Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-03-16
THE BITTER FEELING.
A Reminder Of the Days Of Slavery.
and Secession.
Party Lines Laid Aside in Discussing The
Finarces-B ankrg p'cy Bill.


the unpleasant conclusion that the division
On current financial questions is far more
sectional than that on slavery ever was,
and that the sections are rather more solid
than they ever were ON secession. Take
the center of our population as it was in
1880 in southeastern Indiana and draw
through it two lines at right angles. South
sf the east and west lines six-sevenths OF
the congressman are Democrats, and west
of the north and south line more than
two-thirGs are in favor of the free coinage
Of silver More, it is tolerabl certain that
the proportion is much greater than two
thirds. as, although but 10 Republicans
voted fer the Bland seigniorage bill, it is
known that party ties restrained several
more.
As the south half of this nation is ell
most solid on one issue and the west half
but little less solid on another, what must
The southwest quarter be? North and east
Of the two lines indicated there is practi-
cally no difference between the two parties
on this issue, and SO the northeast may be
set down as solid. Everybody deprecates
this, every congressman who talks with
q correspondent declares with great vehe-
mence that sit isn't our fault" but just
the same the melancholy fact must be rec
ognized Even in the bitterest period OF
the civil war there never was such una
nimity in the south as there is now, and in
the northwest there never was stronger
support OF Lincoln's policy than there is
now of special financial system.
Party Lines ObIiterated.
Party lines being thus in great meas
IRE laid aside for sectional lines, there
seems to be an increasing tendency for this
division to continue on new questions as
they rise. even though they seem to have
little or 10 bearing on finance. Among
these ia the bankruptcy bill, which is still
in consideration in the judiciary commit
tee. 1t will be remembered that the Tor
rey bill WAS set aside, and that the Bailey
Eill obtained the preference. The struggle
sill now be 10 replace thc Bailey bill fox
the original Torrey bill somewhat lnodi-
fed. The main difference is that the Bal
lev bill provides for voluntary bankruptcy
only while the other has elaborate provi-
sions for forcing the delinquent debtor in
to bankruptcy. This measure i' advocat-
ed by Mr.. Wclverton of Pennsylvania and
Mr.. Oates Of Alabama among the Demo
Gratis.
Bankruptcy laws" says NJ. Bailey.
"havc existed in some form ever since
commerce began among non. Originally,
instead Of cutting up the estate, they cat
up the bankrupt. Ia process of time thay
adopted the other method, but i'll the
United St&tcs they got il down so fine that
after cutting up the cst@tc, instead OF d!-
viGing it among the creditors, they divide !
it among the lawyers and court offl3lals.
Taking all, the English and other foreign
prcccdents, coDgre in 1880 passed our
first bankruptcy law, which was to con
tinue in force for five years, but the re
suits were so bad that IN a little more than
two years congress repealed it Iy = Vot@
in tho house of 90 to l3, and fer nearly 1 )
years the experience was sufficient 10 IRE
vent the passage Of any other law. The
disastrous panic of 1887, however, caused
the Twenty congress in 1871 to
pass the second bankruptcy act, and it
YVES so much worse than the first ono that
It was repealed by the same congress which
adopted it. These, however, are only Il
few of the reasons which caused thc ma
iority of cur committee to favor al act
providing for purely voluntary bank
ruptcy."
Voluntary Bankruptcy.
An examination of the authorities cited
By Mr.. Bailey shows that Senator Benton
in 1881 estimated the number of ruined
debtors who wanted release so they could
begin again at 100 900 But, be added, it
did them no good, for the act was so obi
GUS that any man who took advantage of
it could never get trusted again. Many
other testimonies given in that period show
q general opinion that no bankruptcy act
was really needed, because insolvents could
and generally did gra whatever cash they
could lay their hands on and Eight out -"
for the west Communication was so inn
perfect and legal process between states so
difficult, if not impossible, that q man
could then get rich in Illinois, Missouri
or the southwest before his creditors in
the old states could get at him. 1t is diff
ferent now. Nevertheless thesthird bank
ruptcy law-that of 1S67-was not much
more satisfactory The Bailey bill pro
vides for voluntary bankruptcy in cases OF
Indebtedness as low as 5000.
Hill and Murphy.
All this time the newspapers and an
army of private letter writers continue 20
Dom para Inc senate LOT us NCias III aNNiAiSp
on the Wilson bill, and senators continue
10 bear the racket with the stern tranquil
lily of so many Mohawk chiefs. Senator
Jones, however, is so far concerned as to
now promise that the bill will probably
not be debated more than six weeks, and
that debate will begin at least as early as
the 1st of April--a very appropriate day for
it to begin. Polling the senate continues
with about the same results. 1t is still
confidently asserted that the Populist SEN
a.ors will vote against the bin and de
clared with almost profane vehemence by
their copartisans in the house that they
dare not dosit. At least score OF OK
perts declare that Messrs. Hill and Muir
phv will vote against the bill no matter
what shape it assumes. and as many more
vehemently declare that they will vote for
1t regardless. lyon pays your money, and
you takes your choice"
The ho;sse committee on merchant ma
rine and fisheries has in preparation a
rather searching bill to protect the salmon
fisheries Of Alaska and expects soon to in
troduce it. Its principal advocate is Mr..
Pigott Of Connecticut. The movement for
TIE admission of Utah, New Mexico ana
Arizona las also assumed fresh yigcr- and
its advocates assert positively that these
three will come in, but that the Enarl BE-