Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1890-02-13
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
LEGAL INEQUALITY.


Sexes on Coming of Age-The Woman's
Rights Movement has Attained Its Ma
jority.
The twenty-frst anniversary Of
mans life is made the occasion of spec
ial rejoicing, since it marks the legal
boundary between youth and manhood.
He is no longer under the lawful control
of his parents. He is his own man and
can act for himself with perfect legal
responsibility. He is a part of the SOW
ereign State, and so important is this
sovereignty that his single vote may, on
rare occasions, turn the scale in determ-
ing nations policy. All the twenty
years of his minority have been spent
in fitting him for this momentous re-
sponsibility. Henceforth he stands or
falls for himself. Now there is no legal
hindrance to his establishing home
and rearing a family, and sending down
his name to posterity.
But there are good many people,
writes Hannah NJ Tracy Cutler, in
Woman's journal, who have realized
that daughters have not had an equal
heritage with sons. Their rights have
been limited, their education curtailed.
The colleges, with rare exceptions,
have shut their doors in the faces of
woman; their employments have been
circumscribed; their wages unequal to
those of men even for the same work
equally well performed. They have
had in, oil INN lou nd
power in their execution. They have
seen the revenues of the State increased
by licensing crimes of various grades,
which fourished under the protection of
legislation. They have been mothers
deprived of the legal guardianship of
their children by the sovereign power
of the law, which counted them as be-
longing solely to the father, SO that he
could, not only while living, but even
after death, direct the destiny of the
child born in lawful wedlock, while the
mother was not even consulted in regard
to its well-being. The property of wom-
en- has been taxed without representa-
ton, and they have had no voice in de-
termining the appropriation of vast
sums drawn by the government from
their resources.
Such inequality has led thinking peo-
pie to inquiry, and this has led to the
conclusion that disfranchised class is
always at the mercy of the enfranchised
The civil war, which desolated our
land, most fully illustrated the value of
suffrage, so that, at its close, it was
deemed unsafe to leave the freedmen
without the ballot in their hands. They
might not know how to use it, they
might be defrauded of it's benefits many
times, but the fact of it's possession, it
was deemed, would ultimately protect
them in their right to 'life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness" When the
wise men were contemplating this new
order of things, providing against any
future enslavement of a race, they were
approached by good men and women
who asked that in the amendment to the
Constitution which declared that the
right of franchise should not be denied
on account of race, color or previous con-
dition of servitude, the word sex should
also be included, thus putting an end to
all legal inequality among the citizens
of our government But men said il
was not expedient to do this. The
States would not ratify the amendment
If that one word were added, So we
women were still left disfranchised.
1t is now twenty-one years since we
called convention at Cleveland, after
six months spent in correspondence with
pronounced advocates of woman suf-
frage, to organize for work. Leaving
out all collateral questions, we would
demand Of the nation it's recognized
guaranty of equal rights; that and that
only to be the object of organization.
was at that time IN Cleveland, and
some members of the New England w.
S. A. wrote me that they considered
Cleveland a good point for the conven-
tion, and empowered me to secure Cases
Hall, and to make such other arrange
ments, through the press and through
private influence as might secure the
success of the convention. The hal
was secured, and the newspapers were
very courteous and promised to give fail
reports. Then | called meeting o
those disposed to aid in entertaining
the expected delegates. To my chagrin
only five ladies responded. 1t was tn,
more humiliating as there appeared OF
the scene three or four reporters who
unless they were generously disposed
might bring the whole matter into ridi
Guile. went to them and made salts
factory explanations, saying | hope
they would be present at the convention
and give us fair reports. Next morning
these representatives from the differen
papers had given generous report, AM
: had bespoken the attention of the citi
| zens to convention that would be o
great Importance, commanding some o
the finest talent of the nation.
But the weather was by no means pre-
pitious. 1t grumbled and rained. Tn
: day before the convention a regula
blizzard set in. 1t showed, and the win
blew and threatened to blockade tn
roads, both east and west. But milde
climatic counsels prevailed, the snow
J fall was light, the wind absted, tn
trains were on time, and the delegate
: also we're on time; SO that when l calle
/ at the parlors of the American Hous'
, which were to be headquarters, foun
: the rooms full of bright, hopeful face
' and realized that our convention W;
: not to be failure.
Then a committee meeting was hell
t We had such able organizers as LuC
/ Stone, Henry Il. blackwell, Mrs. Live
? more, Mrs. Howe, Mrs. Rebecca n. Ha
ard, Judge and Mrs. Bradwell, I.
Higginson, and host too numerous
: mention. t. w. Higginson was elect'
president of the convention, and Il
, platform was graced by a fine array
talent. Before the close of the meetii
: even the aisles were crowded. II
! whole occasion up to the close was
, brilliant success.
But the crowning glory of all was