VOL. VIII, No. 4.) PUILISAILD IT THEODORE H, CREMER, T18P.1413. The ..hoiswas." will be published every Wednesday morning, at two dollars a year, if paid IN ADVANCE, and if not paid within six months, two dollars and a halt. No subscription received fora shorter pc • rind than six months, nor any paper discon tinued till all arrearages are paid. Advertisements not exceeding one square, will be inserted three times for one dollar, and forevery subsequent insertion twenty five cents. If no definite orders are given as to the time an advertisement is to be continu ed, it will be kept in till ordered out, and charged accordingly. ItI6ZIELLAVEO7O. From the Lady.' Garland, for Jan. 184.3 THE WEDDED LIFE. a t ital. 14.3Foini, The first year of a young woman's wed sled life is generally the most unhappy, and the must trying one she experiences. However intensely we may have studied the character et our altinanced, in all its narrow windings, still shall we find when we become wives, that we have yet some thing to learn. By actions are the after. ttons un either sills shown, and although it kin the power and nature of woman to manifest her devotedness by a thousand little attentions, she must tut repine if she receiver nut the like. The feelings of the other sex are not so soft and exquisite as those of our own ; if they were, we might possibly be happier, and we may fir a moment % lilt they were so, but we shall restrain so selfish a desire if we reflect how much more unlit they would be by such a constitution to bear the crosses and the bullets of the world. It is said that lovers' quarrels are but the renewal of love, but it is not so in truth. Continued differences and bicker ing. will undermine the strongest affec tion, and a wife cannot be too careful to avoid disputes upon the most trival sub ject; indeed it is every-day occurrences which try the love and temper of the mar• tied life ; great occasions fur quarrels sel dom occur; every wish, every prejudice must meet attention, and the first thought of a woman should be the pleasing and providingfor herhushand. It is impossible to enumerate all the little incidents which may annoy married men, or the little un obstructive pleasure which is in the power of a wife to give; but throughout her life and employments, she must bear his pleas ures on her mind. She mast act for him in preference to herself, and she will be amply rewarded by witnessing his delight in her and his home. To a woman who loves her husband with all the devotedness of her native, this will be a pleasure, not a task; and to ►Hake him happy, she will never grudge any seer ifice of herself. Tl►e greatest misery a woman can ex perience is the changed heart, and the alienated affections of her husband ; but even in that painful case she must not up braid ; she must bear with patience and fortitude her groat disappointment ; she must return good for evil to the utmost, end her consolation will be the corAcious peso that her trial: have not their rise or continuance in any decline of affection or - duty tm her part. bone women in order to win back their husband's wandering love have recourse to attempt to arouse his jealousy; but they are much nustaken in pursuing such a course. A man, however debase his con duct, never a►tirely forgets the love lie once bore to the wife of his youth ; there are n►ewents when feelings of tenderness for her will return with force to his heart ; to reap the benefits of such moments. the injured, and forgiving wife, must still be enshrined in the puray of former times.— A husband will excuse his fault to him' self, and, in some measure, stand exhon erated in the world, if the wife relax to the propriety of her conduct; while on the con trary, the gentle forbearance, the uncom plaining patience, and the unobstructive rectitude of the woman he injures, will deeply strike to his heart, and do much to win him back to his former love, and the observance of the vows he breathed at the altar where his heart was devoted to the, being from whom it has wandered. A' kind look, an affectionate expression half uttered, must bring his wile to his side, and she must with smiles of tenderness, encourage the returning affection carefully avoiding all reference to her sufferings or the cause of them. This will not be difficult for good, sen sible women, to perform. Our love which before marriage is constrained by the mod esty and reserve natural to our yes, in creases in fervency and depth afterwards; it enables us to bear unfelt the world's acorn ; all is swallowed up in it. An af fectionate wife clings to her husband thro' poverty and richest and the more the world recedes from him, the more firmly will she stand by him; she will be his comforter wlien all earthly comforts have THE JOURNAL. slid from him. Her devotedness will be his rock when he has no other support ; she will smile at the frowns of the world; she