Litchfield enquirer., 1837-05-11
Connecticut LegtsIature.

Th1B being the day designated by the Constitution Legislature assembled in their respective chambers, at 10 o'clock.
 The Senate was called to order by the Hon. JAMES BEEBE, he being the senior member present Hon. Ichabod Bukley was chosen President pro tenn, and Franklin II. Merriman, Esq. appointed Clerk Subse- quently, his Hon. EBENEzER SToDDARD, Esq Lieut.. Governor elect, conducted into the Senate Cham- Der, and the oath of office administered to him.
 The House of Representatives was called to order by Elzur Warner, Esq. of New-MlltoTd.
 The House then proceeded to ballot tor Speaker,
 Whole number of votes lS4; necessary to choice 93; Stillman K. Wightmnn 9S; Ansel Sterling 72; |; Morris Woodruff Il; s. K. Wakeman l; s. B. White
 Stillman K. Wightman, Esq of Middletown, was declared to be elected Speaker, and on taking the
 John c. Palmer of East Haddam, was elected Clerk of the House, and Lewis Hyde. Esq. of Norwich, as- sistant Clerk.
 Resolution appointing Joseph Hollister and Asa Crowell, Messengers, and Emmons Rudge, door-keep- CT of the House, severaly adopted.
 Messrs. Raymond of New Canaan, and Sterling of Sharon, were appointed Committee to wait on the Senate, and inform them the House was organized and ready to proceed to business.
 Messrs. Phelps of Woodbury, Boardman of New Haven, and L. Hommedieu of Chester, were appointed a Committee to examine credentials of members
 Resolution from the Senate, for appointment of Committee to canvass votes for Governor, Lieut.. Gov ported that HENRY w. EDWARDS, Esq. was duly cleo ted Governor EBENEzER SToDDARD, Esq. Lieut.. Gov ernor ROYAL R; H1NMAN, Esq; Secretary, JEREMIAH BRowN, Esq. Treasurer, and WILLIAM FIELD, Esq. Comptroller, severally for the yearensuing
 Resolution for the appointment of committee to euperintend the Printing of the House, adop;ed- Messrs. Welles of Glastonbury, Landon and Pomroy ot Bridgeport, were appointed.
 Rules of the House were read, and on motion of Mir Raymond. 25o copies were ordered to be printed ,, Pinney with such gentlemen as the House may join, committee to wait on the Governor and inform him of his election and request his attendance on the floor Of the House, adopted. Messrs' Woodruff and Phelps
 Messrs. Hnman of Waterbury, and Darlington of Milford were appointed committee to wait on the Senate and request their attendance on the floor ot
 At o'clock the Governor attended on the Legisla- ture, both branches having assembled in the Repre- minstered to him by Chief Justice Williams. After prayer by the Rev Dr. Hawes, the House adjourned.
 TAursday Mayz.
 Prayer by the Rev. Mir. Bushnell.
 The committee appointed to examine credentials of members, made report, which was read, and after some amendm dments accepted, and 500 copies ordered The following Message, received from His Excel lency the Governor, by the hand of Slas Mix, Esq. his private Secretary, was read
 Gentlemen ofthe Senate, and
 Gentlemen cf Me House cf Representatives:
 Our country IS again experiencing one ot those sea sons Sf in our moneary Hrs & with ,n earliest period of our history The evil IS not contn cd to our own country; but is visiting of the lions of Europe with equal intensity.
 The causes of these endorsements are peculiarly interesting subjects ofinquiry: Caiames o this kind do not appear to have been known to the anclents- War, pestilence and famine arc spoken ot by them as the great national calamities. Our country IS at peace with all the world; we have no desolang sick ness among us; and supply of the necessaries ot
 life is not hS he. b commercial world. But we are vis ted by calamity, most distressing in its nature, causing many groans S tears well deserving otheing ranked with the scourc this visitation in those institutions which have grown up in modern times-which were unknown to the an. cen's-and for all the advantages and all the evils o which, the modcrns alone entitled to the credit. refer to the national funding systemic the modern banking syste,n,& the commercial credit system. The immense national debt of the first commercial nation of the present day-the banking system which prevails in the same country and in our own-and the system of commercial credit, which universally prevails i; constitute together complicated and eo9sTa 0S Happily in this country we have no national debt- our banking system is more extended than IS consist. ent with prudence; but such is the energy ot or pop !laon, and the resources our country affords, that the evils from this source, will be but temporary in their nature, and easily repaired; Our greatest diff cuties may come upon us from abroad. The tenden- cy of the system of credit to link together the differ ent commercial nations of the earth in such a way that the calames of one ni's be- in degree, felt by s e he snd anxiously looking to the same source, and from the troubles there are expecting to learn the nature and % Of e1ed wpeS as long feared, is to take place. no one can tell to what extent it may affect us. These things are be- yond the reach of any legislation of ours' They re- suit from state of things over which we have no con- trol-and from which no efforts of ours can extrcate us We must wait patiently for the issue; taking care in the meantime to shape our course, as to mitigate and pallate effects, as far as they come within our reach.
 Your attention is particularly invited to the process ofattachmen in civil suits which is given by the laws of this State. It is thought some alteration or modf cation of our laws on this subject may be advanta: geously made, and indeed is imperiously demanded by the present state of things. This law, as it now stands, was made at very early period, and there' fore has antiquity to plead in it's behalf; but it was made at time when less liberal and enlarged views of the relations between debtor and creditor prevail ed than what characterize the present age and when the commercial and manufacturing interests of the community were in totally different state from what they at present. The law is thought to be unjust, and often cruel in it's operation; giving to timid far beyond what due regard to the rights and inter- ests of the debtors themselves other creditors will warrant, and which is very detrimental to the conn pie merely the evils were of far less consequence- they have now become very great and no doubt have tendency. whenever period of commercial distress and embarrassment arrives, greatly to agerayate the evil. The property of n man Tn debt should be con- sdered and treated the property ot all hIs credtors and if there is not sufficiency for the whole, each one is entitled to his share.
 As the law now is, one may be paid m full, while the others get nothing. That sympathy between debtor and creditor the result ot mutual interest and which in other frequently saves both, with us, has no room or opportunity for its exerc'se-bHt on the contrary, every nducemen for It's favorable in- fuence is done away, and heartless and unteeng scrambe-accumulaton of expense, and sacrifices ot every kind are made to take its place Our country, ufacturng state nnd unless there is some modifica- ton of our laws. shall find that whatever ad-