Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1849-04-04
From the Buffalo Republican.
Homestead Exemption.

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| "a #A Fs -- EGaE
The simple question is, shall every
member of community have right to be
somewhere? or shall his existence be for
feited for want Of right to occupy some
LEGALITY on the earth9 A homestead exemp-
ton law, generally adopted throughout
the Inion, with such reasonable restric-
lions as would prevent dishonest men
from deirauding others, by investing a
large property SO as to put it out Of reach
ct honest creditors, would, we think be a
great step towards the perfection of our
social system. No man under the pres
ent system, who has had the misfortune,
or the imprudence, to involve himself
IN debt, has right to be any where, ex-
cept in public highway; and even there,
he must keep travelling under pretence Of
business, or he is liable to be arrested and
punished for vagrancy. If he own a
house in which he can shelter his family,
and few acres of land, from which the
labor Of that family can procure susie
nance, his creditor can take it away from
him, aud turn his family cut; and the first
step they take, out of the public highway,
makesthem trespasse rs, and they are again
liable to forcible expulsion; and SO on, till
they get happily beyond the bounds OF
civilization.
Every man, in every community-es-
pecially in trafficking and specializing
community like ours, in this country-is
liable to become involved beyond his abili-
/ ty to pay. When this is the case, our
laws tell his creditors to 60 and turn him
and his innocent family out of the house
they livein, and ofithe piece of land which
/ they cultivate, and take it for themselves,
although they have houses and lands and
every thing else necessary for their com-
/ fort. When man and his family are
thus dispossessed and turned naked, it is
impossible that they should respect the
institutions Of their country, or that they
should feel patriotic emotion. Home is
30 longer home to them; they are Danish
ed by their country's law, and the love Of
country which once glowed in their bos-
oms is turned to hatred. And it is per-
iectly natural that it should be so; for men
are not so divine in their nature that they
will return good FOR evil, love for hatred,
patriotism for alienation, when they feel
that their conduct as citizens has not been
such as to deserve that evil that hatred,
| that virtual alineation which the laws OF
their country have inflicted upon them.
| The homestead exemption law would
make the house and ground where fam
! lily live, sacred TO their use forever, by
placing it beyond the creditors grasp and
! the sheriifs power. Who can calulate
the amount Of misery which the want Of
such humane provision has inflicted up
on an innocent people since we became an
Independent nation? Who can compute
the additional happiness that would have
been enjoyed by the people OF this coun-
try, if such an amendment had been intro
duced into the social S ystem which we
borrowed and adopted in the infancy Of
our existence as nation? 1t is our hon
est opinion, that the single circumstance
oil homesteads and necessary furniture and
implements of husbandry, being liable to
confiscation for debt, has been even more
than fifty per cent, drawback upon all the
advantages of civilization. And it is,
therefore, our honest opinion, that the alb
olishment of that abominable law which
pampers the avarice of the fortunate, by
allowing him to stri p the unfortunate OF
his whole means of living, will double The
happiness of this people as whole.
Let the little farm with its buildings
and stock, together with all the necessary
household furniture, be exempt from sci
zure for debt, and who would be the
worse for it? Those who are in the bus
mess of money loaning would be none the
worse, nor would those who sell the nee
essaries of life; for knowing that they
could have no resource to that species Of
legal robbery, they would not give credit
with that reliance in view. And we con-
fidently believe that such exemption, by
making the debtors honor the creditors
sole surety, would do more to establish a
healthy credi: system, than any other
measure that could be divised. Ii man
who has any pretensions to honor, hap
pens to get involved beyond his depth,
and his creditors do not fall upon him and
sacrifice what he has, by way Of of court
charges, lawyers and sherihf's fees and
forced sales, he will have both the means
and the disposition to pay them; and will
make haste to do so as soon as possible
But if the law allows them to take the
destructive course, one creditor will strive
to get head of another, and the family
viii be stripped, the property sacrificed,
the debts not paid, the debtor dispirited
and soured, and there will be neither
means nor disposition left TO pay the bal
ance.
LockJAw.-The Baltimore Sun says:
II have noticed lately several deaths by
lockiaw, and for the information of all, |
will give certain remedy. When one