The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1922-11-24
The Commercial, Union City, Tenn.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER "a. 1922.
The Exemption Law.

Z | A~NS
! place one should look for histor,
of the social customs of the people o
J the State. But nevertheless mucl
+ curious information along that linc
! can be obtained therofrom.
How many leads of households il
the Volunteer Stare, for instance
know that $35 worth of Toughness il
! exempt from seizure or execution
! Benighted people in urban communi-
! ties might not even know that the
, roughness referred to means oats
hay or fodder. A New York City
denizen, for instance, hearing $35
worth Of roughness referred to,would
undoubtedly have a vague idea thai
the subject mentioned was gallon
of peculiarly atrocious ,noonshine
liquor.
Our exemption laws go back to
the eighteenth century. Two beds
are exempt, and for every three chill
dren in a family one additional bed
is free from execution. Evidently
three to bed was minimum in the
case of children with our ancestors.
In addition, the unfortunate fami-
ly man against whom q verdict has
been rendered can retain, among 9TH
er household articles, one pair Of cot.
ton cards, Bible and hymn book,
two gourds and two pEnger gourds.
How many modern Memphians are
there who know the distinction be-
tween an ordinary gourd and a pun
ger gourd?
One washing kettle is free from
the sheriff's clutch, as is also a
chopping ak, one spinning wheel and
one loom and gear. If there is
spinning wheel or a loom in Mem
phis to-day it is because they are
preserved as ornaments.
In the way of provisions the larder
allowed the unfortunate debtor is
mere hearty than varied. One thou
sand pounds of pork is exempt for
family of less than six. For condi-
ments the head CT the family can re-
tain three strings of red peppers, SO |
pounds of salt and one pound Of
black pepper. Pork and sorghum
molasses are all out of proportion to |
the other food allowances. A mar
ried man can keep free from attach
ment 100 gallons of long sweetening,
whereas three bushels of corn meal |
must provide the family bread. Fac
ing the world with half ton of PORK
and a hundred gallons of sorghum
the execution debtor need not fear
starvation unless lack OF vitamine5
plays havoc with his system.
Evidently going barefoot was more
common when this act was passed
than now, and shoes were made at
home and not bought at Q. store, for
in the exemption list is included "a
sufficient quantity of leather to pro-
vide winter shoes for the family"
Summer Shoes wero evidently con-
sidered an effemirate luxury.
Few citizens, lawyers included,
can keep up with our food of stat
utes. The most law-abiding citizen
on earth is likely at any moment to
innocently ami unwittingly break far
more laws, Sta'e and National, than
did Moses when in a fit of anger he
the 9tcne tablets containing
the ten comman Iments. Any good
citizen ambling down the street is
likely to disregard and di8obey whole
docks of legislative statutes and mu-
nicipal ordinances and mover know
he did it,
But we suggest that the exemption
law of Tennessee be revised and
brought UP to date. For instance, a
laboring man has $50 of his wages
not subject to garnishEont. That
exemption was allowed in a time
when $1.25 per day was liberal
wages and could support a family,
not in luxury, but in comfort. Today
S1.25 per diem would merely aggra-
vate the family's appetite. 1t is a
far cry from the days when Henry
Clay made his campaign for 1.-TWO
dollars per day and roast beef for
every American laboring man" AT
least $50 a month of every work
ingman's wages should be EXEMPT
from garnishment.
State Senator Carl Larsen, while
repr esenting all the people of Shelby
County, especially represents the la
boring population. We respectfully
suggest to him that in cooperation
with some of the lawyers of the Shell
by County delegation he draft and
father bill to raise The working
mans wage exemption. Tennessee is
far behind its neighboring States in
that respect. No community can per
prosper where its laboring
population ig harassed and poor
devil of a Workin oman with n for,;Iv