The Prairie Chieftain, Volume 2, Number 30, Monticello, White County, 5 February 1852 — Page 1

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! ! I I I I; ! i ! ' ) : If lOIITIOLLLO.-VIIITE COUilTI; IKD..; THUEDDAY. FIEim. - 9 -fa. w . 1 -i 0.

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BY S,,M If TBI COCRT HOCWI,atMW TtT. lit t!h. f nrrjfl, ' f tn t!ire iiis, J , f la atx cm., . . , . i TZ Att!.s . .of !e jrr, . 3 . Mi. Hit. - Tcr. f ? licit:-! ra,.-... f "i Ur three lar'.oiiV SI ' eco-n. . tr, rn.e.va-ie. Half eoiuum, OatrlH eolaB. 4.1 s:. (mi AJftriHtn'" 1 1 not r o T f"' P'f inter f inft .'. w I te tffmf " uheT nit, awl P .. . .t-- ....... utiiA ta thv antrry, ar ton eription. ike-y M,i.,?A ,nti,.r nUrM' without in. !! 5UI L..I 'f !atvin!ceof i..te..lal fraud. FATS1EII FJlOUTS PSEACIllSfS. Yosi hav'e hetrd, no dcult, ol Father Prout, iho parish prisit of . Vatergrass th h'h6st Eratla land in Ireland. Murphy and IJaginn, Ceyne "end Wilkias, id a wether Tollins Wades upon towa,hY iramortalized tha Hula tun. But who was Prout? A- n&t, oily man, wlio had received- very passable education in the college of Louvar (before the British parliament sanctioned xk e-u nation of catholics et Maynooth cdUi, in Ireland) &ad camo back a scholar, and a tort of a gentleman, to be the parish priest of a wild district ia Mmster. He had favr tave two or three prmesianw who understood him to whom he could r f tv-aVk. and men, and laasriers. lie liated politics, because he deemed the priesthood meant for something holier than ailiai.ca with party squabbles, lie had a peschant lor good living lie w,i a favorite (on account of his gentle manner) wllh -femsles, and he had m especiil contemtt for his uncullivuted fiack. Ir-1 'lis, the traveller, met Prout at the table ol a protestatit geritleroaa nd eeraplimented him on the &ae tnanly eppcsirence of the parihiooeri,hose souls he had 'so lacgbeea the bappy instrmer.t of sst'sES, Prout in a sulky taode replied, 'Not I: they sirvt worth hani their ,oxl aaYe-ir The polish, however, cot n.oh at first, ruobedoffthe little priest in process &f tirt and dtsrbg the last ten years fee htJt, il would seera, peculiar pleasure ia appearing to become more countrified in his maimers mad accent than he eter before wai. Latterly his trc-gae so f -- thit 'you could cat it m-h a tl :."-t kr..,' c a th man saiJ of the November fog; of London. - In such a trc'ue did Prout deliver a fi.-irss t:r rzn: "lie La ite'.h tit!.e r,zti: hu 13 ihs L:ri." Ttii is f. 2 tiil, and l.:-n to r.T.3 -vhilj I cxc r.l it toye. In the f.-:t f 'zee, tl.za, v.hits ths t . T1. 1. . ... V; O .-).:e rrc : , i::y I?, if ye - 4 ? ye ;r;:.. l t'. lj t:i. . i,h i "J 1 4 eri,",' s' .', - . :r -l I' J 1 : . ! i ; i -1 . ::J is.! J L 3 cr 1 t f -t

