The Rodney telegraph. (Rodney, Miss.) 1838-1840, 1840-07-09


reported bill to abolish Imprisonment for
debt. When the bill was before the Senate,
| advocated its adoption, and on its passage,
voted in its favor See Senate Journal, Isl
Session, 20th Congress, pages 1Ol and lO2.
1t is not little remarkable that, if the eff
fort am accused of having made, to subject
men to sale for the non-payment of their
debts, had been successful, might from the
state of my pecuniary circumstances at the
time, have been the first victim. repeat,
the charge is vile calumny. Atno period
of my life would have consented to subject
the poor and unfortunate to such degrade
ton; nor have ! omitted to exert myself in
their behalf against such an attempt to OPP
press them.
1t is sought to support The charge by means
of garbled extracts from the journals of the
Senate Of Ohio. The Section of the bill
which is employed for that purpose had no
manner of reference to the relation of credi-
tor and debtor, and could not by possibility
subject the debtor to the control of his credi-
tor. None know better than the authors of
the calumny that the alIedged section is ut
terly at variance with the charge which is
attempted to be founded upon it, and that, so
far from proposition to invest a creditor
with power over the liberty of his debtor,
1t had respect only to the mode of disposing
of public offenders, who had been found
guilty by a jury of their fellow-citizens OF
some crime against the laws of their State.
That was exclusively the import and design
OF the section of the bill, upon the motion to
strike out which, voted in the negative
So you will perceive that in place of voting
to enlarge the power of the creditors, the
vote which gave concerned alone the treat
ment of malefactors, convicted of crimes
against the public.
1t would extend this letter to an inconve-
nieht 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 offenders who would have fallen within
ITS operations; nor is such an expose called
for. The measure was by no means a nov
city in other parts of the country. In the
State of DelGwGrc there IS an act nOp in
force in similar acords lcith the section of the
bill before the Ohio Senate, ,ctich has been
made Of late the pretert Of such inridious
inrectiue. Laws with somewhat similar pro
visions may probably be found in many 9th
er OF the States. In practice the measure
would have ameliorated the condition ofthose
who were under condemnation. As the law
stood, they were liable under the sentence
TO confinement in the common Jail, wher'
offenders of various degrees of profligacy, o
different ages, sex and color, were crowded
together. Under such circumstances, it is OBJ
vIous that the bad must become worse, willis
reformation could hardly be expected in re
spect to any. The youthful offender,
might be hoped, would be reclaimed unde
the operation of the proposed system; bu
there was great reason to fear his still gteat
er corruption amid the contagion of n com
mon receptacle of vice. Besides, the pro
posed amendments of the law pre-suppose,
that the delinquent was in confinement 70
the non-payment of a fine and cost of prose
cution-the payment of which was a part Q
the sentence-it seemed, therefore, humane
in res pect to the offender, to relieve hin
from confinement which deprived him of tn
means of discharging the penalty, and t
place him in situation in which he Nigh
work out his deliverance, even at the los
for a time of his personal liberty.
But forbear to 90 further into the reason
which led me, sixteen years ago, as mem
/ Der of the Ohio Senate, TO entertain differ
ent opinion of an alteration which was pre-
posed in the Criminal Police of the State
1t is certain, that neither in respect to my
self, or those who concuTred with me, was th
opinion at the time considered as the resu
of unfriendly bias towards the poor or unfol
tunate. Nay, the last object which | coul
have anticipated even from the eager an
restless desire to assaii me, was a charge {
unfriedlness to the humble and poor of th
community. | am. &c.
w. H. HARRISON.
J. II. Pledsants, Esq.