Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1838-08-03
purchases what he has little or no occasion

purchases what he has little or no occasion
for. Purchasers on credit almost inva,ia-
bly, purchase beyond their means. This
arises from the common mistake of overra
| ting our means. In nine times out of ten
the farmer who buys on the credit of his
growing crop. deceives himself as to the
| amount OF his crop; often runs in debt TO
| the whole amount Of his crop and in the
end Is obliged to work out TO buy bread
stuffs for his family. Another singular
feature in most purchases upon credit is,
that more is purchased than when cash is
paid down. When a man has the money
in his pocket he will rarely part with il
except for something actually necessary.
But when purchasing upon credit hope
magnifics his means, and his eggs are all
chickens and his chickens the tabled geese
that lay golden eggs.
| By the provisions Of the law without the
evil Of imprisonment all the debtors means
Of payment may be reached, every inch of
land can be taken, the house that covers
bis head may be appraised the whole Of
his personal property. with limited ex.
ception, may be seized and sold at auction.
The law would seem to be sufficiently
liberal to the creditor in giving him power
over all the debtors property without
throwing his body into the scale.
The natural basis Of credit is the property
Of the debtor, and all beyond this is false
in theory and mischievous in practice. 1t
must be admitted that when the debtors
means of payment are exhausted, any fur.
Their process against his body is unmixed
cruelty, and ministers to nothing but the
creditors revenge. The force Of this is
attempted to be obvated by the supposition
that the debtor may have means concealed
which cannot be reached by the ordinary
process against his property, and that by
Imprisonment he may be compelled to dis
gorge. Cases Of fraudulent conceament
may exist, and when they do let them be
reached. Our laws against fraudulent
conveyances are now very severe, and il
administered in the spirit Of their enact
ment would seem to be sufficient to reach
every probable case; but if not strong
enough, make them stronger, write them
in blood if you please. wish to shield nc
fraudulent debtor. | plead for the limo.
cent, who, might almost say, are beguil
ed into debt by the arts of the creditor.
Cases of fraudulent concealment are by
no means common, and will not Justify q
law involving the innocent az well as the
guilty. OF the thousand debtors on the
creditors books, not more than one shall
be adjudged guilty of any fraud, and is il
allowable that in order to reach that one
the nine hundred ninety nine shall be made
to groan under the operation of a Law
involving the loss Of personal liberty. Il
F should not be. Selfshness may urge the
enactment Of laws Of great severity; bu,
they are founded in mistaken views O
public good.
The public have an interest in the liberty
Of the citizen. The wealth of nation
consists not in the abundance of its silve
and its gold. but rather in the number ant
strength Of its effective freemen, and how
will this gold become dim when the spiri
r of independence is broken by the fear o
Imprisonment! Better. far better wonld i
be that every debt in the land should b.
annhilated than that men should be depri
we'd Of their liberty at the will Of another
But the principle of forcible equalization
is not to be countermanded. Every one i
to be protected in the enjoyment of hi
9 own. and far be it from me to insinuate tn
lawfulness of forcible appropriation
Give to every man his due. Let the Law
, act with full force upon all The means q
! the debtor, but when his means are ex
hausted let his blood and his sinews be hi
own. Let his houseless wife and shiverin
children have one consolation, that tn
= husband and the father yet remains wit
, an unshacked body and an unbroken spirit
E But what right has the public to interfer
: between creditor and debtor? Great RICH
6 and not only so, but they are bound t
n interfere. Government is a natural ord
I nance. and they who are charged with il
administration are bound so to exercs
: their powers as to contribute not only I
e the glory of the nation, but to the pro:
e perity of the people. They stand pledge
before the world that the power of III
state shall be put forth for the protectio
u of all, to protect them even from their ow
S improvdent acts. They are responsible
to the wives and children Of the imprsone
debtor; and the cries of the suffering wi
90 up to heaven in notes of accusation tn,
S must be answered. A. B.
few days since, the Charleston Mercury a
9 yertised, in long list of ''wanis," for ga ne
. sadie Tor Mr.. Legare to ride the fence on"
the next paper, correspondent informs the edit
II that an ingenious workman is constructing an aric
Of the kind. which, it is believed, will suit Il
g honorable member o { Congress to II. 1t is
" he made with neat light wealhercock attached
n the pommel, to indicate The earliest changes.
There will also be provided light sail. on {,
back!part, similar TO The spanker of small saili
:. boat, and the seat Of The saddle turning on pvt
will be readily turned by each change of the sghlt
y wind; it is also intended, in many other respec