Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1896-11-19

for the purpose Of raising revenue.
They should,be wiped Of the face Of
the earth as with bosom of destruc-
tion, and their jurisdiction be trans
ferred to the justices Of the peace of
the cities with full right of trial by
jury in all cases. No such thing as
stating charges should be tolerated.
no man should be put upon trial I'M
til some one will take the responsible
ity Of charging HIM with some definite
offence
"No judicial officer should be paid
by fees, by him collected. All judic-
ial officers should be paid salaries.
The idea Of justice Of the peace sit
ting in judgement to do impartial
justice between parties when his own
compensation depends upon the way
in which he shall decide the case,
would be ludicrous If it was not mon
strous. Under the present fee system
it is we'll known that in all large towns
and cities most Of the Justices courts
are run for revenue only The per-
versions Of justice, the denials Of JUS
tlce, the expressions and outrages
that are practiced in some Of these
courts beggar description and are
known only to lawyers and others
closely related to the administration
Of the laws. 1t will be said this can
be remedied by legislation, but prin-
cipal soimportsnt should be embodied
in the constitution, where designing
knaves can not easily avoid it.
"The homestead exemption IS a
noble institution, but the very found
alton Of the exemption of property
from forced sale to pay debts is the
idea of preventing oppression and
avoiding distress and suffering.
All exemptions should, therefore, be
equal, or as nearly 80 as possible; no
man should be permitted to fortune
while some other man has no exempt
ions whatever. There should be q
maximum valuation beyond which
homestead redemption should not go.
But vast OF the great majority who
are not able to own homesteads
Have they no rights? What Of the
thousands who own neither domestic
animals nor implements or tools, nor
other exempt property? Shall they
have no exemption? Shall distress
and suffering be their portion? 0,
no, you say. Exempt their wages.
How much? An! as much as the high
and mighty justice Of the peace whose
honorable y court runs for revenue
only, shall decide that they need; that
ID the present practice, and there is in
it a degradation Of manhood, a CALLING
tyranny and bitterness of bondage
which would justify armed resistance
What is q mans manhood worth,
what is his sense of self-respect, what
his conception of citizenship, what
his notion Of justice, who has been
subjected to the degradation and hui
initiation of having his monthly wages
selzed by magistrate, torn from his
hands to pay extotionate fees Of of.
ficers, and what remained divided be-
tween himself and his creditor, by the
arbitrary order of the magistrate, who
in his sovereign majesty graciously
gives to the man who earned it az
much Of his earnings as the magis.
trate decides that the Garner needs to
support his family'
"The constitution now wisely pro-
vides that there shall be no imprison-
ment for debt except IN case of frau d.
We must advance step farther and
provide that there shall be no seizure
Of credit except in case Of fraud or
non-residency. The present practices
of Selling credits by garnishment in
any case where the party bringing
the action will set up that he other
Wise might lose his claim falls almost
exclusively upon the wage earners,
whose wages are thus filched away
from them, no matter what may be
their circumstances, their misfortunes,
their honesty Of endeavor and inten-
ton; and consumed largely in consta-
bles' and Justices fees. This practice
is q great bonanza for those justices
whose courts run for revenue only.
OF all Of the inventions Of the devil
devised for the destruction Of honest
manhood and the spoliation of hearth
and home, and the Punishment Of
happiness from the human heart, this
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