New-York daily tribune., 1843-02-04
A Word to Hex.dsrser.

as well as barbarism OF such imprisonment had
been demonstrated to the conviction of every In
telligent mind; so that might just as sensi-
bly, propose the re-establishulent Of the Judicial
Torture of suspected Criminals or the Burning of
We trust, if any such proposition is pressed upon
the Legislature of our sister State, it will be
PEELED by vote es indignantly decisive as though
it contemplated the Roman atrocity of making the
Debtor the absolute slave or victim Of the Creditor
The grounds of impregrable, ever-existing hos
tility to any form or modification of Imprisonment
for Debt may be briefly summed up as follows:
l. 1t is great moral aorong. The man who
owes debt and cannot pay it has not therefore
justly subjected hirsel! to punishment. He has
done nothing worthy of Death or of bonds. 1t is
hard enough to be utterly destitute, without being
made to suffer for it as if it were guilt.
2. II confounds Lenocence acitk Crime. One
man is poor, and cannot pay; another s knavsh,
and soiH not: the law of Imprisonment, treats them
both alike, and must do SO, in spite of ell reserva
tons and qualifications. We would punish a
fraudulent debtor with the utmost severity; but
simple poverty carries enough punishment along
with it, without superaddiDg legal penalties.
). II is pernicious. Merchants trust those who
ought not to be trusted, under the expectation OF
getting their pay the btter-end of an execution.
The poor Prodlgal who has nothing is enabled TO
run up rum-score at the tavern or grocery, or to
spend his earnings in liquor while running in debt
for necessaries, because the creditor knows COM
mitment to prison will probably bring forward some
tender-hearted neighbor to bail him out or even
pay the debt. And thus intemperance, Prodigality,
and idleness are fostered by this abominable I'm
prsonment.
a. Il roJS families of their subsistence first,
by tempting tine thong htess husband end father into
dissipation as we have just shown; thea by se!z
ing and shutting him up in idleness, leaving his
wife and children to charity or starvation. They
are destitute and frendless, of course or be would
not go to Jail.
5 II is Uiolation of contracts. We dom,
think much Of this argument, but it is constantly
set up on the Shylock side, and we don, see why
it should not work both ways, if either.-The man
who contracted debt in the absence of any I'm.
prisonent law, has not contracted to so to Jail il
he shall prove unable to pay it at maturity. 10
put that condition upon him is unjust and oppres,
sve.
We could add reasons by the column, but
must forbear. The very first is enough. If owe
another man for Property, my Property (within
certain mits( is justly his forfeit; let the law take
it and pay him. But my liberty is not justly for.
fetcd by my mere inability to pay him, and if the
law takes it, it acts wantony and unjustly.
We will say nothing of policy and party ex-
pediency in regard to this matter. We stand on
the absolute Justice of the case, and the we'll
being of society We will not even plead special,
ly for own luckless citizens, who are so un.
Jersey, and have aforcume been seized there,
dragged of 20 prison on mere allegation of deb,
| and compelled to pay most unjust demands in or
der to regain their liberty. We ask no special
privileges for them; if citizens of New-Jersey are
to be served so, it is absurd to ask better treat
ment for strangers. We trust, however, that every
Member of the Legislature-and we may more ap-
propriately speak to every WHIa Member-will
look well to bis doings, and ponder long before he
votes to restore Imprisonment for Debt.
FIREs.-An Extra from the effce of the Pen
field (Ga. Index, states that the buildings of the
Mercer University in that State were burned
down on the 25th ult No fire had been in the
building for some days, and the destruction is be-
lieyed to have been the work of an incendiary.-
The policy of insurance had expired few day 5
previous and had not been renewed. The Secre-
tary's books were also burned.
Slips from the offices Of the Republican and
Georgian give account of disastrous fire which
occurred at Savannah (Ga.) on the 9th ult. TIVE
houses owned by Mrs. Jewe,t, in which the FIRE
caught, were destroyed, and neither of ;hem was
insured The dwelling of MIR. Oemler was also
burned; upon it was an insurance of $4,000. The
whole loss is supposed to have been not far from
$40. 600. a free colored man named Mcintosh
tainted from exhaustion, during the fire, and soon
died. Several minor accidents likewise occurred
The cotton warehouse owned by the Bank and
occupied by ID. A. Crane, at Daricn, Ga. was
burned on the 2Sth ult. with about twenty bales of
cotton.
A fire broke out early on Tuesday in the cabin
of the brig Sebago, at Portland, loaded with hay,
and bound for Mobile. The fire was got under
after destroying the cabin. The loss sustained
will probably amount to six or seven hundred dol
lars.
AT Toronto, on the 24th ult. FIRE broke cut in
Lambs blacking and ink manufac,ory, which (says
the Examiner of the morning of the 25th) was
burning with great fury when that paper was put
to press. Five or six houses on Temperance-s,reet
had been destroyed, and it was feared that the
flames would extend still farther on tha, street