will not heed its censures; he is her all, and in love are all other feelings to be forgotten or absorbed. No sacrifice will be too great—the faintest smile will not be regarded too little; quick at feeling unkindness, we are also quick at feeling tenderness; and a very trifling circum stance is sufficient to awaken or still the pain of our heart, and bring us misery or happiness. The Chip Basket. An old li.dy in Bangor has drunk tea until the tea plant has begun to sprout out between her shoulders. "0 the pain, the bliss of dying," as the dandy said when he scalded his .carroty head in coloring it. The Cincirmatti Sun says that Miss Cohen a young danseuse, is making rapid strides to secure public favor. A traveller perceiving two crows flying side by side, exclaimed, 'Ay, that IS as it Should be; 1 hate to see one crow over an other." Ovid finely cempares a broken fortune to a falling column—the lower it sinks the gteater weight it is obliged to sustain. Woman's love is compared to a beauti ful flower, that blesses by its sweetest fragrance man's existence. The sign of the doctor in ancient Egypt, was a duck, but etymologists must deter mine whether that sign had any thing to do with the word "quack." There is a lady in town so modest, that she took her sister away from school be cause the master gave her a spelling les son in which was the word , man.' A lock of that lady's hair would be acceptable to us. We hope the bare mention of it won't shock her: The editor of the Louisville Pennant is curious to know why hogs are killed be fore they are cured. Here's some Kitchen talk. "Do you sing?" says the tea-pot to the kettle.— 'Yes. I can manage to get over a le w bars." "Doh !" exclaimed the tea-put. It you smoke 1' Not exactly, but our kitchen chimney does confoundedly.' A man with eleven daughters, was late ly_ complain g that he found it hard to live. 'You must husband your time,' said the other, 'and then you will do well enough.' ' I could do much better,' was the reply, 'if I could husband my daughters' A village dentist advertises that he will "spare no pains in his operations to ren der them satisfactory." An honest con fession is said to be good for the soul, and perhaps it may be equally good fur the toothach: Some wag has introduced a new theory relative to the phrenological develop• orients. Ile says that the "organ of coin bativeness" is so concerned with the nerves that run to the fists—and alleges, also, that on that spot in the head more dandruff collects than any where else.-- Therefore, wilen a man is ready to fight, people say "his dander is up." The Troy (Ohio) Times says, that a man was tined ten dollars by the Court in that place, for kissing a married lady; and adds, "it may be well to state, for the sake of the girls, that there is not any law against kissing them." When Aristotle was asked what a man could gain by telling a falsehood, he repli ed, 'Not to be credited when he speaks the tru th. A wag who deals in borrowing and len ding, or in other words, a broker on being asked to pay a small bill the other day re plied, he could not be troubled with such applications'--in these !laid times he had quite enough to attend to those of a more extensive character. 'Tom, what sort of a waistcoat is that you have on!' 'Why it's cloth waistcoat to be sure. 'Didn't it come from old Threadneedle the tailor's ?' 'Yes' 'Well, then, its a vegetable waistcoat.' 'A what?' 'A vegetable waistcoat! It's made of cabbage!' u HIGFMAND MARY."--A monument to this favorite of poor Borne has been com pleted at Greenock, Scotland. "Lucy Loss."—The popularity of this piece of musical composition is not derog atory to the public taste. The air was composed by the celebrated Bellini and occurs in "II Pbritani." As ACIREZABLZ 0111111(.—Take a can and fill it with fresh spring water from the• ' nearest pump. Serve up in a clean tum bler, and drink only as much an may be agreeable. "ONE COUNTRY, OhE CONSTITUTION, ONE DESTINY." HUNTINGDON, PENNSYVANIA, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 1843 SPEECH Of Mr. MILTON BROWN, of Terme:- see, on the Bill to repeal the Bankrupt Law. Delinered in i the House of Rep. resentatives, January 3, 1843. Mr. BROWN addressed the chair as follows Mr. SPEAKIIR It is neither my pur pose nor desire to enter the wide field of general politics, unexpectedly opened by this debate, but to confine myself strictly to the pending question of repeal. No law has ever been more misrepresented or misunderstood than the bankrupt law pas sed at the extra session. Provisions not contained in the law have been ascribed to it, while those it does contain have been so perverted arid misrepresented as to make a false and delusive impression on the public mind. In its enactments, in its general provisions, and in its details, in its spirit and meaning, in its tenden cies, and in its practical influences upon