The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-04-09
Rapw Reod Before the Cha,ttauQua Circle.

Rapw Read Before the Cha,tauQua Circle.
4 LII law is founded upon the one
~ law of Heaven, "Thou shalt |
n love the Lord thy God and thy |
neighbor as thyself," or per-
haps better translation would be,
Thou shalt serve the Lord thy God,
and thy neighbor as thyself." The
three primary fundamental principles
of law secure to mankind, Q) right to
life; ~ right to liberty; (3) right to
the peaeeable possession and enjoy
msnt of his own property. Common
law regarding property rights has been
mneh modified by statute, principally
relative to its universal and unlimited
application, and equal property rights
are extended to include every man,
woman and child, under our various
state codes.
Every state, believe. without an
exception, has its statute of exemp-
tions, by means of which there is Sc
cured to every citizen certain amount
OF real and personal property that is
exempt from. execution. The justice
of such a law is self-evident: that
amid the changing vicissitudes of busi-
ness life, with it's "ups'' and downs"
the exempted property, usually con-
sisting of a homestead and its furnish
mgB, remain intact. But these laws
fall short of being perfect, in that there
occurs one exception. g., exemption
from tax claims. In this, as in many
other instances, the state is made a
preferred creditor. Can we conceive
any possible reason why the state
should possess rights in collecting her
claims not allowed to q private indi-
yidnal? This seems to me wrong and
unjust, not only from the standpoint of
itsbeing an unwarranted preference, but
made more so from the fact that such
property should be absolutely exempt
from claims of every description. A
mans house should be his temple, his
sacred shrine, his sanctum, and should
bs free from molestation by law and
execution. Let those who would amass
fortunes and vast estates bear the bur-
DEN OF taxation.
The law exempts from taxation per-
sonal property, not to exceed 800 in
value. God pity the homes that can be
furnished with 500! So strong has
been public sentiment against personal
property taxation that some cities and
villages have not used their power
along that line. Much to the credit of
onr capital city, st. Paul, never in the
history of said city has she enforced a
personal property tax. Those pay who
will, but those neglecting to pay are
never forced to by execution.
THE NATIONAL BANKRUPT
LAW.
For many years the subject of en-
acting uniform National Bankrupt
Law was agitated, until in 1898 every
legal mind was surprised at having
placed before them one of the greatest
steals ever imposed upon justice-lov-
ing people-our National Bankrupt
Law in force today. Since that time
petitions innumerable have been drawn
and signed by thousands of merchants
and business men from every state,
arging, yea, begging, it's repeal, and
even many of its stanch supporters
have gone so far as to admit that it
has served its purpose. Just what that
purpose was, from a standpoint of
justice, / have never found anyone
who was able to divine. But from a
standpoint of injustice, it's purpose is
clear; in short, many of the old "used-
to-be's" scattered all over our country,
who delight in telling that at certain
time their check was good for 100000,
and who today could not purchase a
ton of coal on time, desired very much
20 'clean up" the past at small cost.
There is case on record in st. Paul
of an old man at the point of death
whose liabilities were $60,OOO-his as
sets in round numbers were three ci-
piers without figure before them
who went through bankruptcy and