The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-02-19

In New York are located the Sorosis, the Cen
trail WomaAs Rights Association. the Rer0lutio,
| Newspaper, Elizabeth Csdy Stanton, Susan B
| Anthony, and divers and sundry other instru
inentalities, animate and inanimate, each and al
devoted TO the release of oppressed femininity
from 1.-The thraldom of centuries" and giving the
gentle creatures at least an equal chance with
earnestness and enthls iasm which prevail among
the fair champions Of their sex in Now York. VI
have always iabored under the delusion that the
laws of the state must be Of peculiarly barbar
Gus and inhuman character, 40 far as they relate
to women, and that it was against multitude
of legalized wrongs this persistent cutlery and
warfare were made. But we find We have been
wasting our sympathy where there was no de.
mand for the article, and thank the New York
Tribune for presenting tho facts in the case.
That paper says: -......t. .
can be question that in this and in every other
state of the Unien, the Law guarantees her per-
feet equality with men, except a. to Political
franchises Two important privileges are secur.
ed to her at earlier period of life than that at
which they are allowed to man. She can marry
or make q will two years earlier than she could
if she were man. e Rev. Stat. 60; 81 Barbour,
436) No law of primogeniturs exists to cut her
off in favor of brother. Brother and sister share
alike in the property Of deceased parent. Il
Rev. Stat 751.)
If "a woman marries she loses none OF her pro.
perty. Its enjoyment is secured to her, free
from her husbands control. laws of 1S4S, CHI.
2009 Her earnings are absolutely her own.
Naws 1860, ch. :90.l She may get all she can and
keep all she gets. Her husband is bound to sup
port her, no matter whether she has money of her
own or not. She may be ten times as wealthy
as he, yet she need not employ cent OF her money
upon her own support, but may even run him in
debt for that purpose if he does not provide ade-
quately for her wants; while she cannot DO re.
quired to contribute in any way 70 her husbands
support, even to pay the costs OF keeping him in
the county poor house. q page, 1861
fla husband buys q piece of land. he cannot
sell it for anything like its fall value without his
wifes consent, because otherwise her dover right
would hang over the title like cloud 40 long as
she lives. Sec. /, Rev. Stat, 74O.) But if she
has any land she can sell it just - we'll without
her husbands consent as with il. Nobody cares
for his approval So her husband cannot deprive
her after his death Of lfo-interest in one-third
Of all his lands but she can cut him off without
an inch of her land or n cent of her money, and
enjoy the satisfaction Of keeping him out Of her
property after her death az well as during her
life.
A married woman, if disposed to msbehsve
herself, has large liberty to do 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 civil suit for any cause
whatever. If she commits assault, or destroys
or appropriates her neighbours property, her un-
lucky husband must pay the bill or go to Jail for
her misdoings. 30 Johnson, 1885,
A wife cannot, it is true, sue her husband; but
neither can he sue her. So. iu that respect,
neither has the advantage. In regard to the
custody OF the children, In cases of separation,
the courts have discretion under Rev. Stat,
14S,l 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"
In view of the above We think the time has
arrived when the men of New York should or
ganize for self.protection. Louis Republican,