The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1840-07-30


statement OF facts on record 7" ave ap,
peal 10 every honorable man among you,
(not totally blinded b. party prejudice, } who
loves his friends, hts liberty, and his couD
Try, to pause, reflect aud examine wei! the
principles aud recorded acts" of these men
who wlI thus grossly insul, your under
standings.
We leave tie Indiana laws here.
Messis. Montgomery and Hawkins also
give an extract from the journal Of the Sen
ale Of Ohio IN 1871, from which We take
the following:
" Mr. FitlilH then moved to strike out the 10Th
section Of the bill as follows:
i "Be il further eaacfcd, That when any person
siGH he Imprisoned, either upon execution 9TH
crwise for the non.paymcnt of fine or costs or
both, it shall be lawful for the sheriff OF the coun.
y to sell out such person as serrant to any per-
son within this State who will pay the whole "a
mount due for the shortest period Of service; Of
which sale public notice shall be given at least
ten days; and upon such sale being effected, the
sheriff shall give 10 the purchaser certificate
thereof and deliver over the prisoner 20 him. from
which time the relation between such purchaser
and the prisoner shall be that Of master and ser.
want, until tie time Of service expires, and far
injuries done by either rtmedg shali he had IN The
same mdlner 10 or mag BE pr0rided Gy iGlc in
case ~ master and cpyrenttce But nOth.ae hire
IN contained shall be construed 10 prevent per
sons being discharged from imprisonment accord
iHg 10 the porisi0Rs Of The 31th SectioH 0f The
act 10 whica tbs Is supplementary, u II shall be
considered eXp5dient to grant such discharge
PfOrided, Tina. the Court, IN pronouncing upon
80. a
or the act to winch this IS supplementary, may
direct such person or persons TO be detained in
prison until the fine be p4id, or the person or per.
sons otherwise disposed Of agrceably 10 the pro.
visions Of this act
(which motion was decided in the affirmative
Yeas 20, Nays l2.n
Among the l2 nays, il seems, the name
Of Harrison is found This las seemed IN
lie terms to prescribe that the relation be,
tween the parties should be that of "masler
aud apprentice. 1t ouly related to those
Who were' :" impyisoaed.' Messrs. Mont
gomcry and Hav klns have not ven,ured to
say tha, neighbour men and ueighbor wo
men," u9der this aw, could be sold as
slaves. fhs is only charged as to the ln.
diana law, which has heretofore been very
much Cllsreprescuied.
The first charge against Gen Harrison
was, that he voted for a law TO sell men for
debt. ln 1871, when this slauder was
brought against Gen. Harrison, he wrote
letter 10 the Editor Of the Cincinnati Ad
vertiser, from which we copy the following :
Il would appeal 10 the candor Of your cores.
l. 49, 4. H. Z.
dual confined under the circumstances | havo
mentioned, for whose fate lie was interested, lie
would not gladly see HIM transferred from the
filthy enclosure Of jail, and the still! more filthy
inhabitants to the comfortable mansion of some
virtuous citizen, whose adHonitons would check
his vicious pgopcnsties, and whose authority over
him would be no more than is exercised over
thousands Of apprentices in our country, and those
bound servants which are tolerated in our as well
- o"arg, o'sa- STATE II, the Union. Far from,
advocating The abdminQ5te DylHfl ptcS dtfFf6urrtS
10 me By gapr correspondent, hiqk that mpri-
soRmsni for debt, under any Circumstance hit
that r4ere fraud IS alleged, IS at irdr trih tie
best principles Of oar Constitution, and ought 10
b. abolished.
/ 81 am, sir. your humble servant
"W NJ IT, HARRISON"
/ In 1896, Gen. Harrison wrote letter TO
Mr. Peasants, relating to this subject, from
which we quote the following;
80 far from icing rafting to sell meu far
dsb'S trbt.h fiay are unable 10 discharge, 1 an
aud crcr hare been, opposed 10 all imprisonment
for dcbt. Fortunately | have ii in my power 10
show inst such has Decn my established opinion
and that, in public capacity, | ayowed and act
ed apon it. VIII those who have preferred the
un.ounlcd and malicious accusation refer TO the
Journals Of the Senate of the United States %
Session 10Th Congress, page 235; il will there
be seen that I lrQS one Of the Committee which
reported biz 10 abolish Imprisonment for debt.
When the bill was before the Senate / Gdr0cdted
ITS adoption, and on is passage rgted IN It's "a
r9r. See Senate Journal LIST Session, goth
Congress, pages lOl and 1921
." 1t is not a little remarkable, that # the effort
| am accused OF having made, TO subject men to
sale for the non payment Of their debts, had boon
successful. might, froa the state Of my pecu.
mary circumstances at the time, have been the
FIRST victim. l repeat, the charge is a vile ca.
bunny, Al no period o. my life would have
consented to subject the poor and unfortunate to
such a degradation, nor have omitted TO exert
myself in their behalf 1gt inst such an attempt
to cypress them.
II am, dear sir, with great respect,
Your humble servant,
"WN. II. HARRISON. |
~. Ii. PLEAsANrs, Esq.
Although this charge is not made in the |
circular, II has been made in many news
papers, and we feel bound to let the whole |.
truth be known to YOU, Like all the other
thousand SANDERS against Gen. Harrison, !
tho examination rebounds to his credit
lie was influenced by feelings Of humanity
in wishing to relieve prisoners from the !
Ioathsomo vapors of dungeon, that they
might, as apprentices, work out their tiaes.
Mr.. Mason, of Ohio, who is well acqualnt
ed with the laws of that State, in speech
recently made by him, very satisfactory ex
plains this vote. Mr.. Nj. says:
Sir, wish now to cell your attention to the
vote Of Gen. Harrison, and the circumstances nm
der which it was given. The attention of the
Legislature of Ohio, during its session OF e20'2l,
was anxiously directed to the consideration of
some plan for tho relief of the people, then suf-
tering under degree of distress and emharrass-
ment unexamped in tho history of that State
With a currency deprecated and deranged, the
financial resources of the State crippled and a