The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-05-15
PAUL:
A marriage under Protest.


We End the following document connected
with the ceremony of the marriage Of Lucy
Stone, in the Boston Traveller: .ou al
Miss Lucy Stone, the young lady who has
frequently made her appearance upon the anti
Slavery rostrums in this city, was married on
May-Day, at go farm house among the hills of
West Brookfeld," to Henry B. Blackwell, a
leader in the Western anti-Savery movement
The marriage ceremony was performed by MIR.
T. w. Higgins, of Worcester, the parties to
the nuptials formally protesting against the
laws Of the Commonwealth concerning mar.
riage. Mr.. Higgins communicates the protest
to the Worcester Spy, as follows: u
81 never perform the marriage ceremony
without renewed sense of the iniquity of our
present system Of laws in regard to marriage
"a system by which man aud wife are one,
and that 'one is the husband 1t was with my
hearty concurrence, therefore, that the follow
ing protest was read and signed, as part of
the nuptial ceremony, and sendi to you that
Others may be induced to do lkewis -
PROTEST..
While we acknowledge our mutual affection,
by publicly assuming the sacred relationship OF
husband and wife, we deem it duty to declare
that this act on our part implies no sanction
of, nor promise of voluntary obedience to,such
of the present laws of marriage as refuse to re-
cognize the wife as an independent rational be-
ing. while they confer upon the husband an in
furious and unnatural superiority, investing
him with legal powers which no honorable man
would exercise and which no man should pos
sess.
protestespecially against the laws which
give to the husband
l. The custody of his wife's person.
Ii. The exclusive control and guardianship
of their children.
Ill. The sole ownership of her personal,
and use of her real estate, unless previously set
tied upon her, or placed in the hands of trus-
tees, as in the case of minors, lunatics and i'd
lots.
". The absolute right to the product of
her industry
V. Also against laws which give to the
widOwer 50 much larger and more permanent
an interest in the property Of his deceased wife,
than they give to the widow in that of her de-
ceased husband.
vi. Finally, against the whole system by
which "the legal existence of the wife is sus-
pended during marriage so that in most
States she neither has legal part in the choice
VI ucT IcSIocuCc, HOT can sue Make VIII, nor
sue or be sued in her own name, nor inherit
property.
We believe that personal independence and
equal human rights can never be forfeited ex-
cept for crime; that marriage should be an
equal and permanent partnership, and so re-
cOgnized by law, that until it is SO recognized,
married partners should provide against the
radical injustice of present laws, by every means
in their power
We believe that where domestic difficulties
arise, no appeal should be made to legal tribu-
nails, under existing laws, but that all difficult
ties should be submitted to the equitable ad-
justmeDt Of arbi;rators mutually chosen.
Thus reverencing law, We enter our earnest
protest against rules and customs which are
unworthy Of the name, since they violate JUS
tice, the essence OF all law.
(Signed) HENRY B. BLACKWELL,
LUCY STONE.