Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-02-03
Daily krmetre 5ournal.
Remarks of Mr.. Eaton or Camden.

In House OF Representatives Jan. 81. lSSi in favor
of The abolition Of Imprisonment for debt;
NJ. Speaker: l have an order in relation
to Imprisonment for debt but before reading
it wish TO indicate why introduce it, And
| will first read that part of the Gov
ernor's Message covering this very point
After reading from the message he con-
| tinued This is sweeping charge. Is il
sustained by our jail records? Now, sir,
this order proposes, in part to uncover this
poor debtor law--to show if il be so-that a
man. a citizen of this State can be taken from
home and family and locked up in a cell. and
there be Obliged to pay the expenses to the
last cent of what is called swearing out of
Jail and the expense of a justice of the peace
brought as far as his merclcss creditor
pleases to bring him, from any location in this
State, or tho creditor board the prisoner at
pleasure. Ii is hard for those in afiucnt cir
cumstances. or even in the common walks of
life. To realize fully the condition of the poor
whom we always have with us. They
have feelings and pride of character. But to
treat poverty as crime, to impriSon n man for
debt. is shame and crime against civilxa-
tion. Nations repudiate; States, counties and
towns rcpudiatc; municipal bonds Of our
Western states are collectible only on the
good faith of the citizens; savings banks
scale down; the rich go into insolvency OF
bankruptcy; but poor debtor for $40 goes
to Jail. and then has to pay his way out l
know a poor debtor, and his story lis the
short and simple annals of the poor" He
enlisted and went through the war of the re-
belion. He bore our flag. kept sacredly
in the rotunda of this capitol. He returned
home sick. He gave his son to the army Of
the United States, who fought the Indian
three years on the Western border. and who
is now sick of consumption in Oregon; re-
quirng all of his fathers means while the
clamp of life t'irkers in its socket" For a
note of s. and interest an execution was is
sued against the body of this man, command
ing the sheriff of Knox county to arrest him
wherever found in his precinct. and con-
vey him to the Jail in Belfast. In his dis
tress he came 10 me to know what he
should do and gave him money and advised
him 10 ship. The last | knew cf him he was
on board schooner bound for Boston. ex-
posed to pitess storms along our coast. flee
ing from State that makes poverty a crime
by imprisoning debtor. This is but the his
tory of many poor debtor. We may say of
such statute, "out damned spot" 1t hath
oppression all over it. What malice afore-
thought prompted a law calling n Justice of
the peace from any location in this State at
the expense of the poor debtor know not;
but this do know-that that statute is dis
grace and shame.
Mr.. EAroN then read his order calling up
on the shcriffs in the State for certain statis-
tics in regard to poor debtors. which received
passage. He also laid on the table to be
printed. bill an act for the abolition of i'm
prisonment for debt. remarking that it might
not contain all the twists of the law, but that
the people Of the State would understand it.