Boon's Lick times. [volume] (Fayette, Mo.) 1840-1848, 1844-03-23

ten becomes Impossible; and when that
impossibility becomes manifest, the arm of
the law interposes," &c. He added: See
APP. Con. Globe, p. 5O21
Release from further liability for debt
under such circumstances, and after a sur
render of the debtors effects, has been
granted by law, or obtained by compro.
mise, or extorted by force, under all forms
of Government, and in all ages and coun-
tries"
He was in favor, likewise, of the voun-
tary feature; for in the same speech, he
says:
81 am ready to assist in forming an act
which shall be general in its provisions, and
just in its appication-which shall do JUS
tice to the creditor as we'll as to the debtor
which shall be compulsory with regard to
traders and dealers, whether natural or
artificial--which shall be optional with
other classes of the community" &c. &c.
See APP. Con. Globe, p. $685.
In another speech, IN the same body, and
during the same year, he went farther still,
and gave in advance, an outline of the
very bill which was afterwards passed by
the Wing Congress. That we do not speak
without authority, is evident from the fol-
lowing extract
"Persons who are not merchants or ira
ders have been carried away by the spirit
of the times, and have been involved in
debts from which they sec no means of ex-
trication. These have right to the relief
pf Rop1. / mall 1hneo
larly engaged in trade, at the same time
they should not be subject to the compul-
satory application of the law. With them
the application of The law should only be
applied to them on their o,on petition;
while with those regularly engaged in
trade, and particularly bound to know the
laws of trade and obey these laws, the APP
plication of the law should be compulsory,
and should take effect upon the petition of
given proportion of their creditors. This
extension of the principles ofthe act would
make it universal in its application TO per-
sons; its extension TO corporations would
be all that would be wanting to make it
entirely National, and fifty applicable to
every case in which the relation of debtor
and creditor existed" See Con. Globe,
p. 1871
This is the very spirit of the law after
wards passed, and if the Speaker had had
the arrangement of it, and had endeav-
ored to make it conform, as exactly as pos
sible, TO the plan he had laid down, he
could not have done it more effectually,
than by using the very language in which
the bill was actually drawnl
But there is one important fact to which
we invite attention. At the time Mr.. Ben
ton made this speech, there were two bills
before the Senate; one reported by Mr..
Clayton (whig) and the other by Mr.. Wall
Uoco) Mr.. Benton preferred, of course,
that of Mr.. Wall, and in the course of the
same speech said:
"Three members of the Judiciary Com.
mittee have reported one bill; two men,
bers have reported another: and these two
bills emanate from the two political parties
which, under whatsoever names, have ex-
listed in this country for fifty years."
Again: "The bill of the minority mr.
Walls bill] furnishes the true basis for the
enactment of Bankrupt System!!'
Thus after advocating with all his power
this bill, identically the same in principle
with that passed by the Wing Congress in
Is4l, he tells us it is on the true basis; in
other words, it was democratic"
The Democratic" Party, then, and not
the wings, were the real authors of this
system; they it was that frs; proposed 10
fasten on this country law which when
it was afterwards passed by wings, they
endeavored to render odious, by every
term Of abuse TO be found in their vocab-
ulary. Oh! Patriotism! Oh! Honesty! Oh!
Decency, TO what shameless and unhaowed
ends will men prostitute your names.
Our statement may be doubted by some
who have not made up their minds to be,
lieve men to be so utterly abandoned as
such gross insincerity would prove some
of them, at least, to be. To remove all
doubt, we publish the statement of Mr..
Wall himself In commenting on the bill,
he used the following language:
ut proceeds upon the principle, tina,
when the creditors have obtained all the
property of the debtor by his own volun-
tary act, or their vigilance, and appropria-
ted it to their own use, that the debtor
thus deprived of the means of discharging
the contract, should be released from its
obligation. have already declared that