_Resolved_, That so much of the act to establish post-offices and post roads in the United States as charges a postage on the transmission of newspapers ought to be repealed.
Two other members, to wit: JOSEPH BRYAN, and SAMUEL HAMMOND, from Georgia, appeared, presented their credentials, were qualified, and took their seats in the House.
Two other members, to wit: SIMEON BALDWIN and BENJAMIN TALLMADGE, from Connecticut, appeared, produced their credentials, were qualified, and took their seats in the House.
The House resolved itself into a Committee of the Whole, on the resolution, offered by Mr. NEWTON, for repealing the Bankrupt law.
The resolution was advocated by Messrs. NEWTON, ELLIOT, SMILIE, HASTINGS, STANFORD, and RANDOLPH; and opposed by Messrs. JACKSON, EARLY, SKINNER, and EUSTIS.
The advocates of repeal observed that though the resolution had lain on the table for a considerable time, purposely with a view to collect public opinion, no remonstrance hostile to it had been received from any part of the Union, and that this circumstance indicated the unfavorable sentiment entertained of the bankrupt system; and that even among those most materially interested in its provisions, a dead silence prevailed. Some gentlemen were averse to the repeal, inasmuch as the law would expire by its own limitation, in a few years; but the House should recollect that in the mean time they were responsible for all its evils and iniquities. If, too, it should be suffered to die a natural death, the inevitable effect would be that those who are now struggling to avoid bankruptcy will precipitate themselves into such a situation as to avail themselves of its benefit.
With regard to the principle of the present bankrupt system, and probably of any other bankrupt system that could be devised, it was unjust, inasmuch as it favored one class of citizens, the merchants, at the expense of all other classes; to advance the interest of the first it sacrificed the interests of all the other members of the community. To prove this, it was only necessary to illustrate it by the common case of a merchant availing himself of the benefits of bankruptcy, and thereby cancelling the demands of the mechanic or the farmer who might be his creditor; and of the same individual mechanic or farmer, the debtors of another merchant, remaining his debtor with their property subject at any period of their life to his seizure. In the case of the insolvent merchant his debts were totally discharged; whereas in the case of the insolvent mechanic and farmer, they were of eternal obligation. The preferable system was that established by the several States, which existed before the bankrupt system, and which still existed, extending to all insolvent debtors the same relief.