Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-02-23
ALEXANDRIA,:
MONDAY, FEBRU.iRY IS, 1918.
FROM our UoRREspoNpENr AT WASH
INGTON.
Saturday, February 81, 1918.
INGTON.

judice, passion and seetiona! jealousy
You will recollect that l announced to
you, I believe SO early as Tuesday last,
my persuasion that the bill for establish
ing an uniform system of bankruptcy in
the United States would De rejected
At that time prejuaices ian so high a.
sainSt it, that gentleman, who knows
as well as any other 10 congress now to
| reckon the house and estimate the pro-
bable loss or success Of any question, ex-
pressed his belief that the first section
would be rejected by nearly two to one.
Even the most sangsine Of its advocates
seemed to doubt of its success; and the
| formidable extent to which sectional pre-
JUDGE and consequent predetermioation
we're carried, could moi be more clearly
illustrated than by the declaration of
Virginia member yesterday. who, when
opening a speech in which he arowed
himself, to his Infinite honor, favorable to
the bill, expressed his regret at being
compelled by his conscientious Judgment
to take that part, though he believed that
in doing so he should differ from ALL his
colleagues. With this formidable pre-
concerted array against them, to proceed
in the measure with any spirit demon
strated not only great visor Of mind, but
a strong confidence in the justice Of the
cause, and a deep seated consciousness
OF rectitude in its advocates. Proceed
in it, however, they did; and venture
to affirm that more potent display Of
talent has rarely, il ever, been witness
ed in congress. The case, to be sure,
was plain one; but it is not always
easy to add to the internal demoustra-
ton Of an obvious truth; and the gentle
men who first rose in opposition t. it,
aud who evidently had not taken time to
consider the bill. perhaps not even atten-
lively to peruse its details, involved it 10
such mist of misconception and sophis.
try, and, in short, made it out so entirely
rhat it ,ras not, that it required no or
binary share OF capacity to disengase and
display it in its true simple shape. When
Mr.. Sergeant spoke / thought that a
more plain and ineligible mass of truth
AID irresistible reasoning was not posi-
bic; yet did not hope the more from
it, though his speech was well attended
to. Mr.. Mills, who spoke next, seemed
to bring new light to the subject-he too
was well listened to; and l must say
that they who could have denied atten-
ton to his reasoning must have had more
frmress than should wish to possess
| diligently marked every face in the
house, and l imagined that there was
more complacency in them than at arst;
and when Mr.. Storrs delivered.his short
but admirable piece Of reasoning, in
which he reminded the oppusers of the
bill of the vast and important concessions
made to the slaveholding. states for the
purpose Of producing harmony and union,
and advised them to reciprocste that con-
cession by mutual act Of liberslity, !
perceived that practicable breach was
made in their resolutions and that the
thing was not to be desPaired Of. Mr.
Williams, of Connecticut, lost not an
inch of that which they had gained-this
was on Thursday.-On Friday. Mr.. Ma
son, of Boston, opened the discussion
with a speech Of irresistible force-and
was followed BY Mr.. Colston, the Virgi-
MIA member, Of whom / have spoken,
whose bold. independent assertion OF
truth. justice and sound policy, in dis
dain of all contracted views, and section
al jealousies, must fix him in the opinion
of every honorable gentleman in that
house as a man Of sterling p~;nciple.-
Mr.. Hupkinson closed the debate with a
recaPitalatioR of all the arguments used
against the bill, and a complete reply
and refutation ia detail of every part OF
them.-For any one to have resisted it,
so maniIestly true and undeniable was