The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1890-02-05
In WOMAN'S BEHALF.
LEGAL INEQUALITY.

The Difference In the Conditions OF the
Sexes on Coming of Age-The Woman's
Rights Movement Has Attained Its Ma
Jority.
The twenty-frst anniversary Of a
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 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 family, and sending down
his name to posterity.
But there are good many people,
writes Hannah M. 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 we'll performed They have
had no voice in making laws and no
power in their execution. They have
seen the revenues of the State increased
by licensing crimes of various grades,
which flourished 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 it's 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 its 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 ens.avement of race, they were
approached by good men and women
who asked that in the amendment to the
Constitution which declared that the
yifht Of franclliss should not he den1pd
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 it
was not expedient to do this. The
States would not ratify the amendment
if that one word were added. So we
V omen were still left disfranchised.
1t is now twenty-one years since we
ca led a 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 good point for the conven-
ton, 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 l called meeting o
those disposed to aid in entertaining
the expected delegates. To my chagrin
only five ladies responded. 1t was thu
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 ant
had bespoken the attention of the citi
YenS to a convention that would he q
great Importance, commanding some @
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
fall was light, the wind abated. tn
trains were on time. and the delegate
also were on time; so that when Gale
at the parlors of the American llous,
which were to be headquarters. foun
the rooms full of bright, hopeful face
and realized that our convention wa
not to be failure.
Then a committee meeting was hel,