The great West. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1889-18??, 1889-12-13
WOMEN IN BUSINESS.
VIEWS OF REAL ESTATE BROKERS,
BANKERS AND LAWYERS.


Women Can Buy or Sell Realty and Bor-
row Money just the Same as Men-They
Are Not Boycotted Because of Sex-Ex-
perience of a Female Real Estate Agent.
A recital of the hindrances encountered by
women in business which has been made by
Mrs. Sewall in The Woman's Magazine is re-
ceiving wide circulation by reason of the
statements therein made. Mrs. Sewal says
that, having lately heard that certain large
business firms, divers great loan companies
and numerous brokers declined to have any
business dealings with women" she has taken
pains to ascertain the facts, and finds that no
false rumor has been spread, but that in very
truth many of the wealthiest corporations
issue orders to every Office and every agent
in their employ under no circumstances to
loan money to a woman" This rule is said
to be final, to apply to all women, to spinsters
and widows as well as to wives, and to be en-
forced without regard to the security that
may be offered.
Business men are said to justify this dis
elimination on two grounds: first: because
woman is never satisfied that she is being
treated fairly, cannot count roll of bills &C
curately, will avail herself of the slightest
technically to cheat creditor, will rush
into lawsuits and perjure herself on the wit
ness stand, and, second, because in suit in
stituted to recover money from woman
any jury will take the woman's part, with
out considering either the law or the evil
dence.
Such a condition Of things seemed to call
for investigation, and investigation shows
that while individual firms or corporations
may have been discovered which have put,
as they have right to put, certain limita-
tions on their transactions, yet men in gen.
eral will certainly adopt and maintain only
such business rules as are profitable.
LAWYERS EXPERIENCE
The law firm of S. NJ. & D. E. Meeker. of
Brooklyn, are counsel for the Williamsburg
Savings bank, and transact besides consid-
cradle real estate and investment business for
private clients and for estates in trust Speak
ing from such wide experience, an attorney
of the firm said that in New York state at
least no Determinations between persons was
made by corporations or others loaning
money. In the case of contract to perform
certain obligations, the firm would prefer to
deal with a man rather than his wife, for in
stance, but the preference was not too strong
to yield at once to the slightest contrary rea-
son. In many cases the woman had the bet
ter business or moral sense of the two, and in
such cases the firm would unhesitatingly pre-
fer to transact any legal business with her.
So far as the bank was concerned, probably
the majority of its depositors, as we'll as a
large proportion of those obtaining it's loans,
were women and in its experience women
were quick to learn business forms and rules,
and willing to conform to them. Women
were coming more and more into responsible
business relations every day, and they were
as steadily proving that they were no more
devoid Of business sense or fretful under bust
ness obligations than men. They were no
more prone to rush into litigation than men,
perhaps less SO, and in cases involving prop
erty rights juries would not favor the wom-
ans side unduly.
Miss Agnes K Murphy, New York's wo-
man real estate agent, who is the pioneer
member, girl that she is, of her sex in the
Real Estate exchange, and whose sign is one
of the forty-four that the l, 12l members have
voted to allow to adorn the walls, has never
heard of a business man who boy cotted wo-
men, At the Emigrants' Savings bank, and
in other business houses, she has met men who
assured her they would rather deal with her
than with most men. AS a business woman
she has been treated with such general cour-
tesy by the other sex that she says, with
modest little smile, they may some time make
her win.
Size acknowledges, however, that the in
fanti.e ignorance of many women of business
affairs is frequently cause of serious annoy
ance, and that when a broker has sent an ap-
praiser to value piece of property prior to
taking mortgage he does not always receive
the news with entire equanimity when the
woman, after subjecting him to expense and
trouble, discovers that she didn't know her
own mind and doesn't want to mortgage her
land after ALL
ODD IDEAS OF BUSINESS.
LAS an illustration of the business ways of
some women" continued the brown haired
and bright eyed broker, take the case of
two who were here this morning They were
educated and refined ladies and had inherited
a piece Of property worth about So 600 in con-
junction with their brother This they en-
tered into ninety days contract to sell, and
before the expiration of the period the
tax for lSS9-'9 was confirmed. The share of
each woman was $3.50, but this they abso-
lutely refused to pay, declaring that it was
some contrivance of their brothers, and that
he was trying to defraud thenl and, being
wholly unable to understand that under the
contract the tax payment fell on the sellers,
they actually threw up the bargain. One
lawyer left, swearing that he would sue for
partition of the property; the purchaser left
threatening to bring suit for damages, he
having raised money from building and loan
association to conclude the transaction, and
everybody turned round on mo and said,
That's what comes of dealing with women
But" went on Miss Murphy i'll a consola-
tory tone, women do not monopolize igno-
rance by any means 1t is no long time since
bought piece of property as agent for q
man who is highly successful i'll his own
business line. When the purchase was to be
concluded he objected to paying over his