The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-02-05
MONDAY. FEBRUARY 8. 1912.
THE STATE As A COLLECTING AGENCY

THE STATE As A COLLECTING AGENCY.
The Virginia Senate on Saturday lent itself
to the passage by small. vote OF the House bill
under which the statute of limitations is
end by which the exemption from levy under
garntsLment is reduced from $40 to SIS pc,
month.
We have had recent occasion. upon the pas
against what is IA practical reyersion to the
hardships which attended Imprisonment for
debt We felt encouraged to believe that Law
80 antagonistic to the modern spirit would
E-eet defeat at the hands of a deliberate and
conservative Senate, II seems that, far.
that hope has been disappointed. Special in
terests not formally disclosed have been power
mi to the point OF almost committing the state
to barbas GUS policy. What those special tn
terests liz matter generally recognized.
That they should be sufficiently powerful to
carry their viii through the Senate Ia both
remarkable and .regrettabie. That the Senate,
which on Saturday seemed strangely timid in
opposing them. should on Monday fail to avail
itself OF the chance to reconsider. and that
Governor Mann should fail In that event. to
exercise his right TO veto. are contingencies
which We viii refuse to believe until they shall
have unhAppily come to pass.
There should be question to humane
mind that an exemption limited In scope to
the support Of dependent families finds Its
minimum in reason at $50 per month To
further reduce 1t is to make starvation the
possihie pric. for the payment Ola debt which.
owing TO its We size. cannot be material to
the creditor As rule. and a sound one. the
merchants who extend credit to men whose
earnings are not sunicinet to leave q margin
to be attached beyond the $50 exemption. look
10 weekly payments. They watch their &C.
counts and their customers II. dealing with
men OF such poor earning capacity in the
knowledge that they are the support Of de-
pendent people, the creditor permits the &C
emulation OF bill, We submit that the
creditor. so far as the Law is concerned. should
Be permitted to assume the risk he invites. II
the creditor extends to his debtor a credit
a which ne KNOWS mas passeu the udhScT i"s'
ii % bai barity In government II the law comes
10 the aid OF his folly at the cost OF the bread
Il innocent persons entitled to eat. and to b.
warmed and clothed.
As we stated BEFORE this bill, when first in
PRODUCED, was audaciously termed a 'laborins
mans law" In fact, II Is no secret that 1T
inspiration has its source among the collecting
agencies and those lawyers who have adopted
in the practice OF profession that CONNER
cial method which oyerooks no penny thai
may be lying al ound loose. Both the col
iecting agency and the petty bill collector witt
license to practice law probably have theiI
uses but because OF them they have no right
or warrant to inyeigle the State into becoming
their partner in the pleasing practice of get
ting blood out of financial turnips The better
class OF lawyers hold that criminal p osecution
"a nexer tas.ifahla rs Tia means cs ansaEetHS
! debt: the State may we'll pause before II
adopts policy that In Its effect II not In exact
admission 10 none the less grievous in ap'
plication and unjust In intendment