The Donaldsonville chief., 1918-04-06
RELIEF OF NATIONS DEFENDER
Moratorium for Soldiers and Sailors
Provided by Federal Act.

The soldiers and sailors civil re
lief act, recently passed by congress
aims to protect soldiers and sailor
from undue hardship, due to their in
ability to bring or defend lawsuit
and to attend to their business obllga
tions or property rights, during thel
absence in military service.
A soldier or sailor may owe none!
on a note. Or he may have bough
or leased land or tools or furniture or
which an installment is yet due. VI
he may have mortgaged his home, ant
be liable to foreclosure for nonpay
ment. Or he may have started
homestead or mining claim and be un
able to continue the necessary occu
patton in the required period OF time
Or he may have carried life insurance
for several years and now be unable
to keep up the premium payments
Or he may have a money claim against
some one and during his absence the
lapse of time may raise legal ban
against suing for it when he returns
Or he may be sued on some clam IN
his absence and may be unable to de-
fend the suit effectively while absent
In these and other ways he may
suffer undue hardship. The object
of this act is to give relief from such
hardship.
The provisions of the act are too
numerous to set forth accurately
here. Enough to point out that It's
main principle is as follows:
/. Let some one, on behalf of the
soldier or sailor, notify the court that
the party concerned is soldier or
sailor Then the court will make
prompt inquiries into the merits OF
the case; if the case merits it, the
court has power to stay the other
party from further proceed Sngs, or to
give other remedy that may be ap-
propriate The court may also ap-
point an attorney to represent the
soldier or sailor in the lawsuit.
2. If a lawsuit has been begun al
ready in some court against the sol
der or sailor, go to that same court
and give the notice above mentioned.
If no lawsuit has yet been begun, but
some landlord or other person is pre-
pairing to sell out or to take posses
sion of property in which the soldier
or sailor is interested, go to the court
in whose jurisdiction the property is,
notify the court as above, and ask the
court to summon the other party. All
such persons are forbidden by law
to take property in that way without
first applying to court for an order;
but some persons may attempt to take
possession without doing so, in lg-
norance Of the new law.
3. If the soldier or sailor had an
insurance policy or fraternal bene-
fit membership, before September l.,
1917, and fears that he may not be
able to keep up his payments, he
should write to the War Risk 1nsur-
ance Bureau at Washington, and ask
them for form of application (or
ask his post adjutant at the campl
The government, on certain condI-
tions, will guarantee the payment OF
the premiums, SO that the policy or
membership will not be forfeited dur
ing the soldiers or sailors absence; !;
he will then have a year after his re
turn in which to pay up and save his
policy or membership. This relief
does not apply to ALI policies or mem
berships, and details can not be given
here; but on filling out the applica-
ton and sending it to the War Risk
Insurance Bureau it will be duly
taken care of, if. it is the kind of in
surance that is protected by this act.
At the request of the government
Attorney c. c. Weber, of Donaldson
vile, has consented to act as the
representative of any soldier or sailor,
or member of their family, in con-
nection with such legal proceedings
or formalities as may be necessary in
accordance with the provisions of this
act, and his services in this capacity
may be secured free of any cost
whatever