The Daily clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1866-1888, 1882-01-29
Progress of woman's Rights.

ractical duties Of life and 10 enter the
arious departments Of its business,
as suggested the contemplation of the
teady change, as noted by contem-
,orary, in the laws regarding women
nd the quickness of new States to
dopt and improve on the latest legis-
alton Of the older ones. These changes
eem to date back to 184S, when fathers
began to discover that they coIId not
secure property to their daughters who
and that the husbands Of said |
were not always as proyident
rs the fathers themselves. Twelve
years before this Mrs. Ernestine Rose
sent to the New York Legislature PEE
tition to give married woman the
right to hold real estate in her own
name--a petition with five signatures
Both in New York and Pennsylvania,
the year 1913 marks the passage in the
same month, April, Of laws protecting
the property of married women--that is,
preventing its being wasted by either
husband or wife. In the same year, a
notable little convention was held ut
Seneca Falls, New York, which was
then known by the panic.striking title
Of Woman's Rights Convention.
Some Of the confessions Of the organic
ers Of this Convention are amusing.
They knew, in II general way, that the
laws in all the States dealt hardly upon
tax-pnying women and married women,
they knew that all colleges were shut to
women, that no married woman could
possess her children or her earnings, if
her husband .willcd TO take eitheraway,
but they had TO hunt through many
statute books to set this forth, which
gave occasion TO one amused sympathiz-
ing husband to say, "your grievances
must be gricyous indeed, when you are
obliged TO go to books in order to find
them out"
From that year, 1913, there has been
more than thirty years attack upon
the common law by men and women
both, to modify its old intentions
Whether we believe that these old in
tons were those of laudable protection
or mere sense Of undisputed ownership
Of the persons and services of women,
undoubtedly year saiter year shows II
steadily permissive. change in iegisla.
ton. ltmay be claimed that this agila.
ton began with Mrs. John Adams, who
used to send in her letters. to her hus-
band shrewed pinches to that states.
mans sense of justice, while he was
away from her in Philadelphia claiming
broad justice and representation and
equality before the law for all men.
But AS an organized study and petition
by women, and keeping these matters
before public view, certainly it dates
back to lS4S. Until 1913, in some States,
no married woman could make will
to dispose of her belongings, and much
later in enlightened Massachusetts,, as
was pointed out by Lucy Stone, u mar
ried woman's will was only valid when
it had her husbpnd's consent written
across it, or when it left all her property
to him.
The steady chat of illegal rights"
has certainly kept time to "Separate
Earnings laws and acts enabling mar
ried women to carry out trusts of pub,
lie charities, etc., and even to create
guOrdianships when her husband is not
to be trusted. In ten States husbands
and wives can make contracts with each
other.
In California married woman can
preempt u farm under the homestead
law in her own name and right. Unless
some recent modification of the national
law has escaped us, it takes special
enabling act of Congress, with all its
publicity, for any unfortunate wife to
get homestead from Uncle Sam. The
new States, in this way, take the lead
in provisions for helping women to help
themselves. In two territories women
vote on all matters, and the experiment
in Wyoming, it is claimed, is a fair set
otFagainst the experiment in Utah. In
seven States or more, women vote for
school directors. In Pennsylvania they
may be voted for as such. In Missis.
sippi which has been in advance Of
most States on this question. woman
has been invested with full civil power
and corresponding liabilities. In the
language Of one Of our gifted CORES.
pondents, let the State equip the sex for
the responsibilities of so grave trust.
MIL Radound IN the Intarest NJ all