Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1843-12-19
The Rights Of Women.

A bill has passed the Senate of Tennessee, by a very
large majority, to secure to married women the use end
enjoyment of their own property. The justice OF such a
measure seems at once so apparent, that it is a matter OF
wonder why ii is now for the first time 10 be established
by law. The principles OF the English common law
have been so deeply grated into our Jurisprudence, that
this and similar measures have met with but little counte-
nance in most of the States, because OF the great aud I'M
portant changes which they were likely TO produce in one
Of the fundamental rules of that law. This sort of OPP
position, however, is the fruit of prejudice, and justice
has been denied solely to prevent an innovation on long
established usages. Under the civil law, which prevails
in Louisiana, no distinction is made as 10 the right of wo-
men to their property.
Several years since, Judge Herttell, when a member of
the Assembly of New York, made strenuous efforts to re-
form this particular feature of the laws For some rea-
son or other,i in the face of the most able and convincing
report which he made on the occasion, his bill was de-
feated. The measure has not again been introduced in
that legislature.
a member of the legislature Of this State, a few years
since but as 1t was a measure of simple justice, and the
women not having votes TO give, at the polls, 1t was
rejected. We believe we shall ourselves become
candidates next year, and rest our election on this issue.
If the women have not votes, they have at command
other important means of influence. What say you la
dies. will you give US your ssweet voices" in that event /?
The Nashville Union, remarking upon the course of
the Tennessee Legislature, says:
awe ought not to refuse to do right, because il has been
customary to do wrong. Common Justice demands that
every person, male as well as female should have the abb
solute control of whatever estate he or she Is lawfully
possessed why then should it cease to be just for a wo-
man TO retain all her property, when she contracts mar
rage /, What is there in the contract or the relation that
should compel her instantly to lose her hold upon her
own?
Under the old law, which has been miscalled the "per-
lection of wisdom how many worthy womenh have been
reduced from competency TO beggary /? how many have
been the victims of worthless fortune hunters! how ma
ny have suffered cruel privations from miserly husbands :
how many have been left penniless widows, their proper
~ being taken to pay their husbands debts? The law
now proposed simply provides that the wife shall have
the same undisturbed control of her own estate after mar
" a. IL Loc.ro n rraunnfc In nrnnarlu
from passing out of her hands, en- marriage, by mere ope-
ration of law, without her consent. 1t eleva,es woman
one step higher in the scale of being, and gives her a rank
which in all christian countries she has proved herself 10
deserve. And besides all this, the measure Injuries no
one-it takes from no man any thing that belongs to him
lit will prevent frauds and the smuggling OF property
and last, though not least important in its consequences,
il will diminish the number of old maids, who now re-
fuse to marry lest their effects should be squandered.'