The Daily Texarkanian., 1895-03-04
LEGISLATIVE INFAMY.

in the country press on morals OF
late and it argues of better times
coming for our country and people,
The legislatures who have hereto
fore been controlled by an element,
which passes for gentility, but who
upholds immortality and vice, which
is hidden from the public eye by
curtains and gilded screens, yet the
effect is seen and felt on our rising
generation. An exchange in speak
ing of the age of consent, takes
the Missouri legislature for an ex-
ample and says:
"Our neighbors in Missouri have
been indulging in some sensational
and timely legislation of late, They
have wrestled in turn with a hat
bill, a bill against hypnotism, dog
bill, a cigarette bill, and various
educational bills of a progressive
nature, In turning their attention
to the reform of the infamous "age
of consent" law, they are beginning
a noble and practical work which
will excite the interest of every
thinking man and woman in the
country. 1t is a scandal to the
American nation that eight of our
states still have age of consent laws
upon their statute-books making it
possible for girls of ten and twelve
years to legally conseut to their
own ruin, while these same girls
cannot legally give away ribbon
or sell doll under the ages of 1S
and 81, Any law is an infamy which
puts the protection of woman's
person on a lower plane than the
protection of her purse,
In 1886, in several states, seven
years was fixed as the age of a girls
legal responsibility in the matter of
chastity; after that the law offered
her no redress, she became the
legal prey of mature men. 1t has
been owing almost entirely to the
agitation Of women that the age Of
consent has been raised in all states
to ten years. Two states, Wyoming
and Kansas, have raised it to the
legal majority, In Florida, it is
placed at seventeen years, It is
greatly to the honor of Arkansas
that she stands third on the list
Our statutes protect the chastity
of woman until she is sixteen
years old, Considering the syste.
matte ignorance in which girls are
kept by both parents and society,
this limit seems dangerously low
SO long as the law protects a girl
against her 'infant" judgment in
immaturely squandering her prop.
erty, it should protect her against
her "infant" Judgment in wrecking
her whole life. Let our statutes
recognize the universal decision that
a swoman's purity Is worth more to
her than money
That the low age Of consent laws
have not aroused more universal
execratiou is owing solely to the
state of public ignorance concern
ing them, All such bills have been
passed in Secret session sessions
50 secret that members Of the legis.
latures themselves have indignant.
ly protested that they knew Moth
ing about them, never dreamed that
such laws had been enacted by their
own body Naturally secrecy is
essential when the only argumentin
their favor Is that advanced by New
York legislators durihg a late at
tempt to lower the age Of consent;
that brothels were a public neces
sity and they could not be sufficient.
ly maintained If the virtue Of
women we're protected until they
reached years Of discretionl Let
our legislators try to grasp the fact
that our age of consent laws are
intended for the protection OF
youth and innocence and not for
the interest of the brothel and men
who prey on the ignorance and
helplcssness Of girlhood."