Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Wayne County, Ind.) 1831-1837, 1836-10-15

Gated its adoption, and, on its passage, voted
in its favor. See Senate journal, LIST session.
goth Congress, pages 1O1 and 1O2.
1t IS not little remarkable that, if the effort
am accused of having made, to subject men
to sale for the non payment of their debts,
had been successful, might, from the state
Ofmy pecuniary circumstances at that time,
have been the first victim. l repeat, the
charge is a vile calumny. At no period of
my life would have consented to subject the
poor and unfortunate to such a degradation;
nor have / omitted to exert myself in their
behalf against such an attempt to Cypress
them.
1t is sought to support the charge by means
Of garbled extracts from the Senate of Ohio.
The section of the bill which is employed for
that purpose had no manner of reference to
the relation of creditor and debtor, and could
not by possibility subject the debtor to the
control Of his creditor. None know better
than the authors Of tire calumny that the al
lodged section is utterly at variance with the
charge which it is attempted to found upon
1t; and that so far from proposition to in
vest a creditor with power over the liberty
of his debtor, it had respect only to the mode
OF disposing Of public offenders, who had
been found guilty by jury of their fellow
citizens of some crime against the laws of their
State. That was exclusively the design Of
|she section of the bill upon the motion to
strike out, which voted in the negative. So,
you perceive. that in place Of voting to en-
large the power of creditors, the vote which
II gave concerned alone the treatment of mall
|efactors, convicted for crimes against the
public.
1t would extend this letter to an inconven-
lent length to go fully into the reasons which
led me at the time to an opinion in favor of
the proposed treatment of that class Of often
ders who would have fallen within its opera
tons, nor is such an expose called for. The
measure was by no means a novelty in other
parts of the country. In the State Of Della
ware, there is an act now in force, IN similar
words with the section Of the bill before the
Ohio Senate, which has been made of late IL
pretext of such insidious invective. Laws
with somewhat similar provisions may prob
ably be found in many other Of the States
In practice the measure would have amelio-
rated the condition Of those who were under
condemnation. AS the law stood, they were
liable under the sentence to confinement in
the common jail, where offenders Of various
degrees of proflgacy-of different ages, Sc x,&
color, were crowded together. Under sucf
circumstances, it is obvious that the bac
must become worse, whilst reformation could
hardly be expected in respect to any. The
|; youthful offender, it might be hoped, would
be reclaimed under the operation Of the pro
posed system; but there was great reason t.
fear his still! greater corruption amid the con
tagiOn Of a common receptacle Of vice. lie
sides, the proposed amendment of the.law pre-
supposed that the delinquent was in confine
ment for the nOn-payment Of a fine and cost
!. Of prosecution-(tle payment Of which wa
a part Of the sentence:) it seemed, therefore
> humane, in respect to the offender, to reliev
: him from confinement which deprived him c
the means of discharging the penalty. and {
place hun in a situation in which he Nigh
work out his deliverance, even at loss for
time of his personal liberty.
But fnrbear to 60 farther into the reason
which led me. sixteen years ago, as a membe
of the OHIO Senate. to entertain favorab
opinion Of an alteration which was propose
&. in the criminal police of the State. 1t is ce
tain that neither in respect to myself, or tho.
: who concurred with me, was the opinion ;
) the time considered as the result of unfriendl
: bias towards the poor and unfortunate. Ma
= the last objection which l could have antic
= pated, even from the eager and reckless
:, sire to assai me, was charge Of unfriend
: ness to the humble and poor of the comm
- nifty.
am, my dear sir,
with great respect,
your humble servant.
:. WIN. III. HARRISON.
II }. II. PLEAsANTs, ESQ.