the morals and general welfare of society, it has every where been misrepresented, and almost every where misunderstood. Its plain provisions, calculated and de signed to protect the rights and advance the best interests of bode debtor and cre ditor, saving the former from oppression and the latter from fraud. have been rep• resented as adverse to all the best inter-. eats of the community. A thousand pop ular prejudices have been most unjustly waked up, having no just foundation in the provisions of the law itself,but spring ing from a desire of politicians to operate on pending popular elections. This is to be regretted, deeply regretted, as calcula ted to mislead the popular mind, and prevent a fair Ind calm decision of the people. Before the late Presidential election, both political parties professed themselves in lunar of a bankrupt law, and stood committed before the country for its pas-' 'sage. The proof of this is clear and po, itive ' and is to be found in the recorded votes, the debates, and general history of the times. General Harrison and Mr. I Van Buren, the candidates of the respec , dye parties for the Presidency, while In the Senate of the United Stares, had de• clared, by their votes and speeches, that they were in favor of the passage of a bankrupt law, with only this difference : Mr. Van Buren thought it should curb ace merchants and trailers only, while Gen. Harrison contended that it ought equally and without distinction to extend its nen elita to all classes of society. Whim of these plans is preferable is nor my pur pose now to examine; certainly, however, l it may be safely assumed that the plan ail• vocated by General Harrison was then, and is now, most conformable to popular sentiment. It is my sole purpose at pre sent to show that both General Harrison and Mr. Van Buren were the open and avowed advocates of a bankrupt law.— Mr. Van Buren was a member of the com mittee that reported the bill of 1826 : and in his remarks in the Senate on that bill, avowed himself strongly in favor of a bankrupt law, and declared he was in its favor, (to use his own language,) not on ly because he was satisfied that a great proportion of his immediate constituents desired it, but because he Lelieved their claim upon Congress for the exercise of its constitutional powers in this respect could be sustained on the ground of poli cy as well as justice." Mr. Van Buren, on the first vote taken, voted against the bill, not on account of the general princi ple, but on account of a feature contained in it which he objected to; but on the other friend* of the bill agreeing to remove this objection, he votedfor tie reconsidera tion, and he and General Harrison, side by side, voted for tine bill on the question of engrossment for *vino' passage. Mr. Tyler and Col. It. M. Johnson, the candidates for the Vice Presidency, were also in favor of a bankrupt law, and have since reiterated their opinions—the fur tner in a message to Congress, the latter ! in a published letter. With these can.' dilates for the Presidency and Vice Pres idency, all avowedlyand openly in favor of the passage of a bankrupt law, did the re spective political parties enter the contest which resulted in the Whig victory of 1840. If the question was not fully dis cussed before the people, it was because both parties being in favor of the measure, it was not roads a matter of controversy. Politicians then, of all parties, saw wis dom, beauty, good policy, and humanity, in a bankrupt law. It was inscribed on every banner, and the unfortunate and the friends of the unfortunate, who were, and I hope now are, far more numerous than the unfortunate themselves, were told that, no difference where victory might perch, the passage of this measure, at least was safe. But the proof that both parties in that contest were for a bankrupt law, and stood pledged for its passage, does not stop here. roe're ii still be,iind clearer and more unansw,rable evidene..; not only that both parties were avowed of the measure, but showing also what were the principles andiproposed provis• ions of that measure. For this 1 refer to the Congressional Globe and Appendix of 1840. %leo bills, each providing for a uniform system of bankruptcy. were re ported to the Senate, emanatingfrom the two politrealparties. Mr. Benton, speak. ing of these two bills, (see Appendix to Congressional Globe, page 502,) said : Three members nt the Judiciary Com mittee have reported one bill ; two members have reported another; and these two bills emanate from the two political parties which, strider whatsoever names, have existed in this country for fifty years." These two bills we,reported, one by Mr. Clayton, (if W other by Mr. Wall, a leader of the Van Buren party.