The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1882-02-22
wWRLINo, VI VA, FEgnGANY 2. lsss.
The Exemption of Wages from Attach
mnni.


We notice in the proceedings OF the
House Of Delegates OIL Monday an amend.
ment offered by Nr. McCord, Of Brooke
county, amcndinga pending bill in refer
ence to the attachment Of property and
claims for debt SO as to read as
follows "That in any action be.
fore Justice no proceedings
shall DO had to attach or garnishec the tal- |
airy or wages Of any nonresident employe
Of a railroad company to satisfy debt OF
liability contracted without this State, un-
less the party to whom such debt or liabil-
ity has been contracted be resident Of
this State when such proceedings are COM
menced, or unless such salary or wages be
not exempt from execution or attachment
by the law Of the place where the debt o
liability was contracted"
The explanation Of this amendment We
understand to be this: The buying up Of
claims in other States, especially in Ohio,
against employees Of the Baltimore Il Ohio
and the Panhandle railroad companies, has
become regular business in this State.
For instance, the Panhandle Company has
at Urichsvillc and Dennison, Ohio, nearly
or quite thousand employees, numbers Of
whom get in debt at that place to mer-
chants and others-sometime for bona Gde
value received and sometimes for very in.
different value received. Under the laws
ofohio the current wages Of man not ex-
ceeding sl5O-for a period Of ninety days,
are exempt from attachment for debt. In
Pennsylvania they are exempt without
limit as to time. These laws are, Of course,
notice to all merchants and traders that
they must extend credit ut their own ri, k.
The reason for such a law is ~ to protect
families Of working men from distress on
account Of the attachment Of their Current
earnings, and (2) to prevent working men
from becoming loafers on account Of their
inability to draw their earnings as they nc.
crue. OF conrsc II a man cannot draw his
earnings, owing to attachment by his crcd-
itors, he will cease to work. There is no
iuduCement to work. lie will become dis
couaged, and, perhaps, turn loafer and
become vagabond. His reasoning will
be that he may as well play us work, inas.
much as his work avais him nothing tor
the support of his family. lie therefore is
liable to become, and cause his family to
become, burden on society.
The point we have to make in conncc-
ton with this matter IS this: II the law
referred to is just law in Ohio, Pennsyl-
vania and Indiana, and other States where
itprevails, it is matter Of justice in West
Virginia not to defeat il in these States. ri
there are good and satisfactory reasons for
such law in Ohio and Pennsylvania there
are certainly good and satisfactory reasons
why the jurisdiction Of West Virginia
should not be made use Of to defeat the in.
tended and expected operation Of the law
in those States. This is the real point to be
considered. Ii the law of exemption in
Ohio and Pennsylvania is an unjust law,
it ought OF course TO have no countcnanCc
here. Upon the point whether the law is
really wise or not on the part Of our neigh
bos, we do not presume to have ma
tnred opinion. From the information be-
fore us however we think it is, and for the
reasons stated. OF course it works u hard
ship in many instances. There is no doubt
Of this. 1t shelters some dishonest men.
On the other hand, n dishonest man will
not work il he cannot collect his wages.
and he will be even more apt than well |
meaning but unfortunate man 10 take to
dissipation and loaiing, and to the practical
abandonment Of his family.
There isanother phase Of the question
which while it is not so important rs
the phase just referred to, is nevertheless
worthy consideration. 1t is the great
annoyance visited upon the railroad com.
panics from these attachments. The TACT
that they keep an Office and have an agent
in this state enables any claim agent here
10 buy up these claims in the states where
they occurred and prosecute them here. 1t
becomes amstter Of speculation, and is
carried on US IN employment. These suits
aggregate hundreds Of cases in the course
Of year, and require railroad company
to hold its pay rolls in u chronic condition
OF suspension as regards certain per cent
of its employees So great was this annoy.
anco that the Cleveland and Pittsburgh
railroad company removed its agency from
this citys
1t may be argued that the railroad com.
panies should dismiss all such employees.
Perhaps they do dismiss many of them.
In fact it is known that such is the policy
Of the Baltimore & Ohio Company. But
this is only very limited preventive, il
indeed it is preventive at all. They may
dismiss the dishonest employc and en-.
deavor to retain the honest one, and in
that case it is the latter class who suffer.
A very large per cent Of working people
contract more or less debt This results
from the stoppagc OF work, from sickness
III their families, and from numerous other
contingencies. A death in mans family
has been known to practically mortgage his
earnings for year. lie is obliged to pro-
vide current support for his family, and il
he is only making partial time his earnings
ae wholly consumed by his necessities.
With ever so good intentions it is not In
his power to apply his earnings in payment
Of his debts,
1t seems to us that there are considcra.
tons surrounding Mr.. McCord's amend.
mcnt that cntitc it to the favorable action
OF the Legislature.
The Question OF Interest.