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Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Illinois, That our Senators be instructed, and our Representatives in Congress be requested, to use all proper means for the enactment of a bankrupt law, which
shall be general in its operations, for the relief of all honest debtors, and the
detection of fraudulent ones, embracing all classes for our citizens.
1Thomas Threlkeld introduced the resolution in the House of Representatives on February 9, 1841. The House rejected a motion to table the resolution by a vote
of 33 yeas to 45 nays, with Abraham Lincoln voting nay. The House tabled an amendment by a vote of 42 yeas to 38 nays, with
Lincoln voting yea. The House adopted the resolution as originally introduced. The
House informed the Senate of the resolution’s passage, but the Senate took no action.
Journal of the House of Representatives, of the Twelfth General Assembly of the State
of Illinois, At Their Second Session (Springfield, IL: William Walters, 1840); 354-55; Journal of the Senate of the Twelfth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, At
Their Second Session (Springfield, IL: William Walters, 1840), 284.
Printed Transcription, 1 page(s), Journal of the House of Representatives, of the Twelfth General Assembly of the State of Illinois, At Their Second Session (Springfield, IL: William Walters, 1840), 354