Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1870-01-11
The Exact Legal Status of Women in
New York

We copy the following from the
N. Y. Tribune because it applies so
well to the latitude of our own state.
We were not aware before that the
right of women so much exceed the
right OF men. Our strong minded
men must take the stump and plead
for mems rights:
$50 much is said concerning the
disadvantage under which women la
Dor, and so great is the severity
with which the existing law is some
times condemned by platform orators
for the injustice TO women, that we
have taken pains to examine into the
laws of the State of New York, for
the purpose of ascertaining what is
the full extent of male delinquency
here. So long as woman remains
unmarried, there can be no question
that in this,and in every other State
in the Union the law guarantees her
perfect equality with men, except
as to political franchise Two i'm
portant privileges are secured to her
at an earlier period of life than at
which they are allowed TO man.
She may marry or make o will, two
years earlier than she could if she
were man. q Rev. Stat. 60; 81
Barbour, 439) No law of primogen-
iture exists TO cut her off in favor of
brother. Brothers and sisters
share alike in the estate of deceas-
ed parent. q Rev. Stat. 751)
If woman marries, she loses
none other property. Its enjoyment
is secured to her free from her hus-
bands control. claws of 1S48, CHI,
1000 Her earnings are absolutely
her own. claws of 1860 CHI 90 y
She may get all she can and keep all
she gets. Her husband is bound TO
support her, no matter whether she
has money of her own or not. She
may be ten times as wealthy rs he,
yet she need not employ a penny OF
her money upon her own support,
but may even run him in debt tor
that purpose, if he does not provide
adequately for her wants, while she
cannot be required to contribute in
any way TO her husbands support
even 10 pay the cost Of keeping him
in the county poor house. g Page,
406)
Ii husband buys piece OF land,
he cannot sell it for anything like its
full value without his wife's consent,
because otherwise her dover right
would hang over the title like a
cloud so long as she lived. (Sec.
Rev. Stat, 400 But if she has
land she Gun sell it just as we'll WITH
out her husbands consent as with it.
Nobody cares for his approval. So
her husband cannot deprive her af-
ter her death of life-interest in one
third of all his lands; but she can cut
him off without an inch of her land
or cent Of her money, and enjoy
the satisfaction of keeping him out of
her property after her death as well
as during her life.
A married woman, if disposed to
misbehave herself, has large liberty
to do so. So long as she keeps out
Of the grasp of the criminal law she
IS practically exempt from liability.
She cannot be imprisoned in any CIV
ii suit for any cause whatever. If
she commits an assault, or destroys
or appropriates Der neighbours prop
erty, her unlucky husband must pay
the bill or 60 to jail for her misdoings.
90 Johnson, 250)
A wife cannot, it is true, sue her
husband but neither can he sue her.
So, in that respect, neither has the
advantage. In regard to the custo-
dy of the children, ia cases of separa-
ton, the courts have a large discre-
ton (under 2 Rev. Stat, 1887, in the
exercise OF which they almost always
lean to the mothers side. When the
husband is in fault, the wife always
succeeds in obtaining control Of her
children"