The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1884-11-08

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MRS. MARIETTA l.. STOW.
Female Candidate for Vice President
/ OF the United States.
Public opinion is not ripe for the
constitutional change which would admit
of females filing the Offices of President
and Vice President. Mrs. Belva A. Lock
l.. Stow of San Francisco, the candidates
for these positions, cannot fill them if,
by any possibility elected. Their nomina-
tions must be considered, therefore, as
as the means of making the country
acquainted, in degree, with what it
loses by depriving itself of the public
services of the lovelier and indisputably
wiser half OF creation.
| That one of the strong minded sister
hood who believes she ought to be Vice
President of the United States, Mrs.
9 :
Marietta Il. Stow, was born at Webster,
Monroe country, New York, about fifty
years ago. Her parents were poor and
made q drudge of her when she ought to
| have been In the infant class at school. 1t
would be no wonder at all to find that the
less than the most progressive OF her sex,
seeing that She had to cook, keep house,
sew, knit, iron, spin, weave and perform
all other possibilities of domestic labor
when but tiny child. at fifteen she
began to teach school at Webster for one
dollar q week, having acquired the
necessary scholarship notwithstanding all
the deprivations Of her early fife. At the
age of nineteen she married E. 3. Bell,
who lived only four years after the we'd
ding day. Their infant son died before
his mother was left widow. When this
happened the bereaved young woman
removed to New York city, end became
lecturer for an association forned for
the protection of shop girls. She
prospered in this vocation, made many
friends, and when the call came for females
to take care of wounded soldiers, respon-
ded affirmatiyely, as her financial
independence gave her the ability. Dur
ing the war and subsequently she is said
to have collected fifty thousand dollars
for fund to found national home and
school for destitute daughters of aoldiers.
j. w. Stow, her treasurer in this matter,
became her second husband. He died in
San Francisco, the city of his residence,
while his wife was absent in Europe
Upon her return to the city, which is still
her residence, Mrs. Stow gave two years
Of study to the Probate Law of the State of
| California. She published two books on
| this interesting subject, and sold them OH
| lecturing tours lasting four years from
the time of their publication. In the year
| 1880, Mrs. Stow was a candidate for School
Director in San Francisco. She was de-
feated, but received good many votes
from women, who she claims did not neg
lect their domestic duties in promoting her
political aspirations.
In February, 1881, occurred an event
| which gives Mrs. Stow distinction only
ess than that she now enjoys. The Street
Department having ordered her to pave
the street in front of her residence. she
refused on the ground that 1t did not
need paving. When. subsequently,, the
Department proceeded to do the work
and charge her for It, she defed them.
The consequence was, as she describes it,
cher house was broken open by three
armed policemen and she was finally
dragged down stairs and put in carriage.
taken to the city prison, and thrust into
! a felon's cell, robbed of S6 10, and kept
| in The underground pit of stencil and
dirt until morning" :" She sued for S1oo, 900
DANA ges, but the Judge refused to let The
case go to the jury, and costs Of SO
were added to the Sc 10 she had already
lost. Does not this alone" asks Mrs Stow.
'call in thunder tones for equal rights?'''
Her book, ga Night Behind the Bars"
owes its existence to this disagreeabIe ex-
perience, which, naturally enough, increased
its subjects appetite for agitation. Since
then she has worked with pen and voice
| against what she regards to be abuses in
politics, in dress and diet, and other matters.
Speaking of these efforts. she says of them
that her persistent war of pen and speech
has caused the Iick-srittle press of the
city frantic alarm, but no dam is strong
enough to dam her onward march. -
An Illustration Of the way in which
criminal justice is not served properly in
Louisiana occurred in st. Tammany par
| ish a counIa Of weeks aea-the astounding