Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1898-03-24
BANKRUPTCY BILL
Days of Debt Imprisonment
ReCalled-What the House
Passed..
Provisions of Law BY Which
a Debtor May Be
HaraSSed.
Fifty-fOur Causes for Bank.
ruptcy-PoWer of Federal
Courts.

WASHINGTON. March 2l.-Feb. 10,
1898, will be remembered as "Black Sat-
urday," for that day was passed through
the house bankruptcy bill, variously
known as "the Torrey bill," 1.-The Hen
derson bill" and 1.-THE Torrey -Hender-
son bill," which, if it finally becomes q
law, will turn over to the tender mercies
of United States marshals thousands of
unfortunates who have committed no
crime save and except becoming incap-
able of paying their debts under present
conditions, and the federal courts will
grind INCREASINGLY. This is returning
with q vengeance to imprisonment for
debt, performance so cruel and IN
reasonable that it was long since aban-
doned in this country.
No other American bankruptcy law
was half as oppressive and outrageous as
this enactment.
JUDGE BELLS STARTLING STATEMENT.
Readers must not take this statement
as reckless one made for political effect,
says Congressman Clark in letter to
his friends He continues: 1t is sober
truth. Indeed, as the Queen OF Sheba
said to King Solomon when she first be-
held the gorles OF the temple, The half
hath not been told" I have not in the
foregoing remarks stated the moiety of
the iuiauities of this monstrous and in
famous bill.
Judge John c. Bell OF Colorado is
acknowledged one OF the ablese and most
conservative members Of the house. His
congressional acquaintances who have
had opportunity to study him, implicitly
believe his statements. They know that
he does not exaggerate. Our eastern
friends appear to believe that all popu-
lists are wild eyed and irresponsible
demagognes without respectable ante
cedents and with an inevitable tendency
toward anarchy. Nothing could be
wider OF the truth. Judge Bell is
hereditary jurlst and statesman, beng a
COUSIN to old John Bell of Tennessee,
candidate for the presidency in 1860 and
one OF the greatest wings that ever lived.
He served with distinction on the bench
in Colorado. He thoroughly studied
this bankruptcy bill, and after mature
del1beration made this startling state
ment on the floor Of the house:
"The gentleman from Illinois (Mr.
Conolly) has. said that in the act of 1900
We had 20 causes for bankruptcy.
Willie my ingenious friend finds IN the
law OF 1900 20 causes of bankruptcy
gentleman who has gone over the four
preliminary pages of this bill and found
the different senses in which each OF
these terms may be used tells me that
there are 81 causes fol-. bankruptcy in the
bill under consideration. This gentleman
was none other than one CT the senators
who has taken great interest in this BILL
He figured out that there were Isl
reasons, after q man got into bank
ruptcy, why you should keep him from
escaping or obtaining discharge"
After showing that the proposed law
is much severer than the law Of 1900 Or
that of 1867 Judge Bell said: Take
section 2, and what does it provide? It
provides that If any debtor permits an
execution for $500 to be levied on his
property and remain there for a period
OF 30 days he may be thrown into bank
ruptcy. Now, you know enough about
the laws delays and the powerlessness
Of litiRsnts to realize that a shrewd
lawyer or a disreputsble sheriff may
annoy d man for 30 days and prevent
him from releasing bis property If he
we're disposed to do IT.
Gan invlncible objection to this bill Is
that every retailer will have a master.
His wholesaler will mold this law over
him, charge him whatever be sees fit,
and he cannot change while he owes
anything or he will meet his fate. o.
caslonslly you will find man vicious
enough to use such a law for revenge. |
do not believe that many men will be
thrown into involuntary bankruptcy if
this tlll passes. 1t is not 90 profita bic
to sell men out under such bill as it is
to hold and control them under the over
awlng power of it's cruel provisions"
These words OF Judge Bell sound like
. fire bell at midnight and should
arouse people to q realization of their
imminent and deadly peril.
IN A NUTSHELL.
To recspitulate, there are 81 causes in
this bill for forcing q man into bank
ruptcy, lS obstacles" to his getting out