Evening star., 1917-09-17
CIVIL R|GHTSb BILL
PROTECTS FIGHTERS
Chamberlain Measure Safe
guards Property Of Men
Called to the CoIors.
PROMPT PASSAGE URGED

Temporary suspension of all legal pro-
ceedings and transactions which may
impair the civil rights and property
of the soldier or sailor absent from
home and business during the war "a
provided for in the soldiers and sailors
civil rights bill introduced September
IL by Senator Chamberlain. The bill
also has been introduced in the House
and has gone to the committee On judi
ciary.
Declared by those Interested in its
passage as the biggest and most need
full thing that now remains to be done
for the fighting men, outside of the war
House and is now In the Senate" the
Chamberlain bill was prepared by the
judge advocate generals staff. with the
special assistance OF lawyers from civil
life. Mansfield Ferry of New York and
Samuel Rosenbaum of Philadelphia.
Prompt Passage Urged.
should be passed at once. to prevent
harm and suffering to soldiers and
sailors. Picturing what the bill will
do. one advocate said today:
Picture the situation of the officer
or enlisted man in the field. He Is
sued by an alleged creditor in the
home courts. He cannot get back to
secure a lawyer or to explain his de-
fense to his lawyer or to testify on his
own behalf. and perhaps even the
notice does not reach him, as his army
division moves onward. so that when
he returns home he finds a 10000
Judgment against him taken by de-
fault. The bill remedies this by giving
the court power to stay such actions
till he returns.
Suppose there was Judgment
against him just before he left. after
he is gone. the creditor starts to sell
out the soldiers property and home in
his absence. The bill prevents this.
Suppose the soldier has just claim
for $1,000 against a debtor of his. on
a note or other contract, while he is
away. and without facilities for bring
ing suit to collect. the statute Of linn
itations runs against him: and when
he comes home he finds that he is
barred and has lost his claim. The bill
prevents this.
Prevents Eviction of Families.
Suppose his family fails to pay rent
fortune: the landlord puts them out on
the street. The law empowers the court
to prevent this.
Suppose he has started to buy a
while he is away he can't keep up the
payments: the soldier forfeits the con-
tract and the soldier loses his house
and all the prior payments made. The
bill prevents this.
suppose he has a small business.
with a mortgage on his store and stock
OF goods: while he is away some pay
ment is defaulted and the mortsagee
proceeds to foreclose and sell him out.
The bill prevents this.
Suppose he has pre- -empted some
public land or mining claim or irriga-
tion land. and by law he must make
annual payments and occupy it for q
certain period of years: during his alb
sence in service this is impossible to
keep up. and he forfeits the benefit of
all he has done up to date. The bill
protects him against this.
suppose he has life insurance
policy on which he has paid several
premiums: while he is away, and COM
is impeded. he fails to make
one payment: under the policy, he for
deits his whole insurance and has to
start over again IL he comes back, and
IL he is killed, his family gets nothing
on the policy. The bill prevents this
Suppose he fails to pay taxes due on
his property while he is away; the law
sells out his land to some taxbuyer.
and he loses his property. The bill
prevents this.
Such are some of the ways in which
this bill protects the absent soldier or
sailor while he is hghting for his coun-
try