The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-05-19

| We find the following document conn ectcd
with the ceremony of the marriage of Lucy
Stone, in the Boston Traveller
! Miss Lucy Stone, the young lady who has
| frequently made her appearance upon tho
Anti-Slavery rostrums in this city, was mar
! ried on MayDay, at "a farm house among
the hills Of West BrookGeld," to Henry B.
Blackwell, leader in the Western Anti.Sla-
very movement The marriage ceremony
was performed by Mr. I. W. IIggnson, Of
Worcester the parties TO the nuptals form.
ally protesting against the laws of the Com
monwealth concerning marriage. Mr.. Hig-
gnson communicates the protest to the
Worcester Spy, as follows:
~ never perform the marriage ceremony
without renewed sense Of the iniqui,y Of
our present system of laws in respect to mar.
riage--a system by which man and wife ara
one, and that 'one is the husband 1t wss
with my hearty concurrence, therefore, that
the following protest was readand signed, as
part Of the nupta ceremony, and scnl
il to you that others may be induced to do
, likewise. rI
PROTEST. ....
While we acknowledge our mutual nffcc.
tion, publicly assuming the sacred relation.
ship Of husband and wife, we deem it du.
! ty to declare that this act on our part i'm.
plies no sanction Of nor promise Of volunta.
ry obedience to, such Of the present laws Of
marriage as refuse 10 recognize the wife as
an independent rational being, while they
confer npon the husband an injurious and
unnatural superiority, investing him with le.
gal powers which no honorable man would
exercise, and which no man should pos.
seSs.
We protest, especially, against the lava
which give to the husband
I. The custody of his wifc's person.
IT. The exclusive control and guardianship
of their children.
III. The sole ownership Of her personal,
and use Of her real estate, unless previously
settled upon her, or placed into the hands Of
trustees, as in the case Of minors, lunatics
and idiots.
w. The absolute right TO tho product Of
her industry.
V. Also against laws which give to the
widowcr so much larger and more pcrma.
nent an interest in the property Of his dc.
ceased wife, than they give to tho widow IN
that Of her deceased husband.
VI. Finally, against the whole system by
which "the legal existence Of the wife is sua.
pended during marriage so that in most
States she neither has alcgal part in the
choice of her residence, nor can she mako
will, nor sue or be sued IN her own name.
nor inherit property. ..I'
We believe that personal independence
and equal human rights can never be Forfsi-
ted, except for crime; that marriage should
be an equal and permanent partnership, and
SO recognized by law, that until II is SO roc.
ognzcd. married partners should provide a.
gninst the radical injustice Of present laws.
by every means in their power -
We believe that where domestic Difficult.
tics arise, no appeal should be made to legal
tribunals under existing laws, but that all
difficulties should hc submitted to the equi,.
able adjustment Of arbritra,ors mutually
chosen. '' ..'' ""'
Thus reverenc'ng law. VIC enter our earnest
protest against rules and customs which ayo
unworthy to tho name, since thoy violata
justice, the essence of all Jaw,
C'ignsD NESRY =. ELAeyvr1b,
1,ey Storg W.