The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1840-06-11

30 ssssIsd BY lhiI Paft Of he Couslilu'
ion. nul lhsts dEsltlaHt, NhsthtE
iEht % WfunE. aHHd ~ easeiud r.
lisf. The gualsfeailsas lBd hmiiailnns
shirh ( have slslsd FsndsT lhsm lseisss,
= 10 ihs parposs Of gsssfal discharge.
So much Of he eoneerns Of every man
Il business i wiih eiiizens Of other
states lhsn be- osn. and sinh foreigners.
that the partial exlenl 10 uhich he ssii-
dily Of sisls discharges resehss is Of lil-
lie benefl.
The states. thea. esnnoi pass edreiu.
Al bankrupt ls~ss that is. edeesnsl for
The discharge Of he debtor. There 10
% eoubl Thar most. IL nat ell Of The
states. would nov pass such lass II they
bad he power; sllhoBgh their legisla-
lian would be various. interfering. and
full u al The evils shich The consli-
tuition Of he United States intended 10
provide sgsinsl. But they have not the
power. Congress. which has The pow
e.. does moi exercise il. This 10 Ihe
peenliarily Of our condition. The states
sould pass bankrupl laws. but they can
MOI; re can. bun ne will not. And be.
tween This wani Of power in The states.
and want Of will in Congress, unfnrtu-
male insolsenis are leli % hopeless bon
dage. There are probably one or two
hundred thousand debtors. honest. sober.
and industrious. Who drag ous lives. use
less 10 themselves. useless 10 their fsmi-
lies. and useless 10 their country. lof no
reason but that they cannot DO legally
dischsreed from debts. in which mis-
fortunes have involved them. and which
there is no possibility Of their ever pay
ing. Irepeai, agsin, that these cases
have now been accomplishing Tor whole
generation,
l. 10 true they are not imprisonedi bu,
there may be. and there is. restraint and
bondage outside The walls Of q Jail. ss
well ss in. Their pawsr Of earning Is
in truth taken away. their faculty Of
useful employment 10 parslyzed. aad
hope itself beeames exiinguished. Gre
dlinrs. generally. are no. inhulnane OF
unkind. but there will be found some
who hold on. and The more debtor
struggles to free himself. the more they
feel encouraged to hold on. Their mode
81 reasoning is, that The more honest
The debtor may be. the more induslri-
Gus, the more disposed 10 struggle and
bear up against his misfortunss, the
greater The chance is Ina, in the end,
especially il the humanity Of others
shall have led them TO release him, their
own debts may be finally recovered.
Now, in this state of our constitution.
al powers and duties. in this state Of
our laws, and With this actually existing
condition Of so many insolssa,s before
Us, IL 10 not too serious 10 ask every
member Of the Senate 10 put il to his
own conscience 10 say. whether we are
not bound 70 exercise our constitutional
du,yl Can We abstain from exercising
~ The states give 10 their own laws all
the effect they can. This shows that
they desire the power 10 be exercised.
Several states have. in the most snlemn
manner. made known their earnest wishes
10 Congress. III We still refuse. what
j. 20 be done! Many OF these insrlsent
persons are young men, with young
families. Like other men, they have
capacities. both for action and for enjoy.
menL Are we 10 s,ille all these, for
ever! Are We 10 suffer all these per.
sous, many Of them every way meri-
torious and respectable. 10 be pressed
10 the earth. forever. by load 81 hope.
less debt! The existing diversilies and
contradictions Of the state laws on The
subject admirably illustrate the objects OF
this part ol the Constitution. as stated by
Me-. Madison: and they form tina, pre-
else case for which The clause was in
serted. The very evil intended TO be
provided against is befnre US, and PRESS
ing Us on all sitlrs. How can we. how
dare We. make perfect dead letter of
This part Of The Constitution. which we
have sworn TO support! The insplsent
persons have not The power nf locomosion.
They cannot travel from state To STATE
They are prisoners. To my certain
knowledge there are many who cannot
even come here. 10 The seat of the Gov
eminent. topresent their petitions To Con.
gress, so great is their fear iha, some
creditor wilI dog their heels. and arrest
them in some intervening state. OF in
this District, in The hope that friends
viii appear TO save them, BY payment
OF The debts. from imprisonment. These
are trushs, mt credi,able 10 the country.
bat they are truths. am sorry for their
existence. SIR. there 10 one crime. quite
TOO common, which The laws Of man do
not punish. but which cannot escape the
justice Of G"d; and that is, The arrest
and confinement nf debtor, by his ere.
'lilor, with no moiive on earth hui The
hope that some. irirnd. or sbme relative,
perhaps almost as poor a. himself, his
mother. j, may be. or his sisters. or his
daughters. will give mp all their Own
liiils pi,lance. and make beggars Of hem
selves, 10 save him from the horrors &c
a loa'hsome Jail. Human reiribulion may
not reach this quill. human feelinU NAV