Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1819-03-20
NeW- York. March Is.
INTERESTING Law CASE.

A very interesting application Of the de-
cision of the Supreme court nfthe United
States, relative 10 The consr'tutionality Of
state nsolvent laws. WIS made in case
brought by John Sfuyrersant, against ia.
cob Barker, and tired yesterday before Mr..
Justice Bartlett. Stuyversani, the plaintiff,
demanded from Barker, the defendant, Is
dollars, depositei by the plaintiff in the
Defendants bank. Barker, the defendant
admitted the deposit, nut interposed SET
off against the plaintiffs demand, of So
dollars IL cents, and claimed the balance
A respectable jury Of the 9th ward was
impannelled 10 try the cause. AT the tri-
a! the following facts appeared in evil
dence. in 1877, the plaintiff opened an
account at the defendants bank, and after
short interval overdrew the bank So 1ol-
lars IL cents, and then obtained discharge
from all his debts under the insovent act
OF this state. Some months after his Dis
charge, he made deposit of Is dollars in
the defendants bank, which the defendant
applied in part payment ofthe old account
The plaintiff produc. d his discharge in e.
violence and his counsel insisted that il vas
full bar to the defendants set of, and that
the plaintiff was there fore entitled to the a.
mount deposited. The defendants coun.
sci insisted, that the discharge VS. void,
the law under whichit was obtained, being
unconstitutional in as much as it impair.
ed the obligation of contracts, and that the
defendant had, therefore, right to apply
the deposit to the old debt. His honor,
the justice charged the jury strongly in ia
vor Of the plaintif-but allowed them, on
the suggestion Of the defendants counsel,
to take the constitution Of the United States
and the state insolvent laws with them in
to the jury room, and directed them to
find for the plaintiff the amount Of bis de-
mand. if they considered the law consti-
tutional, and for the defendant the balance
due him, If they considered it unconstitu-
tional.
The Jury retired, and in about twenty
minutes returned a verdict for the defend
ant, Barker, for So dolls. I2 cts. being the
balance due.
Talmadge counsel for plaintiff-Anthon,
for defendant. [Evening Post.
The recent additions to our territory, will
hasten the solution of problem, than which
none can be of higher interest, how far our
present system of government can be ex-
tended without Inconvenience. In simple
unonarchies, the tendency of all power is
towards the centre-the person of the sove-
reign That sovereign is naturally desi-
rous Of attracting to himself all authority
aad all iudu. oce--ta be, aud to 90, exesy
thing. In such system, as the sphere Of
legislation widens, it becomes i'll defined
at the extremities The accumulation of
power renders its exercise unweildy and
Irregular: is then abandoned in despair
or Incidence to unworthy subordinates--
till at length, the immediate region Of the
capital is too much governed, and the less
pressing cares Of remote provinces are me-
elected or forgotten. Against these dam
gers, The representative system Of the Uni.
ted States, offers the happiest political
combinations. With local government
in every section Of the country, indepen.
dent Of its neighbors, and devoted exclu-
sively 10 local interests, the affairs Of a dis
tant state may be as well administered as
those in the immediate vicinity Of Washing
Ten; whilst the general gsvsrAnsnt olsen