Baton-Rouge gazette. [volume] (Baton-Rouge, La.) 1819-1856, 1843-08-12
nf,t1,ona CONVENTION.

To The law uf The lHst aGsSion " oHf ibE hb'as
relative 10 judicial sales. This law he proa
nou1ees good and just, and says II IL appfoveo
by the people. From this statement, We lnier
Mr.. w. understands just about as mtieh OF
the operation Of said law, and Of The opinion
Of the people regarding II, as be does 81 The
Editors Convention. We viii explain what
II was Intended 10 door q part Of what u was
intended % do, for we have not room to-day
to explain half-in a convention Of editors.
Hui Grst, we Win examine for an instant, Mr.
Wilson'S opinion Of the law N question.
lie says that law is Just II lti Can any
law that ID literally and expressly partial IN
liz provisions bs Just I WeuldH law eonpels
ling every planter In the state, grsat ana
small, TO sell his crop for the same affotttit
Of money, regardless Of the number Of bales
or houshsads, or which would fix the same
price on every crop, regardless Of quality. be
d just law1 Would law compelling every
physician, or every lawyer TO practice ut the
saine price, regardless Of the qualifications o.
the practitioner, be a just law l=~shotild every
pattjfonuer, bs entitled 10 the same fee hs o
Masursau, d Grymss, n soule or Webster
The thing is too absurd for argument ana
| yet this Is precisely what Is done In the law
under consideration. II makss no distinction
In the value of advertising. A paper That clr-
| e~ulates half d mile round The Office from
wt,euce IL ID issued, receives the same com
psnsatiun as that which GifeulateE d Thousand
miles on every hand. The publisher who
goes 10 the labor and expense Of furnishing
the community with a large wall-flled sheet,
. to receive, according 10 this '%.ltist" law, pre-
eisely the same remuneration as lis who
throws down at his own door-cill, a dirty Sc
ysp.by.nins concern. in which there 10 not
half a column Of interesting matter We have
rare IDEAS Of the Justice Of such Legislation.
But again . the law 10 unjust towards others
than publishers. II operates ~unjnstly md I'm.
equally on the people aud If Mr.. W. had
seeu and heard what We have, he would be-
more cautious about pronohneing Tie people in
favor Of IL. II breeds fraud ms dirt breeds yer.
min !. and while II here and thefs unynstiy re-
ljsyes one man Of his debts. II ri The same
time, and ss unyustty, too, makes a dozen lose
their dues. A single fact viii illustrate this
Shortly after tho passage Of tho law, a per.
son called on the cashier Of one Of our banks
and asked why tho bank did not close Il mort.
eape IL held Oh his plantation. The cashier
replied that his case had bssn befuss tho
board Of directors, and that tho board, deem.
ing him M honest, and knowing him TO be- ar
industrious man, desired 10 indulge him
Others we're INDUCED, aud il was moi tho wisl
Of tho bank to distress or act partially.
The man insisted on tho closure Of thu
toortpape. II was closed, and the property
under this law, ctandestinely sold. II did no
IN into other hands, but IL went under anothe
name. A brief period elapsed, before sotn'
/; half dozen Of creditors, 10 whom this plante
was honestly indebted, and all Of whom bel,
judgments against him, became acquainted
!, with ,bs sale. What could they do Th'
man was now, nominally, not worth a cent
f and thor judgments were worse Off Than TN
man. Tho debtors property was ample, am
} would have paid. and over-paid, all he owed
and had bis creditors known Of the sale theJ
J would have run it up sufic iently high TO cover
their claims. But, under the operation Of thin
|, - Just" law, ono rogue IL enabled to swindle
half Il dozen of honest people out Of theil
|, rights.
, This, it's true, ID a solitary case but w
might record many similar. We have yeti
hear tho first person acquainted with the ope
. ration Of the law, speak well Of it. We hea
D 1t condemned on all sides, and for the mos
, righteous reasons.
II 10 contended that the debtor, or the dcbto
and creditor, seyeraIly or jointly, should bay'
Z the right Of saying whether the pr opcriy TO b
sold by the sheriff, should or should not b.
published in the papers. We object to this
frst-that the debtor and a single credito
are not the only parties concerned. Their
a may be other creditors, and the publication 0
tho sale is intended to give them notice Of th'
O transaction. Where all the creditors agree
this rule is certainly good but where onl.
one of them has 4 chance TO give his consen
to the measure, it Is unjust and fraudulent
Secondly, We object that the moral effect 0
such a law 10 bad, inasmuch AZ it opens a wide
: door to fraud, thus tempting the debtor to &C
dishonesty. It has been observed, and ma.
be any Saturday when sales are made, tina
very few attend those sales except the plain
: tiff and defendant. The reason is, that tn
a sale is known onlyto them, the sheriff and her
o and there a passenger. And those dlslnter
u ested persons who do attend, can bear test
mony to the covert, underhand manner il
which at least two-thirds ofthe sales are made
IL a law authorising such proceedings a jus
9 law7
A few words relative to the convention
:, It was certainly our intention to have brough
:. that law before it it was also our intention
to have proposed that the Press should urg'
upon the legislature, the passage Of an &C
= providing that all the laws of each session G
: our legislature should be published in on
!, paper IN each parish where a paper ia printed
= The people delegate persons to 90 to Net
Orleans every winter to make and amen
: laws; and yet the people generally, are n
: better acquainted with what their legislator
II have done after the breaking up of the SEES
;, sion, than they were with what they intende
- TO do before it commenced. Every ma
u should have an opportunity threading the law
he pays for making, and there 10 no means b
If which this opportunity can be obtained cheap
g1