The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1871-09-08

ldMn VI OlSEoiii duu CtllAS ouA Atttlilipi
to the following sections thereof;
Section 1,O95, page 42S says:
Until administration of the estate
has been granted, the widow and minor
children of the deceased are entitled to
remain in the possession Of the home
stead, all the wearing apparel of the
family and household furniture, and
also to have a reasonable provision for
their support, during such period, TO be
allowed by the court or judge thereof.
Section l,O95 continues:
The court or judge shall make an order
setting apart for the widow or minor
children, if any, all the property of the
estate exempt by law from execution.
The property thus set apart, if there be
widow, is her property, to be used by
her in the maintenance of herself and
children.
Ladies of Oregon, look at the above.
Men accuse you of being improvident,
idle, vain. They say you care but little
for your husbands business; that you
are butterflies and dolls, and what not.
Now, we want you to ask them how
they can expect you to be anything
else than dolls so long as they impose
such laws upon you? In case of your
husbands death the court or judge i'm
mediately assumes jurisdiction over his
property-mark you, not your property
and sets apart, for the use of yourself and
minor children, all his effects not claimed
by creditors But this property is only
yours for your own and children's use.
You cannot legally dispose of it without
an order from the court or judge, and if
such judge or court be contrary-or
disposed to ask you to marry him, as
the case may be-he may, by law, COM
pei you to keep such property, marry
again, or starve to death.
Have you all the rights you want so
long as such laws as this remain upon
our statute books?
Section l,097 contains the following {:
If from the inventory of an intestate's
estate who died leaving a widow or
minor children, it appears that the
value Of the estate does not exceed one
hundred and fifty dollars over and
above property exempt from execution,
upon filing the inventory, the court or
Judge shall make decree, providing
that the whole of the estate, after the
payment of funeral expenses and eX-
penses of administration, be set apart
for such widow or minor children in
like manner and with like effect as
property exempt from execution. If the
intestate shall leave no lineal descend
ants, real property shall descend to his
wife.
There, ladies Think of it! If there
is nobody else who has claim upon
your husbands property it may descend
to you in case he dies intestatel If he
makes a '0iH to the contrary, you have
no redress.
Page ZIG, Section %:
No woman who shall be endowed of
any lands shall commit or suffer any
waste upon the same, but every woman
so endowed shall maintain the houses
and tenements in good repair, and shall
be liable TO the person hdUinq the Hc.rt
immediate inheritance therein for all
damages OccdSioned 6y dny srdstc COM
nlittod or suffered by her.
Section %:
A widow may remain in the dwelling
house of her husband one year after his
death without being chargeable with
rent therefor, and shall have reasonable
sustenance out OF his estate for one year.
Before We read these laws of Oregon
we wondered much why men persisted
in saying they We're "brutes." It's all
clear now. Conscience makes towards
of US ALL"
We do not believe that these laws,
which are to-day a disgrace to our law
makers, were originally framed with
any but wise and good intentions. They
were made upon the suppOsition of
woman's incapaeity. And now that
that supposition has proved a fallacy,
we call upon our lawyers and statesmen
to undo their errors and remove the un-
righteous intermeddling Of the laws re-
lating to widows property. Give
women equal rights with men. This is
all we ask, and what we certainly will
obtain. Thenyou will no longer feel that
lurking consciousness that women re-
gard YOU as "brutes." Clear up your
past record, and remove from your
wives and mothers the reproach of
being classed with idiots, criminals and
minor children, and all thoughtful
women will call you blessed.