Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1848-04-26

acted 10 create and extend credit. Ourf
laws forshecoliection ofdebts are asysiena|
of inextricabte- traps and snares, cunning
ly devised with the view solely to seduce1
eniinlosendiess disputes nnd rninous law.]
suits. arOf fswhat use, are those laws tes me, |
IN gaining fifty, dollars, whom they express
ly authorize asrich debtor 70. drag me into
several different courts, and thus throw me
into aice the amount IN law fees, besides
j ears Of delay before I get its During
all this time my mind is disturbed, my
business deranged or in part neglected,
and my worst passions kept in agitation ~
Ia order 10 thwart the base Intentions Of q
rich and cunning scohH 81, aided in ai
yillainy'by hired talent, Ialso must hire
counsel and resort 10 ldlpficity and Legal
fiction. Cost, uncertainty, and long delays
are the murderers Of justc md though
the law offers me revenge, should my cause
be carried without flaw through al the
courts and court proceedings; revenge upon
the villain who swindled me into all this
.perplexity, BY throwing him into heavy
costs; yet justice, my right, my DUE. alas
it was swallowed up in the conflict by the
law conjurers who are now laughing at my
dear bought success; and this. tiend feeling
Of revenge which the law bade me crafty,
as the only satisfaction it would afford in
Exchange for violated justice, in addition to
the neglect Of my business, and the heavy
expenses it bas run me to, has robbed me
OF humanity and almost changed me into
la devil. fazz=.S. g.a-
In oil this our laws for, the collection OF
debts. are a cheat and delusion, and the
| Jespj1s OF the Bench and Bar from whom
they emnnate, have set up an idol, the idol
Of revenge for the people to reverence in
! stead of the ark of truth md justice. What
else. can we have any reason 10 expect from
them2 T., f--,. Sec. y,..,.-s-..-.- ..
In. n.regard to debts and contracts in gen.
eral, the government should unquestiona-
bly, 90 one of two things; either enact laws
! that shall secure the payment Of the one,
! and the (uIfillment Of 9th ers, without delay
and without cost, thus placing thepoor and
the rich on perfect level in. the courts. or
else pass no laws at all on the subject, and
so permit all credit and faith to rest upcn
its natural foundation, the moral character
Of the parties. 9's' s'.'.@3'7 g s''4*s.@'S
To oil who receive the injunctons Of
the Old and New Testament as supreme
authority upon this subject, tho whole ssys-
ten, of credit is an immortality. In all cases
of absolute want and necessity, charity is
the practice there inculcated; credit is ei.
\. ther an insult or snare. sf 35v' >z'as
] s'"Owe no man anything except to love
one another,'' says the New Testament,
/. and the decalogue declares ssthou shalt not
coret any thing that is thy neighhcr's. -
How any man protesting to be Chris.
4 tian can permit himself 10 contract debt,
exceptso procure his daily bread, or his
most urgent physical wants. is difficult TO
1 imagine. Such a person is apractical inf
del! He is destitute of all faith and rc!i-
ance in that Being who ''feeds the wild ra-
vens' and sclothes the lilies Of the Valley
He doubts ifGod will crown his honest la
bors with q subsistence; or what. is worse,
and far more generally the case, he is not
I ! a0illing to labor honestly for his bread. He
would rather prey upon the labor of others,
by buying ii for Tess than IFS value and SELL
ing it for more. With this intention he coy
cts his neghbor's property, borrows mon
ey, and otherwise runs into debt, breaks
the divine law, and the express injunc!ions
of the religion which he pays to support
and pretends to believe and reverence; and
Justly incurs for his inconsistency, or by.
pocrisy, os we'll as for his dishonesty, the
! torrnents Of hell.
In. vain may we look 10 our religious
leaders and teachers to correct this wide
spread and fearful derilection: they are too
busily engaged in building churhes and
adorning them upon credit, and thousand
other speculations conducted upon the same
vile principle! We should bear in mind,
however, thatthc command of the Deca-
logue and injunction of the Apostle, have
in them unintrinsic moral excellence; that
, they are in harmony with the good fellow
ship, peace and independence OF society as
perfectly as they are with the will of God;
and we should compel our leaders, both
clerical and legislative, either to make
their teachings and legislation correspond
with these moral and Christian obligations,
or else to abandon their empty and hypo-
critical canting about religion and Christi
anity. .sas5.4 go; yea -rs,azsas' rse1s-. @
The, National Reform measures appear
the. e.most efectual, perhaps, tho only FEAST
BILE remedy against the, evils of excessive
credit. Let government secure to all its cit.
izens their inalienable right in the great
freehold Of natuae; let the homestead be
made sacred against every contingency;
1 and there need scarcely be a debtor in ex-
istence. He that has home-that has soil
enough, and natures elements of subsist-.
! ence secured to him by the law, and yet
| sswill not work-neither should he eat.''
All laws for the collection Of debts might
be abolished with safety. Yet there would
still be credit and confidence among men.
| Itwould, however, be based upon its own
| natural foundation; the moral character OF
| de5tors,--their industry, integrity and
punctualty,tThe richest man destitute of
these virtues would be degraded below the
point of credit. The poorest person possess
| ing them would be elevated to conidencei
and respectability. The character of socie-
ty would be changed, .and honesty instead
| ofcraft and cunning become in reality the
best policy. The talents of the Bar would
no longer occuy a position false to human
ity, by thriving on the ignorance, qunrrels
| and misfortunes of men. The corruption
of the courts, the bribery and false oaths
II ;fi,,ica nfs leeraf tyIafs ff, the rich