Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-11-21
WHOLE NO. 9SS.

to free speech and free pen. Yss,
this class delivered me from the iavs
Of religious despotism, moro crusl
than the grave. And thanks TO The
Christianity outside Of the churches.
that / am Lot to day Imprisoned,
for my disbelief of some o; the dog
mas of churcn creeds.
But during the trial my husband
fled his country" to avoid q mob
retribution, ana took with him all
our property; even my own ward
robe, and all our minor children,
aud rented our home, leaving me
homeless, penniless, and childless.
then appealed to the Judges of
the laws to know what are married
woman's rights, and what is her pro-
lection?
The only response was, Mar
ried woman has no rights, and there
fore she has no protection! Your
rights are all suspended during COW
erture, or marriage. You have no
protection in law, but your husband.
But. sir, what does the law do,
when the husband does not protect
the wife-the exceptional cases?
sob! get divorce! and the Judge
will then give you children and ali
mony."
"But don't wish to be divorced
from, my home; want to be protect
ed IN my home, SO long as my good
conduct deserves it,"
/" You can't be protected, by any
law, while married woman. You
must become a single woman be-
fore the law can reach you, for you
are slave while you are married,
and no law can reach you, except
through your husbandp
"But, judge, how came I to be .
slave? / thought I was my hus-
bands partnerr'
s" You are his partner socially, but
legally, you are his slavep'
g But why don't my legal and
social position correspond more near
Typ
& Because this common law by
which you married into slavery, was
made when woman was slave in
society, in the barbarous ages, and
then it was adapted to her condition
|as q slave. BY suspending her
rights during coyerture, I" she Was
made q chattle in ~ law, 40
fthAfs sha and hen shnehan Became
one, and he is that one; he Is her
master, and she his slave. But now
civilization has elevated woman to
becoms the social partner of her hus-
band, but the law has not kept pace
with civilization in this respect.
Therefore "subjection" is still the
law, while protection" is the prac-
tice Of the civilization Of the present
age."
But why have you not emanci-
pated woman before, for it has been
centuries since she was slave, So
cially?"
Because there is not one in Q
hundred who knows that she is q
slave. And besides, men protect
their wives, ia~ or no law, in civil
lied society. And besides we are
making divorce easier and easier, 80
that woman can thus escape when
her subjection becomes unbearable."
"But, Judge, this is only remedy
ing one evil by another evil it removes
no evil. 1t is not divorce that we
want. tits protection from the cause
of divorce, which is this slavish power
over our identity. In other words,
we want to be emancipated, and then
we won't need any divorce, because
the laws can then reach us, while we
are married women"
"Well, Mrs. Packard, think SO
too. Women ought to be emanci-
pated. Now you just write an Toms
Toms Cabin, showing from your own
thelegal liability of every
married woman in England and
America, except Louisiana and Cali
fornia, and I think this may, in
time, so enlighten this Republic, as
to bring about married woman's
as Uncle Toms Cabin
did the negro's emancipation"
Gentlemen, have done SO, and
these are the books, in two volumes,
which I hold in my hand. entitled
" Modern Persecution, which I sell
for five dollars. Through the light
which these books diffuse and the
support I derive therefrom,I I have
got the laws for married
women modified" very much, in
fifteen States, but not yet emanci-
pated" in q single one except the
Territory of Washington. This
highest of all honors, as legislators
was reserved, as it now seems, to be
Justly given to the Legislature Of
1879 of the Territory of Washington,
by the passage of this bill.
Yes, Proud! justly proud! will
YOU have reason to be, whom, here
after, the other States of this conti-
nent and England hold up this nobly,
mag unanimous act of the Legislature
Al ~ n. af Wnohsnex-