The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1893-11-03
Debts of Honor.

DEBTS OF honor, SO called, are those
unknown to the law and which can.
not be collected by legal process
Among them are debts contracted a,
the gambling table or in other forms
of betting. and the security is simply
that of individual obligation among
people OF the same kind. Whatever
the law regards as contrary to public
policy comes under this head, the law
declining to assist in cor rupting the
people by legitimatizing such transac-
tons. In European countries the
debts which have only moral instead
OF legal security are more numerous
than IN this country. A series of re-
ports from United States consuls on
this feature of the laws of foreign
countries has been recently published,
IN answer to Il circular from the Ma
tional Board of Trade This circular
asked the consuls to collect evidence
as to what debts are not coileciible by
the law In the various counties and to
state how they are generally paid.
The answers reveal some interesting
local customs
The general summary shows that
though debts OF honor are outside the
legal pale they are usually paid in full,
the penalty for refusing payment
being that the delinquent debtor is
ostraclsed by the clubs and other or
CARNATIONS which provide the means
for contracting the obligations This
appears to follow the general rule. for
In all parts of the world such debts are
ordinarily paid, even though the deb
tor is execution proof and refuses to
pay what the law would compel him
to pay. In Sweden doctors bills are
debts of honor, as they also are in
Austria, while In the latter country
lawyers fee that reaches the amount
OF the property in litigation has no
standing in country. China has
long schedule OF debts OF honor,
among them being services rendered
by physicians, dentists, priests, fortune
tellers, clairvoyants and others and
moneys loaned at rates exceeding the
legal rate of interest. 1t is regarded
as disgrace to be drunkard or to
with liquor, so that drinking debts are
extremely rare On this point the
consul at Annoy says that when such
debts do exist the creditor is both
ashamed and afraid to acknowlege the
fact, and as "A natural consequence, to
take any steps toward the enforce
ment of his rights In both Germany
and France man may be sued for
drinking debt Few European bank
rupts ever pay in full, pc; haps because
those who can do so do not fail in
business. Bankruptcy does not re-
lieve the Russian debtor, who must
pay whenever he is able to do so. In
Russia and Greece debts never out
law In France outlawed debts are
seldom paid. La Belgium, of six hun
dred and twenty bankrupts in period
of ten years only twelve were rehabi-
litated
Though In many European coun
force collection in the courts, there
are some exceptions to the rule. In
Italy. the Netherlands, Russia and
Spain the laws enforce the payment
of bets made on athletic contests,
such as football, cricket, racing, etc,
the exceptions being evidently made
to encourage the athletic sports to
which the youth do not take very
kindly. The moral seems to be from
all this, the less law there is in some
instances TO compel the payment of an
obligation the more scrupulouS the
debtor is TO discharge There are few
instances where gambling debts and
others outside the protection OF the
law are not promptly metif it is with
in the power of the debtor. Is is this
that preserves the gamblers occupa-4
ton, since if his debtors were not held
by something outside the law itself
the debts would never be paid, and
gambling would not pay those who
win. Il is peculiar state of affairs
which shows men more willing to pay
such debts than they are to pay those
recognized by the laws,-Trade.