River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1906-08-23

stability of the state itself mayk de-
pend upon those who own the homes
in which they live and shelter their
fsmilies. The Talue of the home is
not matter of SO much concern to
the state. The humblest home is as
much a pillar of government as the
costliest mansion. Liberal exemp-
ton laws are an aid to the wage earn
er in procuring home. Neither does
1T necessarily follow that this would
be. at the expense of the creditor. The
exemption law is the wage earner's
shield and protection in the hour of
his greatest crisis. When industrial
depression comes, when men are laid
off, when accident, injury, sickness,
death falls upon the family, and it is
impossible to pay bills for the time
being, the exemption law holds over
them the protecting arm of the state
until the hour of distress goes by. 1t
prevents judgments and excessive
costs. 1t gives the fortunate another
chance. It saves many self-sustain-
ing, self-respecting citizen to the state
and places him where he can ulti-
mately pay his debts, save his few
hundred dollars of life insurance, and
lay by enough in time to own his little
home.
Section 5, of this bill herein be-
fore quoted, is not within the spirit
Of the constitution or of the decision
upon exemption laws. The good citi-
zen requires something more than
the means to supply the immediate
and absolutely necessary wants of
life. There is wide difference be-
tween the necessary comforts of 1ife'
promised by the constitution and the
provisions of this bill. One who has
nothing more than the bare necessa-
ries of life is constantly nenaced
with the thought of becoming public
charge. The man who is once the
object of public charity is seldom, if
ever again, an Independent, self-sus-
tanning member of the society. The
spirit is broken. The pride of man.
hood that necessarily and rightfully
belongs to him, upon whom the state
must depend for protection and pre-
servation, is broken down for all
time 1t has been we'll said that:
=" 1T is a curious fact which psyche
logy explains, that the men who will
suffer almost anything rather than
become paupers, are often the ones
who never care to be anything else
when once they have become pau
pers.'
II can approve of no measure which
would tend to produce any such re-
suit. I can see in the bill present
ed, if it should become law, grave
danger of taking from many citizen
the only sustenance for himself and
his family. A person who purchased
even Ahe necessaries of life should
not be deprived of the means to live
in the future, by an enforcement of a.
demand for the price of such neces-
saries. The enforcement of the debt
for whatever purpose contracted,
should not, under the circumstances,
be permitted to deprive the debtor
Of all his mears. The law should
protect him in an accumulation suffi-
cient to procure the 'necessaries of
life
st is apparent that under the pro-
vision of this bill widely different
result might follow. It would be diff
ficuIt, indeed, to enact a law which
would compel the debtor to be pru-
dent. For the good of the state the
laws should be framed to protect the
imprudent as well as the prudent.
Indeed, the theory of the exemption
law is to protect the latter. Those
suffering misfortune, from whatever
cause, are to be cared for in pre-
serving the best interests of the state,
rnadilu Va +h al tho
exemption now provided by law for.
the wage earners might be consumed
in the discharge of an Indebtedness
to the doctor, the nurse, and the drug.
gist.
The bill appears to be designed es-
pjeciaIly to reach the wage Garner.
believe it reduces the exemption
to limit which may deprive him
and his family of the necessary com.
forts of life.
The tendency of this bill, in so far
as it affects the wage Garner, reduces
the exemption now given him by law.
Laws creating exemption should be at
least as liberal to the wage Garner
as to any other class of citizens. It
would seem, by reference to the sta
tutes of the state, that other classes
are much more highly favored than
those who work for wages.
Many times all that the wage
Garner has is his earnings, while 9TH
ers have acquired comfortable homes
and accumulated many of the ex-
empted articles named in the stat
ute. He may have nothing but the
fruits of his labor in the way of earn
ings and not to exceed the statutory
amount. A wise public policy ought
to encourage him in securing to him.
self and mis- family the necessary COM
forts of life guaranteed by the consti-
tuition of this state.
For these reasons the bill is re-
turned without approval.
Opposed to la Foilette's Veto.
''In the face of this veto, which
does such infinite credit to Gov. La
Follette's humanity and sympathy,
his candidate for governor, the Hon.
l. L. Lenroot, voted to override the
veto and pass the bill, notwithstand-
ing the, objection of the governor.
With this record before him there is
not an intelligent laboring man in the