Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-03-03

manaeled and dragged around on exh1-
bition to crafty his malice.
The Democratic and Populistic Position.
Let it not be forgotten that the DEM
ocratic and Populistic caucuses both
voted in favor of "a wise and fair
bankrupt bill, . which was generally
understood 10 be a bill providing for
voluntary bankruptcy and for inyolun.
tary bankruptcy only for fraud. We
stood ready to vote for such a 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 be said:
81 am myself so strongly impressed
with the need of some legislation on
this subject that although ! do not be-
lieve in any law with an involuntary
provision, ! 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 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 am willing for them
to make it, but, sir, I will never vote
to give merciless and ofttimes yindic-
tive creditor the right to affix the stigma
of bankruptcy to the name of an honest
man whose only misfortune is that ne
cannot pay his debts. $40
'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 and
yindictive creditors are dividing up his
property.
''Sir, / understand the importance Of
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,
/ am not ready to admit that either the
interests of commerce or the thrift o1
industry is above the rights of man, and
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 YOU
memory that this Torrey bill is a Re
publican measure. A few Republican
members, who still possess some bowel
of compassion. voted against that bill o
denominations, which in deviltry dis
counts the alien and sedition laws
which sent old John Adams to his po
Iitical grave, but in the main the bosse
lined them up en- roll call. 1t is perfect
ly safe to predict that at least rs mel
voted aye on that occasion who will
not find their names on the roster of th'
Fifty sixth congress-
Cheerful Figures.
A change Of 25 will take the housl
away from the Republicans Few peo
pie have considered how close many dis
tricts were in 1896
Counting Mr.. Plowman of Alabams
as elected-which he vast would re
quire only "a changes to deliver th'
house into our hands. A mere glance a
the following figures shows how easil.
the thing can be done. The following
Republicans were elected by the follow
ing pluralities:
Belknap of Illinois, 500; Boutell o
Illinois, 852; Marsh of Illinois, 800
Connolly of Illinois, 90; Hemenway o
Indiana, 1861; Faris of Indiana, 800
Lands of Indiana, 249; Hepburn o
Iowa, 826; Curtis of Kansas, 754; Pugl
of Kentucky, 423; Barber of Mary land
575; Morris CT Minnesota, III Strod
of Nebraska, 219; Howe of New York
1923; Tongue of Oregon (over Popu
lists, SO; Ellis of Oregon tower Popu
lists), S56; Kirkpatrick of Pennsylva
MIA, 329; Sturtevant of Pennsylvania
726; Yost of Virginia, 15l; Lacy o
Iowa, l,201; Spalding of Michigan
496; Mercer of Nebraska, 1915; Mitch
ell of New York, 1.269; Shannon o
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 sufficient change on
way to win these "a seats which ar
necessary to our supremacy? Let us fol
low Lord Bacon's inductive method
and from particular instances dednce
general rule. Since the election IN 1881
there have been four byelections for con
gressmen outside of New England. Il
the First Missouri district the Demo
cratic candidate at the byelection re
oeived 1000 more majority than th,
Democratic nominee at the regular elec
tion. A similar change all over tn,
country would give us IA seats. Ii
Judge Holman's Indiana district thu
percentage of Democratic gains, if ap
i piled to the whole country, would Civ,
us 30 seats. In the Chicago district a
the general election Pie Republican
nominee had about $500 plurality
which at the special election was Gu
down to 852. This percentage of chang
would give us so seats now held by Re
publicans. or majority Of 48 in tn
next house.
The most astounding change, how
ever, was in the Brooklyn district, nov
represented by Mr.. briggs, Democrat
who was elected at special election b,
about 2,200 plurality. At the regula
election Republican was elected b,
/ 1900 plurality, which was a net gail
Of 4,75O for the Democrats and ne
loss Of 4,750 to the Republicans, max
i ing difference in the result of $500
Such gain in percentage as that al
over the country would elect only from
rs to 100 Republicans and give us ma
jority of from 100 to 100.
One Hundred Dollars a Plate.
Two events Of vast importance in tn