A lien which has attached to property,1 such as a mechanic's lien,2 or a judgment lien,3 or a lien on logs obtained by a laborer,4 or the lien of a mortgage,5 or the lien of a corporation on the shares of its stockholders for debts due it from them,8 cannot be divested by a subsequent statute, nor can its priority be affected. Thus a curative statute cannot change the preexisting order of priority of liens,7 nor can a judgment which is a lien by force of the statute be divested by a subsequent statute requiring a transcript to be filed in each county to make the judgment a lien.8 A conveyance made before the statute is passed cannot be made subordinate to a lien acquired after the statute is passed.9 Thus mortgages given before the passage of statutes attempting to make them inferior in priority to a subsequently acquired lien for grain furnished as seed,10 or to a subsequent claim for wages,11 or to a homestead, void under the law in force when the mortgage was given because not then recorded,12 or to a subsequent judgment for personal injuries,13 cannot be so postponed. So a statute which attempts to divest the lien of an assessment on the abutting realty for the entire contract price and to make the claim for intersections a personal liability of the city, unsecured by lien, is invalid.14

1 Florence, etc., Co. v. Hanby, 101 Ala. 15; 13 So. 343.

2 Florence, etc., Co. v. Hanby. 101 Ala. 15; 13 So. 343; McFadden v. Blocker, 2 Ind. Ter. 260; 58 L. R. A. 878; 48 S. W. 1043.

3 Edwards v. Kearzey, 96 U. S. 595; Rock Island National Bank v. Thompson, 173 111. 593; 64 Am. St. Rep. 137; 50 N. E. 1089; Gilman v. Tucker, 128 N. Y. 190; 26 Am. St. Rep. 464; 13 L. R. A. 304; 28 N. E. 1040; Merchants' Bank v. Ballou, 98 Va. 112; 81 Am. St. Rep. 715; 44 L. R. A. 306; 32 S. E. 481.

4 Garneau v. Mill Co., 8 Wash. 467; 36 Pac. 463.

5 Barnitz v. Beverly, 163 U. S. 118; Toledo, etc., Ry. v. Hamilton, 134 U. S. 296; Central Trust Co. v. Ry., 65 Fed. 257; Shrigley v. Black, 66 Kan. 213: 71 Pac. 301; Blouin v. Ledet, 109 La. 709; 33

So. 741; Vicksburg. etc., Ry. v. Sledge, 41 La. Ann. 896; 6 So. 725; Chipman v. Peabody, 88 Me. 282; 34 Atl. 77; Yeatman v. King, 2 N. D. 421; 33 Am. St. Rep. 797; 51 N. W. 721; Giles v. Stanton, 86 Tex. 620; 26 S. W. 615.

6 H. W. Wright Lumber Co. v. Hixon, 105 Wis. 153; 80 N. W. 1110, 1135.

7 Merchants' Bank v. Ballou. 98 Va. 112; 81 Am. St. Rep. 715: 44 L. R. A. 306; 32 S. E. 481.

8 Rock Island National Bank v. Thompson. 173 111. 593; 64 Am. St. Rep. 137; 50 N. E. 1089.

9 Crowtlier v. Safe-Deposit Co.. 85 Fed. 41; 29 C. C. A. 1.

10 Yeatman v. King. 2 N. D. 421; 33 Am. St. Rep. 797; 51 N. W. 721.

11 Giles v. Stanton, 86 Tex. 620; 26 S. W. 615.