others to do the same, because the ratification of that treaty, by fixing the boundaries of the States, and other circumstances attending it, would inevitably give additional value to the back lands, which he had speculated in !-His conduct was inexplicable at the time. It is now no longer so.-Such are republican speakers; such are "representatives "of the sovereign people!" The following article is taken from the Philadelphia Aurora of September, 1800. This Aurora is a democratic paper; but facts are facts, let them be recorded where they may. "Mr. Kittera had some reason to dislike democracy, he was indebted to some democrats to a considerable amount; a bankrupt law was passed at the last session of Congress, wherein it was declared to be meant to comprehend persons in trade only-Mr. Kittera is an Attorney by profession, we did not know before that it was a trade. Mr. Kittera, as a member of Congress, voted for this law. "Mr. Kittera has taken the benefit of this law as a trader. "This is genuine Daytonism, for Mr. Kittera has paid his debts by a law of his own making. Who would not support such men and their friends? "Mr. Kittera has very complacently notified some citizens of Philadelphia, of his having taken the benefit of the Bankrupt Law, is it surprising that he should be a supporter of those who have withheld the public monies, who have betrayed their trust, of those who have broken oaths, and applied the money of their clients to their private use? Is it surprising that he should be the friend of Dayton and Harper." When I hear the advocates for "humanity" exclaim against the English system of imprisonment for debt, I look back, to that country, where imprisonment for debt has been nearly done away. In Pennsylvania, in particular, the law has been continually ameliorating, as it is called, and the consequence has been precisely such as the most dishonest and inhuman wretch could wish for. Till the year, 1799, an insolvent debtor was liable to be imprisoned a few months. The law required him to send a notice to each of his creditors of his having petitioned the Judges to grant him, at their ensuing sessions, the benefit of the insolvent act, which they were obliged to grant, unless fraud could be proved against him; and thus was he at once set free from the claims of all his creditors for ever. But, it was found, that even these trifling checks on dishonesty were too troublesome. A debtor frequently forgot to send the notice to a part of his creditors, or his notes and bonds had been transferred into the hands of a third, fourth, or fifth person; so that, not being able to give his notices to all those who had claims on him, the persons not notified of his intention had still their remedy against him. To prevent this embarrassment, a law was passed to make an advertisement in the newspapers a legal notice to all the creditors of a petitioner. I here insert a copy of one of these notices. "To the Creditors of Messrs. Bates and Darley. "Notice is hereby given, That I have applied to the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of the city and county of Philadelphia, for the benefit of the insolvent act of Assembly, passed in April last, and they have appointed the 27th instant at the State State House, in the city of Philadelphia, to hear me and my creditors, when and where my said creditors are requested to attend. "Dec. 13th, 1798." "WM. DARLEY."* Sometimes, for economy's sake, several debtors clubbed for the expenses of an advertisement, as for example: To the Creditors of the Subscribers. "Please to take notice, that we have applied to the Judges of the Court of Common Pleas, for the benefit of an act of assembly, passed the 4th day of April last; and they have appointed Thursday the 27th inst. to hear us and our creditors, in the city of Philadelphia, at fuch place where the court may be held, and where you may attend, if you please. PATRICK CAVANAUGH. "Dec. 6. 1798." JAMES DOUGHERTY. JOHN GREENE. LEWIS DE GRAFF. JAMES M CALLEY. * The insertion of this notice furnishes me with an opportunity of relating an anecdote of another kind.-BATES aud DARLEY were two of those play actors, well known on the English stage, who went over to America to make their fortunes! They went to jail on this occasion, as was the usual custom, till the court met; but, in the mean time, Bates was frequently brought out of jail (as Fennel had been before) to act on the stage; and he actually had his play-benefit during his confinement, for which he very aptly and very impudently chose, “A New Way to pay Old Debts."-I have elsewhere stated, that the two proprietors and managers, WEIGNELL and REINAGLE, paid off their debts with the same convenient sponge; and I have only to Thus the reader will perceive, that these men notified their intention to take the benefit of the insolvent act, just twenty days before the court met, when, of course, they were legally freed from the jail, and from the claims of all their debtors. Even this short confinement, however, was thought to be too great an abridgment of the Rights of Man, for which alledged reason the legislature passed a law abolishing imprisonment for debt altogether; but the true reason for passing this law was thought to be the preventing of MIFFLIN, the Governor, from going to jail, which he must have done, at the expiration of his term of office, if this law had not been passed!-Was there ever such an abominable state of things! That the reader may be enabled to form some calculation of the numbers of persons, who availed themselves of the means, which the laws gave them for cheating their creditors, I here subjoin a list, taken from one single newspaper, published in Philadelphia: Claypole's American Advertiser of the 31st of March, 1800. Uzziel Oliphant Notice to Creditors. James Murtaugh William Relf Charles Miller to add, that, precisely at the time, that these transactions were going on, the TRUE BRITON (a London paper) gave a high wrought picture of the flourishing state of the stage and of the players in America, stating, in particular, that Bates and Darley were getting rich!-N. B. Wignell and Reinagle and Bates and Darley applied their sponge to a decent sum due to me. Charles Fleming, Abraham Greenwood The reader will please to observe, that this was only a quarterly list, for the city and county of Philadelphia only! The court sits four times a year, and at every sitting it brings forward such a list as this, which has not been chosen for its extraordinary numbers, but was the first that I happened to lay my hand on. In order to prevent the effect of the provision, which the law makes against fraud, these swindling debtors generally transfer their property to their friends or relations, previous to the meeting of the court, which property is afterwards received back again. In some instances, however, these friends, or relations, think proper to keep the property thus fraudently transferred, and I remember more than one instance, in which a quarrel between the rogues has caused honest men to recover their due. But, generally |