Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1906-08-29


Mr.. Lenroot at this time. would be a
positive misfortune to the republican
party of this state, in view of the rec
ord which the gentleman made in the
last session of the legislature. l re-
fer to his action on the measure
known as Bill No. asa, bill to amend
section 1882 of the statutes of 1898,
in relation to exemptions. This meas
ure passed both houses of the Iegis-
lature and was presented to Robert
NJ. La Toilette, as governor, for APP
proval. The veto message of the gov
ernor, though brief, was one of his
bt st papers and breathed sym
pathy and kindness that should have
impressed the members of the Wis
consin assembly and caused them to
adopt his views on that measure by
voting to sustain his veto. In order
to be entirely fair, | wish to give the
exact language Of Gov. La Toilette in
dealing with this bill which so vitality
affected every man whose only capt.
tai is in his two strong arms.
Section of this bill amends sub
division Is of section 1882 of the
statutes of 1898, so as to read as
follows:
Is. The earnings of any person or
persons having a family dependent
upon him or them for support at the
time of the commencement of pro-
ceedings for the collection of the
debt, for three months next preceding
the issue of any writ of attachment.
execution, garnishment or the insti.
tuition of proceedings supplementary
to execution, to the amount of $50
only for each month in which such
earnings are made or earned; pro-
viding such earnings shall not exceed
$3.50 in all for said time, including
such part or share thereof had by or
laid to the debtor during such three
months; provided further that no
part of such earnings in excess of $50
made or earned in any one month dur
ing such period of three months, shall
be exempt as against liabilities here
after contracted for any fuel or
other necessaries of life, sold to any
such person or persons or furnished
to his or their families under circum-
stances which render such person or
persons liable in the law therefor
This section as amended contains a
further provision, but it is unneces-
sary to report or comment upon it
here. 1t will be seen that the ex-
emption established by the present
law of $50 a month for three months,
is practically reduced, by this bill, to
$50. | cannot approve of any such
reduction.
1.-THE wage Garner is really the one
affected by this measure. The ex-
emption now fixed is none too liberal
for the laboring class. The present
high prices of the necessaries of life
would forbid the reduction of the rea-
sonable sum of $50 month for main
tenance and support of the debtor and
his family
Quotes the Constitution.
Section II of article of the con-
stitution Of the debtor is as follows:
"The privilege of the debtor to en-
Joy the necessary comforts of life
shall be recognized by wholesome law
exempting a reasonable amount OF
property from seizure or sale for the
payment of any debt or liability here
after contracted
1.-THE trainers of the constitution
recognized the Importance to the state
and good citizenship of reasonable ex-
emption laws. They are prescribed
or made primarily for the benefit and
advantage of neither the debtor or
creditor class. In Importance they
rise above all classes and affect the
best interests of the state and its
citizenship. 1t is true that it may be
in some instances a shield to the
dishonest, but no such consideration
can, at this late day, be successfully
urged against the constitutional pro-
vision of any law embraced within
its spirit.
1.-THE constitutional provision has
stood the test of years. The unani-
nous verdict of the best regulated
governments Of the world sanction
wholesome exemption laws. They
have been commended and approved
by the courts. In the decisions they
are called humane and for the high
est good of the state. An able Judge
of our court of last resort, at an early
day, used this language with refer
ence to them:
cit is that the citizen is an essen
Llal elementary constituent OIL Ine
state; that to preserve the state the
citizen must be protected: that to
live ne must have the means Of liv-
ing; to act and to be citizen he
must be free to act and to have some
what whereby to act and thus be COM
petent to the performance of his high
function as such; hence it would
seem, as no doubt it was, a matter Of
the gravest state policy to invest the
citizen with, aid to secure to him
these essential prerequisites with
out which the state could not demand
of him at all times his instant service
and devoted allegiance
"The census of 1900 indicates that
about 100000 working men of the
wage earning class were out Of en-
ployment in this country for four or
six months during the year, and that
nearly one-half of all families in the
United States were propertyless The
proportion for Wisconsin does not diff
fer greatly from these figures.
For Milwaukee county it appears
from the census that of thu 64,162
other than farm homes, only 23,638
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