la PMUJESO EVES TiluaSEAY, Ar r r T

'Tis what ya were bora ? t3('ill

di-lve," End any man who wes e c:h an jiaesiAunJ as to give y any moosy wouldn't . be lead!-r it to the Lord ia the laste,but would be throwirg it swty, cr. i La cut cf it a bag tirr.e, j::t thi 1 39 a it ha t.-.rew it into the rivsr Brile, at Kil sQ&atusk. Voa"l ts ei'ir 'Who's ths poor? The peer r.!. t in t.3 t?t is the clergy: -tham's the poor. I, and my breaih-ern s the poor. X e feed. ye with spiritual instruction as th ey cram christ mas turkeys ia Tipperary and all we, ax is that . ye'll Seed via and cloths us, and give us a.ntgto ride about oa to stations' and faire, . and .weddirijs and ca sick calls. .Take, my,. word for. it, we ere the poor. . Vt'e 'toil ret, r;. t!: :r do we ?;!u. but 'pon my troth, it k:r Cc'.rv.ta. i 5 e.! his glory, warn't, rrreysd btVr thin we 'tis r.ianv a ti s f 'd b vf ri - a r pJ out atth.9 elbow. AW tl ye 1 sve !o d is to put tho word 'chrjy' in f l-ti c f4:' poor and the test will read r:w'ht. tl3 that giveth to the . cl.ry Ic.ieth to the Lord,' which is the rzil verd Terilon, end as Dans SwiA smd a c:::',.:ry e,Thar8 the coaditioa, so dor; a v, i:h the d--st.' We. have the text.now fortbe.sppltca tion. ho later than Monday week, I went, to Bsrthecily fair, to .buy a horse. It rained cats tad do?s just es if "the earth end heaven were comias together, There were ye ye ucprOiliaLle varmints there were ya, hundreds of ye, and ye looked ca while. I, your soul-keeper,your path to paradise your spiritual -master, was getting wet to the skin. Not one of. ye inquired if I had a mcuih in my face ; not one cf ye said 'Father Prout, maybe you'd take a glass, wid me..this wet day V or 'father Prout, 'tis trud cold, will you oblige me by accepting . this - tumbler of punch. Ye know that I am not proud, and that it isn't one tumbler of punch lJ take from my flock, but ten, if they'd give it. But ye looked at . me, while 1 got wet like a water lily, find I was obliged, ia self defence, to dine with Mun Roche, cf Kildinan ea honest m&a. though he is a heretic, God help him. There to your eterntl shaaie,! got as full as a tick, and Man sent me home in his own Carlisle, which is a disgrace to all of you who belong to the 'true church.-. : Now ia th is fulfilling the scripture ? V.'hit loan has been made to the Lord through t:-s ? The only way ' is to mind ikis applicatiba. I didn't buy the horse at Earihemly, because I was ten pounds short of ihi price of Pat O'Donneli's bay rhare, which I've set rny mind on.' 'Now you can make atonement. " If she up the tea pounds among you, wiih a trlSa for a new saddle and bridle, and show that ye do. may the' blessing of God , Tali! upon ye all.' . . , . ". . ; Tis needlets tossy hat Prcuigot the1 money sa his aormoa had .. a raacxtcAt eiTect oa his pocket. '' ."-:' Cje:: cf ZIr. Oxe,i$ in- sw-.fl' cf I have cf :n th .. -h ci I . irirg read, c a cur rcurths c f Jl1, th it L;ch."..t cf :.te dccuiaent.-, t'. 3 Dcdaratica of lad :p.;.itr.c3, th it It crntains ro f.J'rr : :. r.cre j-ist, cr 1 ;r3 f.e----' ' ! It" or-''. . lli t ..r vJ.T.3 o"da e '.n ft a to 1 1 " t - jl. 1 I ij t .3.

