Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-03-10

o into lnv0funtary II
this bill passes. It is not so profitable to
sell men out under such a bill as 1t is to
hold and control them under the yer
awning power of its cruel provisions.
These words of Judge Bell sound like
a fire bell at midnight and should
arouse people to a realization of their
immineat and deadly peril.
In q Nutshell.
To reoapitulate, there are 81 causes in
this bill for forcing a man into bank
ruptcy, 10 obstacles to his getting
out of the clutches of a federal court
and Al reasons why he can be consigned
by a United States judge to the custody
Of a United States marshal until he
shall be released or give bail conditioned
for his appearance from time to time as
required by the court and for his obedi-
ence to all lawful orders"
How do American freemen like that?
AS for my single self, Iwould infinitely
prefer to be locked up in q clean cell in
a county Jail than given into the keep
ing of a United States marshal, perhaps
manacled and dragged around on exhi-
bition to crafty his malice.
The Democratic and Populistic Pcsition.
Let it not be forgotten that the DEM
ocratic and Populistio caucuses both
voted in favor Of ga wise and fair
bankrupt bill" which was generally
understood to be a bill providing for
voluntary bankruptcy and for involun.
tary bankruptcy only for fraud. We
stood ready to vote for such q bill, but
we would not vote for this monstrous
measure of blackmail and oppression.
Bailey's Luminous Statement.
No man ever served in the American
congress who could state a proposition
more clearly or expound a theory more
luminously than Joseph W. Bailey, the
Democratic leader. He is as terse as
Tacitus and logical as John g. Calhoun.
In his splendid speech, which all men
should read, he set forth in five or six
sentences the Democratic position ex-
actly. Inter ALA he said:
81 am myself so strongly impressed
with the need of some legislation on
this subject that, although I do not be-
lieve in any law with an involuntary
provision, I would be willing to vote
for the passage of a bill which provides
involuntary bankruptcy in cases of ac-
tual fraud. / have no sympathy with
fraudulent debtors.
Bankruptcy, even when voluntary
is a remedy from which men of pride
and self respect always shrink and to
which they never resort except in the
last extremity. 1t leaves upon them q
stigma which no time can efface-a
stigma which not only follows them
through life, but which follows their
children after they are dead. If men are
willing to bear this odium in order to
free themselves from the CALLING and
oppressive burden of debt, it is their
own choice, and I am willing for them
to make it, but, sir, I will never vote
to give a merciless and ofttimes vindic-
tive creditor the right to afix the stigma
of bankruptcy to the name of an honest
man whose only misfortune is that he
cannot pay his debts. $50
sit permits the men who have forced
him into bankruptcy against his will
and against his interests, who have de-
stroyed his business and sacrificed his
property, to make an affidavit that he is
about to leave the district, and his tes-
timony may be needed, and upon that
affidavit he must be taken into the Gus
tody of the marshal and held against
his will and in violation of his rights
as a free man while his merciless aud
vindictive creditors are dividing up his
property.
SSH, I understand the Importance of
a law which enforces contracts and
which insures the collection Of honest
debts. / know that such laws are neces-
sary in every country where industry
thrives and commerce expands, but, sir,
I am not ready to admit that either the
interests of or the thrift Of
industry is abovo h rights OF mun, und
I hold the liberty of the citizen more
sacred than all the debts on earth"
A Republican Party Measure.
Write it upon the tablets of your
memory that this Torrey bill is a Re-
publican measure. A few Republican
members, who still possess some bowels
of compassion, voted against that bill of
denominations, which In deviltry dis
counts the alien and sedition laws,
which sent old John Adams to his po-
litical grave, but in the main the bosses
lined them up ON roll call. It is perfect
ly safe to predict that at least 70 men
voted aye on that occasion who will
not find their names on the roster Of the
Fifty-sixth congress.
Cheerful Figures.
ot,orro 20 0S -sl1 kotxo &ha noraa
away from the Republicans. Few peo-
pie have considered how close naany dis
tricts were in 1895.
Counting Mr.. Plowman of Alabama
as elected-which he vast would re-
quire only "a changes to deliver the
house into our hands. Amere glance at
the following figures shows how easily
the thing can be done. The following
Republicans were elected by the follow
ing pluralities:
Belknap of Illinois, 500; Boutell Of
Illinois, S62; Marsh of Illinois, 800;
Connolly of Illinois, 90; Hemenway Of
Indiana, 1,051; Faris Of Indiana, 855
Lands of Indiana, 249; Hepburn Of
Iowa. S26; Curtis of Kansas, 1854; Pugh
Of Kentucky, 423; Barber Of Maryland,
575; Morris of Minnesota, tit; Strobe
of Nebraska, 219; Howe of New York,
1923; Tongue Of Oregon lover Popu-
lists, SO; Ellis of Oregon lover Popu-
lists, 356; Kirkpatrick of Pennsylva-
mia, 329; Sturte7ant of Pennsylvania,
1875; Yost of Virginia, 151; Lacy Of
Iowa, 1901; Spalding of Michigan,
496; Mercer of Nebraska, 1,575; Mitch
ell of New York, 1859; Shannon of
New York, 1,446.
In each of these cases a change Of one-
half this plurality will knock the Re-
publican nominee out.
Will there be q sufficient change our
way to win these "a seats which are
necessary to u supremacy? Let us fol-
low Lord Bacon's inductive metaods
and from particular instances deduce a
The New Railroad.
From the Paris Appeal /.