The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1897-11-17
Jno. w. Arctander, attorney at law,
913 N. Y. Life Bldg, Minneapolis, MINI.

ton In the prison. Charles Dickens de-
lineates this condition of things. with
great power, in the "Pickwick Papers,"
and paints the prisoners fading away
from the face of the earth by actual
starvation.
1t required great struggle to abolish
this system; the natural spirit of VEN
geance on the part of the creditor
against the debtor made him insist that
the man must pay his debt or stay there
and perish. Parliament at length saw
that the worst way in the world, to en-
able debtor to pay his debts, was to
lock him up where he could earn moth.
ing, and where the penalty of death, by
hunger was inflicted for mere bank
ruptcy. 1t would be interesting if one
had copy of the arguments that were
made in parliament in behalf of the
old system; it would be still more in
teresting if we had the arguments that
were made in the old Roman days in
favor of selling the wife and children
of the debtor to satisfy his debt.
1t is our judgment that the laws ought
to be so made as to facilitate the debtor
in clearing up his Indebtedness; and the
best way to do this is to give him tools
and home, and food, so that he may
continue at work. 1t is, of course, hard
upon the creditor-the merchant, for in
stance-WhO trusts a man, not to be re-
paid; but this is loss against which
proper prudence and foresight might
have saved him. But when you premit
the officers of the law to take away the
wages of the working man and reduce
his family to want and hunger, and
possibly, to death, there is a greater evil
done than the loss of funds by the small
capitalist.
AS we have often argued in this paper,
every man should own home, a place
Of protection for wife and little ones.
The state is interested in the raising I'D
of citizens, it is injured by their pauper-
izatiOn and slaughter. We believe that
all men are naturally honest; but some
break under smaller degree of pressure
than others. and when conditions are
such that man is driven to the alter
native Of failing to pay a debt or seeing
those dear to him suffer, he will choose
the former alternative; and we don't
know that he can be blamed for it.
There is another thing to be thought
of, and that is that the condition in
which the debtor is unable to pay his
debt, is, in most cases, not due to any
act OF the debtor himself-he is the
victim Of great national or international
systems of finance. When money is ex-
allied above men, 1t must not be ex-
pected that all men will be heroes and
saints, they feel the pressure even
though they don't understand the causes
of it. 1t is the part of great, wise
and just government to prevent condi-
lions in which the many are oppressed
and pauperized. 1t is injurious even to
the rich.
We hope our friends in Iowa will take
hold Of this matter and head off any
such proposed legislation. There is no
necessity for abuse of the parties who
are moving in the matter; they are do
ing what they think is right from their
standpoint; but in seeking to promote
their small personal interests they are
running counter to the great interests CT
the commonwealth. We hope the Pop
ulists of Iowa will take this matter I'D
and defeat the proposed legislation.
|. D.