— Alter giving his objections to Mr. Clay ton's bill, objecting to it on the grour,tl that it was, as he alleged, partial and un equal, not extending its benefits alike to all, and limited to two years' duration, Mr. Benton then turned to Mr. Wall's bill and said : "The other (that is Mr. Wall's bill) is a general bill, looking to the rights of credi tors as well as to the relief of debtors—in tended for the future as well as :de present and past—applicable to corporations as well as to persons—embracing the compulsory as well as the voluntary feature—and making provisions for those who are not, as well as those who are, technically merchants and tradm." Another prominent objection urged by Mr. Benton against Mr. Clayton's Whig bill, and reason why he preferred Mr. Well's Democratic bill, may be seen by the following extract of his speech : "There is to be (said Mr. BENTow, re ferring to his objections to Mr. C layton's bill) a line of division between the debtors— a horizontal line ; those above the line are to have relief—those below it are denied it. This results from the amount which the debtor must owe in order to entitle himself to the benefits of its provisions. The bill provides for an amount, and leaves the sum blank. Will the reporter of the bill, said Mr. 8., (addressing himself to Mr. Clayton. of 1),I tware,) name the amount which it is proposed to insert "[Mi. CLAYTON said he had not been instructed to move a particular sum, but five h ;mired dollars had been mentioned in the committee.] Mr. B. continued. Five hundred dol lars. That was the sum mentioned in the committee, and no other sum is mentioned here. Five hundred dollars must be consid ered, then, as the amount necessary to be owned, to entitle a person to the relief of this act. Now, this is arbitrary and une qual ; it cuts off the small dealers, the per , sons of little property, the laborers; it cuts them off from the benefit of the act, and op erates as an encouragement to people to go largely in debt, as the large debtors are to be relieved and the small ones not. It makes the act exclusively for laryie dealers, and this contrary to the principle of equality which is professed in the bill, and without any foundation in reason and justice. The, weight of debt is relative, not absolute. It depends on the amount of the debtor's pro perty, and not upon the amount of the debt. To one man a debt of one hundred dollars is as much as a hundred thousand or a million is to another. To one man five hundred dol lars is as much as five nundred thousand is . to another; and, beyond question. the most numerous class of debtors in the U. S. are those who owe less than the minimum pro posed in this bill. But these small debtors, numerous as they are, are disr,garded and overlooked by the bill. They are to work out their debts in sorrow and in misery, car rying their endless load to the grave ; while' the dashers, the large debtors, clear out theirs by a declaration and surrender." Agin : Mr. BENTON said, speaking with reference to the coming Presidential election: I do not think the present session the propitious one for beneficial :Tam on this subject. Five hundred thousand voters, de- minding the passage of a law, on the eve of an election, must have an influence on the hopes and fears of the lawgiver, as well as on his judgment and conscience. Since they have waited so lung, I should have preferred a delay of a few months more. Still, the subject is before us, atid we are here : and 1 am willing to act, and to do what I be lieve to be my duty. lam ready to assist in framing an act which shall be general in its provisions and just in its application ; which shall do justice to the creditor as well as the debtor ; which shall apply to trading and money dealing corporations as well as to tra ding and money dealing individuals; which shall be compulsory with regard to traders and dealers, whether natural or artificial; which shall be optional with respect to other classes of the community. and which shall distinguish between misfortune and miscon duct." Again to another place, he adds : "The bill of the minority (Mr. Wall's bill) fur nishes the true basis for the enactment of a bankrupt system." Now, Mr. Speaker, here is the direct testimony of Mr. Benton on two points : First, that Mr. Wall's bell originated with, and emanated from, the Van Buren party, to which he .and Mr. is all belonged; and, second, that it furnished the true basis for the enactment of a bankrupt ay.