Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1849-11-22
The Exemption Of Homestead Prop
erty from Sale on Execution.

where-previous TO the late election, none was
more efficient than the charge made by the elec-
tioneerers that Wings were the authors of, and
wholly responsible for, the enactment of the ex.
emption, or $500 law, passed at the last session
the Legislature. AS in the case of the school
law, this accusation was not brought forward in
the public journals, because it was well known
that it would not bear discussion, but was silly
/ and secretly circulated to turn the current of e
most unfounded and ridiculous popular hostility
to the law against the Wing party. The honesty
of this course. the part of our opponents, will
be more manifest, when it is observed that the
great leader of the Locofoco party in the Senate,
the gallant Captain Small, the hero of never so
many hard fought fields in Mexico, introduced into
that body bill to exempt absolutely from execu-
ton property the clear yearly ralue of scich should
be not more than three hundred dolars. From
this it would seem that there was at least one
leading Locofoco in the last Legislature who was
in favor of extending this privilege of exemption,
to property worth at least FIVE THOUSAND
DOLLARS, instead of TRHEE HUNDRED as
passed by the Wing majority But TO show that
there was really no serious opposition to this law
the part Of anybody in the last Legislature, tits
only necessary present the yeas and nays as they
were recorded in the two houses upon the final
passage of the bill: s;s -,
SENATE :---YEAs--Messrs Boas, BRAwLEY,
Brooke. Cunningham, FoRsYTH, Frick, HuGHs,
Ives, johnson, Mason, Matthias, McCAsLIN, OVER
FIELD, Sankey, Savery, SMALL, STERRETT & STREE
TER-lS.
NAYs-Messrs. Best, Crabb, King, Konigmach-
el Lawrence, Lewis, Rich, Sadler. Smyser, Slime
and Darse, Speaker--ll
HOUSE :---Y YEAs--Messrs. Baber, Ball, Bent
Cronyn, Cors Courtney, Diehl, Duncan, Elliott
Emery, Eshleman, HI. S. Evans, w. Evans. Fau-
sold, Fisher Fr7ck, Fuller, George, Hanpson. Hen
ry, Henszey, Herring, Higgins, Hortz, Hover
R,rk. Klote, Lard, Ldna5erton, Little, McCalnont
Mccartney, Nc Culloch. Mckee, Mclaughlin,
Mara, Meek. Myers; Nickleson, Peorce, Porter,
Red'ck, Robb Roberts, Rupley Ryman. Schoon-
ouer, Seibert, Smyth, SOuder, Steel, StockweH,
Swartwelder, Taggart, Thorn. N Thorn. Walters,
Waffle, Weirick, Wilcor and Packer, Sp'r-6I.
NAYs-Messrs. Biddle, Bull, D. Euans, Fege-
ley. Gillespie, Gordon, Laubach Lewis, Long,
Luckenbach, McSherry, Miller, Otto, Shofner,
Shap. R. r. Smith, w. Smith, Williams, Wilmer
and Zer6y--2l a1a. IS. baa -ssa5e
Thus it would appear that the bill was passed
by vote of nearly two-thirds in each House, in
Legislature where the parties were nearly equally
divided; ten Locofocos voting for it IN the Senate
TO only one against it, and thirty two in the House
TO only ten against it. The exemption hating op-
position here put in the position of nearly
imously sustaining in the Legislature what they
denounce in private conclave and secret meetings
on the eve of an election. sgsy ..s $3.50. - y.
The Republican gives history Of the rise and
DrorracS of tho cveteu, ponnSvly,nia
which shows very conclusively that the doctrine
of exemption is no new or stragne thing to the
people, bf that far back as 1914 it engaged the
attention of their representatives in the Legisa-
ture. The first law on the subject was enacted
in 1914, under the title of an Act to promote The
comfort Of the poor" and the tendency of all SUBJ
sequent legislation upon the subject, has been to
enlarge, progressively, the number of exempted ar
ticles. The Act of 1914 was followed by that of
1921 which, under the title of" an Act 10 encour-
age domestic industry and promote the comfort of
the poor" still increased the number These were
all included in the Act of l836-part of the revised
code--and we believe few more added SILL
further additions were made by the Act of 1886, in
favor of'persons actually engaged in the science Of
7
$50, gears and plow, or yoke of oxen, yoke and
chan and plow, at their option. IS.
The reader will observe, says the Republican,
that our Legislators, in the passage of all these
laws, acted the supposition that they were pro-
noting the comfort OF, and relieving the poor man.
| That was the object which they had in view The
next question is as to the ealue of the exempted
articles. This will depend, of course, much upon
the judgment of the appraisers. We find an ap-
| praisement to the widow OF decedent under the
/ intestate law of portion of the articles which
were exempt from execution amounting to $780,
80. This is erclastve of the horse, gears and pow,
which at $50 for the former, and SIS for each OF
| the latter, would raise the amount to S2499o.-
Still some ofthe exempted articles are not included;
and we believe that full appraisement of them
all, made without favor to the debtor or the widow,
would reach nearly, if not quite, the sum of $500.
| Now what does the law of last session effect T.
1t enacts that, instead of certain specific articles
worth probably that amount the debtor may re-
tain $500 worth of property of any kind at yalu-
alton to be made by sworn appraisers. This puts
all on an equal footing, and equality is equity
| Heretofore, some debtors may have had all the
exempted articles, and kept them, while another
has had few of them, and has seen nearly his
! whole pYonerfv swent away Comma ratiyelv faw