee-noo;crs is productive Of great
inequality III so,icty. An honest ines will mart
viz. every 1ind Of property to pay lis debts il
poor, Le will iab,ur hard aud live s,arigiy that he
may De able to meet every claim. But ire, boot
er9 iecl no U.easiaess and rAa,.c no eS-rtion 10
pay their debts.
Free-b1Otois are burjensonle to the community
Tor II oUeiourth b. lree-booters, every honest man
must receive twenty five per cent. extra Tor what
ever lac .eis Tor his time lis iabr,r otherwise
lac cannot meet claims against h.in, Tor free -botcrs
live Oh tie eomnianity anu prey on It's vi,als The
interest Of soci.ty, therefore requires at some 1T
tie punishment (as aIew months imprisonment ia
a close Jail should be inflicted for petty GRIM and
failures 20 pay Just debs and cstire impliity IN
such cases is a great evil
Gan any state be more wretchsd tlau that into
which man brings a woman and children, who IS
too lazy tUprOyc TOO prodig; TO save The incaa5
70 g-ta little furniture, beds for them to
sleep upon They mast have credit soiAoiiines
or stargc w.h ;hcr families but have uO law TO
compel such people 10 pay llerward. We are 50
tenacious OF liberty astO leave women * tdl!rtu TO
1--we ~ miserable state ulsn that OF a penitss-
taryl ltac dI race cxeeptcd) whist Il 10 known that
laws umt HnPta.n dcttOis lew weeks !0r debts
they iad oYay a. sereiai prevent such poverty and
misery, in every state vht,e ths ttie IS made
WINE cnusderit cruelty 20 deprive a voa,an and
children Of last bed aud isw Ne ..lrics prOvi-
cd ihe value Of Al did np eN seed an huDdred dol