- tern. He says: " These two bills eman ate from the two political parties which, under whatsoever names, have existed in this comory far fifty vent." lie also -.ay. that Mr. Wall's hir! emmnltilw ft 0, Buren party, furnished " the true basis fur the enactment of a bankrupt system." Now, sir, it is material, in tracing the standard of parties on this question, to know what were the domocratic features of this democratic bill reported by Mr. WALL, and held forth to the anxious hopes of a suffering country by the Van Buren party, during the pendency of the Presidential election. %Vhat were its features ? Did it embrace the past as well as the fu ture? Did it discharge contracts made before the passage of the law? Did it, in a word, contain any or all tl, provisions that have been urged as objections to the law of the extra session 1 The original bill is now before me. Its provisions may be seen, and I invite investigation, It was reported in Apt it preceeding the Pre• sidential election, by Mr. WALL, as the organ of the minority of the Committee on the Judiciary, and is Senate bill No. 324. What does Mr. WALL himself say at this hill, which, according to the then opinions of that party, was the true basis fur the enactment of a bankrupt law 1 Mr. WALL sass, (Appendix Globe, 462 :) "It is intended to act both retrospectively and prospectively. It looks upon the past, not to condemn, but to believe. The whole laud is strewed with the wrecks of bankrupt cy, and we cannot look in any direction with out perceiving the jetsam etfiotsam of trade cast upon the shores. All must admit the, fact, however much they may disagree as to the causes, that the state of things has resul• ted from the contractions and expansions of the currency ; and that the fluctuations growing out of it have impaired all business depending on prices, the hazards and vicis situdes incident to commerce and trade.— The best energies of the country have been paralyzed, the brightest visions of gain have disappeared, and the wisest and most pru dent schemes, uniting public improvement with individual interest, have perished, as if by magic, in the universal revulson that has destroyed the country. This bill proposes to cast the mantle of oblivion over the past conduct of the debtor, over• his acts which may have been compelled, or the preferen ces which may have been extorted, in his struggles to prolong his existence in the marts of trade. All that it demands from the debtor who seeks its benefits is, that he should honestly surrender what is left, how ever small, for the general benefit of his cr•e tors." Now, Mr. Speaker, with the lights , thrown upon this subject by Mr. listcroN and Mr. WALL, and with the bill itself before us, let us compare its features with the one passed at the extra session, against which so much prejudice has been excited ; and, to effect this the more clearly, let us trace the leading objections raised to the bill passed at the extra ses sion, and which have been seized upon to render it unpopular. The first and chief objection to that law has been its retrospective operation—that is, its operation on contracts entered into prior to the passage of the law. Did Mr. WALL ' S bill contain this feature? Mr. BENTost and hi r. WALL settle this in the affirmative. Mr. BENTON says "it t 00.4 intruded for the future as writ as the pres ent and past," M r. Wm.', says "it was intended to act both retrospectively and Frovectively (hit it looked to "the past, not to condemn, but to relieve that it proposed to cast the mantle of oblivion over the past condhct the debtor;'' and that all it demanded front the debtor was, • that he should honestly surrender what is left, however small, for the general benefit of his creditors." It is certain, therefore, that this plan of a bankrupt law, emanating limn the Van Buren party, and promised to a suffering country, in the event of the continuance of that party in power, did embrace past transactions; it was designed to wipe out debts contracted before the passage of the law. It is true that Mr. Bas Torr was a little afraid that so many voters, who were un fortunately ruined, and now demanding relief, might, on the eve of an election, have au undue influence on the " hopes and fears" as well as the "judgment and conscience" of the lawgiver, and he pre ferred, that as they id waited so long and suffered so long, they would wait on and suffer on, until idler they had given their votes at the then approaching Presi dential election. But after they had given their votes, and the election was over, and the danger of the ",judgement and conscience" of the lawgiver being impro perly.influenced by the " hopesaal fears" growing out of that election had passed, ' then these unfortunate men were to have relief. Yes, relief: And that, too, at the hands of the Van Buren party. Nut relief from debts that might be contracted after the passage of the law ; not from fu ture debts— for in this these unfortunate men had no more concern than others— but from present and past contracts —from debts contracted before the passage of the law. A nd this proini , :e to the uidortunate was not allowed to hang on general and vague declarations ; t the bill itself, democratic to all features, and et-wan ting from the Ft ;uda of the Van Boren i rnty, was held up to the hope of th,se lort,,s left but tlieo• [Wrior.z No. 3613, box: Mr. &tiro" even then declared hi readiness to act, and to act promptly