The 1885 Fight to Protect the Workingman’s Tools and Bedding
A proposed territorial law sought to expand property exemptions from debt, shielding everything from a mechanic's tools to a family's bedding from creditors.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Judge Jacobs introduced Council Bill No. 2, to amend existing laws having reference to exemptions of property from execution or attachment. By this bill, future exemptions include all wearing apparel, private libraries, and family keepsakes. For the householder, it protects one bed and bedding for every two members of the family, and household goods up to $150. Farmers are granted a team of horses or mules, a wagon, and utensils up to $200. Crucially, the bill protects the mechanic, allowing him to keep the tools and instruments used to carry on his trade for the support of his family, along with up to $300 in materials. Professionals, including physicians and attorneys, are allowed their libraries and office furniture, while lighters and watermen are protected in their ownership of small boats and barges. The bill also explicitly exempts all firearms kept for the use of any person or family.
“To a mechanic, the tools and instruments used to carry on his trade for the support of himself and family; also material used in his trade not exceeding in value $300 in coin.”
This 1885 legislative attempt to prevent the poor from being stripped of their livelihood by creditors echoes today's debates over medical debt, housing insecurity, and the garnishment of wages. While the 1885 act focused on tangible tools of the trade, modern Seattleites continue to fight for similar 'exemptions'—legal protections that prevent the total loss of one's ability to survive during economic downturns.
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