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cr. as l: . Like th j if 1 :iaio i...are, us cnj.nal it..jwa wcj 13 t-ii'd ip c- 1 rrtlz'.:: lf ccp-.cI.'y in t.' 3 - 3 . c v ; r c . a. f : jr. c a ; v;;t cs t3s. e?;.:: '.!; ia h-.i. .. fUa the one lav Wjiw eb zy'. ;v I, r- c t the c:lci ti . If i"cw 1 est .(! Ln it ";c..t . if tush l tru'y t'e ch--::r cf.tlhUw, thsi 1$ h-'j so 1" 3 t?: ;'..:-;: j j"s fI:rJic2 in this sri c'SrSirtacf curLv pullicaa Co.f:derr::y ; btA v.he'.her it te act an irr -thn eat cf the ?-':d sz"ns of cvr p?t;!o, thus ta regard i?j I.r.-ly tbattboub I do not held either the psaple cr the 2g:sl t-.'re blameless ia this thin, treis :e rpobgy- to, .be,,, made :for - --lh. Thh? vcl .sms (taking:up...the , Eavised tt2tut;s) ta,to the mass cf..tha people, iaa reftf? t, staled. :fcock. ; The law hxs a lar.;at9 cf owa.,.. Jcrlsts are, , to. some, extent, liable, to. the' same charge "which a poet has brought egains't tgyptita saree : . ' ,. The wis toen of Egypt Were ieret uBmies; ' '. . And even when ibey most cndesended to teaca, ,'" They packrd up .their meaning. they dia tUbtr AMmiut.-a. In sa niAtiy' wrappers, twasoat of one's r .ariu' These He vised C&!utes'of, ours' need translation t' and 1 now. propose to render irsto plain language, such as"' 'may' be readily comprehended' by" the uninitiated, that portion cf our law. cf descents to which the ."amendments embodied in my resolution ' chiefly. apolyi .It exhibits the' rule of inhtmtance, t j to resl estate. where a husband .dies without childrer. and leaving no father or mother. Now .if some' wicked - rogue, as ' Vriekers sometimes will, should pick up this sketch as I am'about to read it to you. and put it torth SS Robert Dale Owen's proposed Law on Descent,! shall have to reply to him as did Byron on some occasion, alluding" to one. of the Lake poets, some whet changing, a. few words to ; u?t this case": . - . "This is our present Statute, line for line; . f-uf c0(j-s sake, rr ai!er dou'l suppose it's miue.But to avoid such : a risk, Which esparience has taught me, is not 'altogether an imaginary " one, I - have taken care to Ia bel it thus : '- f" - ' ''" The' Present tow Hered'ias rtaia AN "ACT to ' provide for a'"' deceased -msband's - Aunts, Uncles,' Coueias'aad other' kinsfolk. W he seas, it is the .duty, of every good citizen &nd husband, to provide auha- -? ble support,' ia ''casa"cf , his death, for his brothers cr - ist2rs';'5or if La have no nephews or'neices, then for his'uncTes end aunts ; or if he have to cles and aunts, ihea ,x for,Ms.ccu$ir,s ; all in preference' to his wife ;," Tkcrt' fore, , . ' .. , - Section 'I. Beit enacted ly. Iks cral Assembly cf the Stsls.vf 43, Tn:t if a man die leaving ro r' 'Idrs-cr fthc r or mother, butlsivirg a v. i low r-j beta the owner of a farm, stid farm all not belong to his widow, 1 rv :11 L c:r.?e the p re; erty cf I rr-c? sialei's, if ha have iusy; if r.ct. ,' ct h's nephews or n;:cjs ; fo th t if but a s!bie nephew cr niecft b ? r live, , th:v; h it be an infant & few wetks ell, r a cr she UhiU til. 9 the Lrai ia ' f.e, ia prt r. rcr : f j tha v :d;v. And ia til such cr--:, t vc-ihirJs cf the rer.ls cr prr' j rf t' huharis fj.ro skill, at tus ,3 he C : :, o ti the supportcf tho peheli cr rJ?.-?, j3 the care nitty is j c r. 1 c ?.thsp!cf the said fr,;i may bo rcco; te i y ,cr c v'.ird cf the Sc.. I rc:.M l- ril jay ; . t3 t t J r , . '. 1 w;j';v,-, t . t shs t'.. ., 1. L v . . : l c f r '1 r.-;h - l r : ' : . : l" ; ir. 1 if t'.'j ' r - '. 1 : n th -1 ; . i t f ! 33 . . . .., 1 . , . , f ., ... ., j . y . r, i . w , 1

r lid farra or from receiving any fart of said rents ; and the whole fh?!. i.nr-.edi-

