The evening world., 1894-04-09
POOR DEBTORS, ATTENTION! f!
AsSemblyman Kneeland Wants to Do
Away Altogether with Ancient
SpOnsing- House Laws.
EVILS OF WHICH FEW KNOW EXIST.
He Proposes Also that Business Men Who
Make Honest Failures May Secure
Discharge Of All Debts

Assemblyman S. F. Kneeland, of
Brooklyn, introduced two bills in the
Legislature last Wednesday which are
of deep importance to the debtor
class, and the creditor class as we'll
in this State
One Is an act abolshing imprison
ment for debt and providing for
the punishment of certain frauds.
The first section of the bill abol-
ishes Imprisonment in all civil ac-
tions. The second section provides in
detail for the carrying out of this pro-
vision, and also limits Imprisonment for
civil contempt to six months. The other
sections extend the provisions of the
original law to such commercial frauds
as were heretofore punished by civil
order of arrest.
I'm 1856, at the demand of The World
and other metropolitan newspapers.
said NJ. Kneeland yesterday, "a bill,
drafted by Erastus Wiman and myself,
was brought into the Legislature, which
limited Imprisonment in civil action to
six months. This opened the prison
doors to a large number of people in this
State who had been confined for many
years for no other crime than that of
poverty. The only criticism of The
World on this bill was that it did not
go further and abolish the abomination
entirely. / found that to be imprac-
ticable at that time. and therefore
| adopted the compromise measure. as
there was determined opposition
offered by attorneys for prosecuting
| creditors.
This act of 1856 cuts down imprison-
ment for contempt in alimony cases to
six months, leaving other civil cases to
stand as heretofore. unlimited in time.
| The result of this Is that there are
now In our jail men who have been
| confined for years without the benefits
OF the limits. for failure to pay a sum
OF money ordered by the Court to be
paid although such failure may have
been caused by actual inability on the
part of the debtor. which, OF course,
grows more desperate and hopeless as
the years roll on. 1t strikes me that
should be eliminated from our system,
together with its twin brother, imprison-
| ment for debt.
"The passage of the stillwen act Of
lS3l eliminated many of the rgors of the
old system. 1t strikes me that it is
about time, IN this year 1894, that every
TEN should be abolished forever"
Another bill introduced by Mr.. Knee
land Is In :he same general line. 1t is
entitled: An act providing for the dis
a debtor who has suffered an honest
failure may, upon turning over all his
property 10 trustee appointed by the
Court or the creditors and conforming
to the other requirements of the act,
secure discharge of all his debts. This
provision Is somewhat similar to volun-
tary proceedings under the old bank
ruptcy act. 1t is not intended to be per.
manent in its present form, II being the
intention of Mr.. Kneeland to follow ii
up next year by the provisions of q
stringent State bankruptcy act, abolish
ing preferences Of every nature and lay
ing down restrictions as to the dis.
charge of the debtor.
1T will be impossible at this late day
Of the session" said Mr.. Kneeland, "tC
pass such a comprehensive measure.
therefore only seek to pave the way fol
1t by allowing debtors who have com
mitted no frauds on their creditors, ant
who for years have had to do business
through the names Of other parties
to start the battle of life owe
BILE to success. These, with two billl
favoring the creditor class, were in
troduced by me. and referred t
committees on Wednesday last. Tn,
other bills simply extend the grounds o
attachment TO fraudulent Statements
made In writing and also take ava!
the limited jurisdiction OF the city Cour
in commercial cases. There seems to b
no opposition to these measures. and th
| chances are very favorable to their pass
age, although necessarily INTRODUCED
Mr. Rneelnnd only took his seat ol
"Wednesday, because of his contest will
Hughes. on the same day he deiiveret
his maiden speech and introduced tw
important bills. 1t happened to be tn
| Lot tl.tl a aNFtf o. 10 Il tlT