an others declared the same, but it so ha t pened that nothing was done. The son ject was left open, both parties professi,,,. to be for the measure, aad standing pledg ed for its passage. Did we then hear of the detnoraliiing consequences of a bank rupt law 1 Did we then hear any thing of this effort now making all over the country to degrade and dishonor those who ask relief? Nothing of all this rya heard. It was then regarded by all as light, virtuous, and honorable, fur the un fortunate to ask relief, and a coastitutim al, virtuous, and patriotic duty in C gress to grant it. Seeing this, Mr. ster rose and congratulated the Sc and the country, that this out ject . tic connect itself with any of - the contests of the day," and spoke of it •• a green spot in the midst of the fiery :i serts of party strife." This, sir, is the manner in which if; subject was treated by all parties before ti, Presidential election. And here let me pause and ask a sues• lion obviously suggested by these facts, I invite a respose from the camliii and honest of all parties. Seeing that both parties during the Presidential caiiv;,,, had promised relief to the unfortunate, and given assurances of the passage of bankrupt law; seeing that all the candi dates for the Presidency and Vice Presi• dericy had inscribed this promise on their banners and none objected to it ; seeing that two plans emanating from the t.. , 0 political parties, both retrospective it, their operations, had been held out a rivals for popular favor—was not tits es tra session of Congress bound to coucludr that these facts had given undoubted es dente of public opinion on the subject 7 Add to this, that a flood of petitions tulle in from every quarter of the Union, signed by inert of all parties, by those who were insolvent and by those who were rich, and presented here on this floor by member• of all parties, with scarcely a petition o other evidence of popular opinion on the other side, was it not reasonable to arrive 'at the conclusion, that the public judg ment w.. 4 in favor of a bankrupt !awl— Sir, this was the impression made on my Iliad, and I doubt not was made on a ma jority of the House at the time. Sit., it cannot be concealed that the reason why many, very many, of the opposition on his floor voted against the law, was ni,t be cause of their convictions against ir, but because of a determination founded in party policy, to throw the responsibility of all measures on the Whigs. But to return. Another objection to the law of the ex tra session is, that it embraces rot only the compulsory but the voluntary feature also. Mr. WALL'S bill did the same, for whi c h we also have the direct testimony of Mr. BENTON. Ile says it embraced ..the corn puleory as well as the voluntary feature." Another objection to the law of the extra session is, that it includes those who are not, as well as those who are, merchants and traders. Mr. WALL'S bill did the same. It included all classes; none were left out of its provisions, "for th o s e who are not, as well as those who are, technically merchants and traders." Another objection to the bill of the ex tra session is, that it extends down to sums too small. Mr. WALL'S bill ex. , tended to all sums, and Mr. BENTON lau ded this as a most democratic feature ; it was, indeed, and emphatically, the poor man's bankrupt law—not for your large debtors and 'dashers' merely, but for small debtors also. Yes, sir ; and I venture to say that, if the law of the extra session had failed to include small debtors, and had been confined to large ones, it would have 'been pronounced a most odious discrimin• ation, destgned to favor large and reek less speculators. Another objection to the the law of the extra session is, that it discharges the debt or without the consent of the creditor.— Mr. WA:a.'s bill did the same. The debt or's discharge depended not on the con sent of a part or of all his creditors, but on the decision of a court and jury. Again t it has beets objected that the provisions under this law of the extra session allowing the bankrupt an amount. at the discretion of the court, not in any ease to exceed $5300, was too liberal. Mr. NV Ati.'s bill went much beyond this. It allowed the bankrupt his clothes. &c., his tools of trade, household and kitchen furniture, two cows. &e., and also all that was allowed by the insolvent laws of the respective States. Not only this; but he was to be allowed one dollar a day for attendance before the court, and also not I exceeding three dollars per week for each member of the family for their support fur a time not exceeding two months. And if, on final discharge on an appeal, the bankrupt's estate paid fifty cents on the dollar, he was to be allowed five percent. of Isis estate, provided the per cent. dot not amount to over 5500. Mr. WALL'S bill was th, etore
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