The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-14
Rnhnlu,1d 1ispatfl,
friday. 50. MARCH l4' io's'
The State Courts Dishonored.

V'nS SLEC0 SOult u, oAoA4S&aS@ 49, .ta""
The new bankrupt law does not, rs man!
nav suppose, exempt the homestead Simply
nom the operation Of liens obtained, %
,,,dumanas or DEGREES rendered. since 1857
Int ID against all liens by judgment or oe'
cree of any State court, whether Inc 9aag-
n,ent or decree was rendered before or has
nesn rendered since 1860, or shall be here
a.,ar. rendered. Read the law for yourself ::
aAri chat such exemptions be valid against
dehts contracted before the adoption and
,,sss,,ue OF such State constitution and laws,
se veil rs those contracted after the same,
and against liens by Judgment or decree OF
any State court, any decision OF any such
court rendered since tho adoption and pas
saee Of such constitutions 10 the contrary
notwithstanding.
The liens mentioned are oil, without ex-
ceptiou, liens which exist by virtue OF any
Judgment or decree Of any State court. a
careless reading of the law leaves the i'm
preston that the liens destroyed by the bank
rnpt law must have accrued since the ratih.
cation of the State Constitution; but the fact
Is that all liens put upon property by al
State courts are utterly abolished Tue
qualifying words, "since the adoption and
passage of such constitutions" relate only to
auy decision of such State court which may
have been rendered since 1859 1--WE speak O.
vfrginia) that bankrupt's effects are liable
to liens by virtue Of tho judgments or DEGREES
of the State courts. II there is anything III
the bankrupt law as 1t stood before II was
last amended Inconsistent with the provision
above quoted, Of course the old provision
has TO give way before the new one.
Thus we have in the new bankrupt law,
first, provision that the exemptions shall
be valid as against all debts; and secondly,
provision that they shall be valid as against
all liens existing by virtue Of any judgment
or decree of any State court. In other
words, the new bankrupt law provides that
man may hold his homestead as against tai
debts whether judgment has been given Tor
the creditor or not. If the reader will ex-
anime the Virginia homestead act he may
learn why the provision above quoted was
nut into the new bankrupt law. The Virgil
MIA law provides that any judgment rem
dere6 or docke.ed for a debt contracted even
previous to the 4th day of April, 1863, shall
be a lien upon tue homestead, if the debt Is
the purchase price of the homestead, or the
wages Of mechanic or lahorins man. In
brief, the Virginia homestead law provides
that judgment lien held by mechani" Or
iaborer for work done, or by the lasl ownc
of the homestead property for the purchase
money, shall be respected, aud therefore the
Federal courts would also have had to re-
spect these liens if the provision above
quoted had not been put into the bankrupt
law. The lien Of the mechanic and OF the
Iaborer is thus destroyed by Messrs. HUGHES,
LEWIS & Co. We fear they have all ruined
their prospects for the Republican nomina-
ton for Go, crnUf. The State courts are dis
honored, and the mechanic and luborcl
wounded in the house Of their (professed)
friends.