- y r-ss into ths posst-bs' n of t' 3 r.e- . 1 .. t . cr chi's, brother or s'"'.: z r;rs-r-'J Csc. 2. Ahhovh the wiiov is rt t!.o c--rcf try pgrt of eid f.In, t-t only 5t:r.?it ca a fart of the n-ra;. ac.1 -al-V -'ih she rr.sy not, excej t f r f -1 c r d pah-3, cause to be cut a single tree tliereca, yet she shall be. held to pay one-third cf the taxes levied oa the said farm, ia the tame. manner as if she-were the owner thereof. ,: And, if she shall refuse . or r 'gleet so to do, her, '.rents and profits shall be sold under execution, to, pay mil .tssxes. ,.;,.' ,.;,Sc. 3. .The said widow shall be. con pellsd, out cf th? rents fend profits afore-ss-id, to keepup.; allhous?s, put-houses aadfesccs.oa.the said third part ci.caid farm, -S3 cesspisd by htr, la 'scoed crdes and, repair as -'they-, were at her bus bsad's death so that the nephews and nieces, brothers and sisters aorss&id shs.ll .suShr noicjury, es fa the third par of their farra thus .temporarily .easura bered by the occupancy of the widow. -Esc. 4.' If, "after: diligent Search, no brother cr sister, or nephew cr nieca cf the husband can be found, to whom the said farm can be given, ia preference to the widow, then strict inquiry shall be made -"throughout the land for a grandfather or a grandmother of the husband and if they ba dead, then for an uncle or an'aunt; and if there be r.o uncles or aunts, then for a 'cousin, mala or female. And if any one. .of th .same ' ba fouhd, t'.en the said cousin, whether msle or famale.or the said aunt or uncle, cr grandmother or grandfather, 'or any ' of them, shall become the owner of two-thirds'. of the said husband's 'farm; and the widow shall own one-third thereof, and shall be allowed to cut limber or commit other waste on the said third part, without for-! feiting the same. - :' j Ssc.;5. If. after-using the utmost diligence, there cannot be "found either brother .or taster, cr . nephew or niecs, cr grandfather or grandmother, or aunt or uncle cr cousin, male 'or, female, then the inquiry shall be made, -whether there be any ether relations, no matter how distant,.'; at can claim to be of the husband's blood, .as nearest of,, kin. . Aad .if any one such -. ba found, whether male c? faraale, even though the said husband may not have known of his "or her .' existence, one-half cf the. farm shall become his or her property, and the wife thaU have the oth.tr hclf only. " - -., ; . " Zzc G. If no -relation,' cf e-ny degree cf censer. - uh.ty, however remote, can be di-;cvcr;d, cr 1. ever frescr t hi'nher dssd builaud's f-rm. rt cf tha sc:.ia ec.ici to the C::?. . 1 h'is ia substance the law as it now esustj, vhsa net r &3 iii v:i in--C ,11 1 c-se'of course it may be by t..a Ua c.ii tcslinurt cf the h-L-.id, Of two amendatory laws, f -ed d.h j the Cl!v.a Ctlij 5r J, C..3 13 SO Ch "ed v,hh a 1. I..f irg prol3o,a.:d tha c.l.r so wai.i-rhj.bl3, t;.i they worth noticing. . ,v The r reef that, '...-- s 1 have char 3-d V A hr-':lc-y, I hue Jh;:t.d to ti.2 r 2'. n p-M'i '.r-- cf ifi Zl:Vc''?, r-:y 1 2 r :. i Vy c? .ru'.ir jl,3 Ilcviic 1 Code, C :3, Art. - Ill pnl 117," f.r t..8 rUi3 cf d: . ; Ch.p. i:, Art. 4 , for L.i r ' 3 cl J.s .is c . a .-....? C,..iiirE.l Cecs. 1C3 anl. 1 2 ia d x 1 J "c. ? i'c, let it

.. Again all huj should te f , j the particular itata cf Svcieiy ci' 'n the country over which they ar. taircvad. Laws which" i...y I3 expel' l la cne c-untry, t. d ur.Jcr cua sr: .f circum6:J:.;3, may ba v.L.-.'p t.-.i. lis and imp-rer, v-.ier er.cthsr. What is th? i;-su:I ct? "i:"cr. -' "r ek-ixc-a, bera in ln-i?-a,fr?t oily 1 Are thcao forunaa ct thirty cr fhrty thousand' dolIars,alluied to by the gsatlcrsaa from Vigo (Mr. Gookias) the coaimon rule 1 On tlia contrary ,Shey are the rare exceptions, -t The .value -of property left hy a husband, at death, within the State, does not ia a very great majority cf cases exceed" two thousand : doilaif .perhaps ia nineteen cases out of twenty, it is under three thousand.' - Ia 'all these cases, the,8Terfge income .of the - property left rasy.be set down ,es net exceeding from two to ihee hundred de'dsrs a year ; not more th'au an bumble support for the wid

ow, if she receive it ell.. Ought two-thirds of that humble mcorae to go to aunts, uncles, cousins, ne-j phews, away from the widow ? Take aa isc Iated case, where there is no brother or sister, cr uncle,, but only aa aunt. Tha . chances - .strongly are, that she is married woman the wife, perhaps, ' ci a wbahhy man ; at all events, probably the wife of tame one - who is able ta support her living it may be, in a distant State, and very possibly never having seen the deceased nephew from whom inherits to her- goes two-thirds ci the rents ci the husband's farm, aad to the widow one-third only ! It is monstrous ! It violates our most common i leas cf justice; our most commoasenUmeats of natural affection. So of a nephew; so . of -a cousin. These cousins and nephews have in most cases parents of their own, who ere like-" ly to provide for them. But even if they have not, is the widow to be robbed for their benefit t If incomes of two cr three thousand s year were common among us, a Jaw 01 d?scent might cat these down to two. thirds; and, however unjust the rule, no great harm would be done. But when you deprive" a fanner's widow, ia ordinary circumstances'," of t,uo-thirds of the rental of her husband's farm, you reduce her to poverty ; to dependence ; or ia her feeble eld ege, perhaps, to the hard necessityof toiling for. bread. '-- But yet again, sir: few personsan cu couairy, live on their money. Host 0' our people work, far adiving.orr a farm or in .a workshop. Vblle thoy live they suppcrt thtlr wives by their vs 2,323, or by the jrrcdu:e cf the firm they cukivste. At daath this dependence is gone. The .:gc3 ccae. Th3 har,i that ves busyla cld and l.-ada w, 13 lili ia the rave. Thee remth-.3 ul the eav h--2'i cf.cn the scanfy ea-tln3, for tha support cf the . ido.v. ' And of thesa, ia five cases cut cf tlx, "tha present z. i d.-jrlvs her c trt'o-.hi.ds ; ai.T..oi al vays rf a heh. J; iinot enouh that Death tehes aweyfrcr. hsr her protecte.'.her rrovidir." The la" following up' tha" stroke cf Death, add' poverty to bereavement." - - If cer pec4 , C3 Ik..ar.d tnd c.hcr ell ci... -Mies t .e. y ' do, 1 vd .Vu?y ca tha--h:.rcet cf t.:ce.:.,.!e; . 1 c; 'Ml, i". ;. . S.l be dh.lrer.t ; ihegh . :.i the. c 5 ; '.ii ? r revidi; C:: a z-'.s.: cr J . 1 CwJila ia frcLisr.se tj a if- . .'.1 J-iv-la cut to l.. 9 i.::.. -n c; cny . 2 t.'. :r r : : !e, r h.h th. ...:, u . : " . t : f : If . 4.. , TT

