DeSoto times. (Hernando, Miss.) 1879-1898, 1890-03-06
IN WOMAN'S BEHALF.
SUFFERERS BY THE LAW.

Women Have no Voice in Legislation
Which Concerns Them Equally With
Men.
The question of marriage and divorce
laws and their reformation, says Mrs.
Liycrmore, is one in which women are
| vitality interested, for they are gcner-
ally the deepest sufferers from the laws
immoral and unequal action, and for
them there is the least redress. What
ever legislation may be undertaken,
whether by concerted action or through
a national constitutional amendment,
concerns both sexes equally, and both
should have equal influence in directing
it. Very many Of the evils that have
sprung up in the marriage relation have
originated in the fact that one sex has
been the sole dictator of laws which
concern both equally. Men have made
the laws of marriage and divorce, and
women have never been consulted as to
their wisdom or adaptability to women's
own circumstances, or their approval of
them. The husband has legal control of
the person of the wife; her services be-
long to him, and have no money value.
She is expected to work for food. shell
ter and clothing, and is thus made a
paupcrizcd dependent on her hus-
| band. Whatever gains accrue from her
unpaid labor become his property. If
she has leisure and ability to engage in
moncy-making exrloyments after per-
forming the household labor, many Of
the States Of the Union give her earn
ings also to her husband. -Four women
of prominence in literary and profess
siOnal life whose names would be IA
miliar to most Of my readers have been
compelled to apply to the courts for pro-
lection against their husbands who
would have robbed them of their earn
inTs, while they were charged with the
maintenance and education Of the chill
dren. The impecuniouS condition Of
wives, not alone among those whose
husbands are men of small incomes, but
among many whose means are ample, is
one Of the most fruitful sources Of rest
lcssnoss and unhappiness in married
life. and is one Of the underlying causes
Of frequent divorce. Only six OF the
United States allow married mother to
be an equal owner and guardian Of the
minor children with their father. In
all other States the fathers is their sole
owner and guardian. If the mother has
no ownership in her little children,
. 80. -, - ,rIIis III umr N"iICy u uvaUn,
at the risk of her own life, she is indeed
paupcrizcd, most abjoct, most wretched.
All. if men were not. in most instances,
better than the laws they have made for
women, this world would be Pandemo-
MUM itself
A wife and mother should always be
mistress of herself, and never the slave
of another, not even when that other is
her husband and the slavery is founded
on her undying love. That robs her of
half her value, Give your child TO be
educated by a slavc,' said the old Greek,
"and instead Of one slave, YOU will then
have two" There should be legal
equality established between the hus-
band and the wife, equal ownership of
the family property, equal guardianship
of the minor children. For more than a
quarter of century have been so sit
uated that have been the recipient of
the condolences Of wives and mothers to
very large extent. If should publish
the sad stories of injustice, wrong and
outrage of which they have been the
silent victims, pcrpetrated under cover
of laws made by men for the government
of both sexes in married life, by hus-
bands who intend to be in the main fair
and Just, | should startle the COM
munity. 'No ordinary man. said
John Stuart Mill, years ago, lis will
ing to find at his fireside an equal in
the person he calls his wife Have
we outgrown the narrOWneSs of the day
when these words were pcnned? Are
men now just enough to counsel with
women in formulating II code Of laws
that shall bear equally on husband and
wife? Arc they prepared to convert into
living verify the axiom Of our great Bill
of Rights, which declares that AL just
governments derive their power from
the consent OF the governed?" Then,
| indeed, is better day about to dawn on
the word-a statclicr Eden will como
again to man. If not, then reformation
of our laws of marriage and divorce
must tarry yet longer for the tardy ad-
vent of the day when man will see in
woman his other half, equal but diverse,
who will be his best helper and his di-
vinest friend, when he clevatcs her to
the same plane of equality with him
self, and forbds her to be fettered even
by a goSsamcr
MANIFEST MALICE