Th cy c : v .-:c e 'y d o II : ; j r :z:3 H ; n t' 3 law requires cf then ; ci tht t y cf-

ier at ,"u:. r:r- rf - , - e-Fsija in te.r- t:c?r.tj. Fcr a Acar cr tv.o t..ey cec-epy c.h:-3' 1 Uon 'wporary. But, ia the testacies, of which we are speaking, the coaditioa is forced, and endures for li. Tha widow who, throng a lifetime, pcrhsps, bs !ooied epan the familiar hcaiesteai as her own, finds herself, in a racment cut off from all right to' the ' e?0t' wbera fe youth and wcraanhood were ecnt She is degraded to the condition' c.f tenant a forced tenant 'a tenant for life the tenant of her husband' brother ' or repairs, they may turn her cU helpless aad penniless, an eged wanderer t pitiless world. Though the advantage to the widow ba great, of the' change nh:ch males her owner cf a third, icstetd cf a tenant.yet she incumbrance to the land is little greater than under the present" law. Dower usually detracts about p.ne-third irons the Ttlue of any property. Ourcitizena 'da not like to buy encumbered land. Thus, by this cnange, the gala ta the widow is much greater than the lesf to the creditor cr the heir. Tha widow's third ia protected, under the proposed provision, agslasf the demands cf creditors. This is nothing new. Dower is so protected. If ii ba thought too much to include personal property as against creditors, I gm will in 860 amount of such property, thus exempted, limited fa cao thousand dollars. ' ' Let us turn now tatha provision which gives to the widow, ia case there be but one child, the half of tha property, and o the chud-tne other hah The ures-nt law cues to tha r'-y '! .1 :s ow, es tenant of fcer chid, CpC-hird of the rents during life. Is not tha char eminently just, and proper ? gay i? be a boy; ought he to start ia lifa hh tB-loa toe income which his wjdowed mother his t Or suppose it a girl ; ought she ta bring to- her busbead iajnarrisge twice, the propftrty which remains to the mothes she is leafing ? A chilld brought up as it ought to be, taught to love justice, ira- ' bued wr.h fllal piety, would reject with scorn the rgh:$ thus conferred by aa ini, Il ia th.3 c-eo, the property bo largadt is aa irjery to the child that it should poa strs two-thirds cf it. If oa the ether hand it te t nail, twothirds ta&ea from the v-iiow dcrriyes her cf a bare' sup port, fa ekhercase II is a law as onjus r it ii rdsc levous Tha r.ezt ch:rga is that which gives is the f h-r cr rciher cf he "CECsased (La case there te no children) one fourth of the .piepcrty, and to the wide? thrssfeurtl. j ; at preacr.j t: a L cr rad n.; j 'he rll, cu. jeet to do cr. If wj 2ed.'Ct th, 3 1 ia a gmeicd u 27 -: c"";t c: P-et ii lurv.va f fir r. i'ri-rd ..:" !. r th-re. je cTar-t rc:er! "7 c . .;u:;'..:i c . :et ly to r :.i r. " ".. : . c . : : u 3 ir 1 v t - e w -

i,iai taey may save money enough to paxchase laa-d of their own. That is yer" well. It is their choice, sad" the ccadil

orsisier; perhaps of fab boy xtephew, cr o-fcls infant liics. If. she cut timber from their land, except for necessary fuel