Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-28

Mrs. Grannis. Rev. Anna Shaw.
cordance with the instructions of the ex-
ecutive committee of the council, the chair
man sent forty-eight letters to the gov
errors of states and territories asking
each to call the attention of his legislature
to the situation concerning divorce laws,
and requesting the appointment of a COM
mittee to consider the matter said commit
tee to consist of an equal number of men
and women. AS only thirteen replies were
received up to December, 1894, the chair
man sent thirty-five more letters to these
officials, including all newly elected gov
errors, making total of eighty-three let
ters sent. Replies have been received from
seventeen cut Of fcrty-eight governors.
1T should be noted" says the report,
that the letters were sent in the name of
this council of representative women of the
United States; ard that the subject pre-
scented was one vitality concerning the hap
piness and welfare of 70,000O00 people,
half OF whom are of the female sex. 1t
should be thoughtfully noted that an op-
portunity was there given to each guber-
material servant of the people in forty
eight sections of cur country, to express
his sense of the justice of his employers
requests. ARD, with these points in mind,
women should thoughtfully consider the
significance of the fact that thirty-one of
made 10 response whatever to this just
rcQres! sent by representative women.
Governors Who Are Too Busy.
The governor of South Dakota replied
CURLY that his time was so engrossed with
state matters that he could not personally
reply, but would give the matter due con-
sderation when he had leisure. He has not
yet had leisure. Does not this guberna-
torial servant of the people need some in
struction from his employers as to what
now constitutes state matters? Our trouble
is that divorce has been made state mat
ter by men, without asking our permits
sion.
THE governor Of Idaho wrote: AT pres
ent l am too busy to give this matter my
attention. but will try at some future time
to take it up with you That future time
has not yet arrived
THE governor of Iowa wrote: The di-
vorce laws of Iowa 1 believe to be just and
considerate and highly satisfactory to the
people of our state. My official duties are
such as to occupy my entire time, so that
it is impossible for me to be of any service
to you in the direction Indicated Yet
Iowa is one of the states which have re-
Gently formed a commission of men to con-
slider making Iowa divorce laws uniform
with those of all other states. What guar
antee have we that the tinkering of this
commission will be highly satisfactory to
the women of Iowa? And if it is not the
official duty of public servant of the peo-
pie to promote justice among the people
why does he exist? Ten governors replied
politely and evasively that they would give
the request careful attention. Only two,
Gov. GreenhaIge of Massachusetts and
Gov. Brown of Rhode Island, wrote cordial
and manly responses, promising to do all
in their power to carry out the moderate
and just request of the Woman's Council
The governor of South Carolina wrote that
his state had no divorce laws at all and
that, while the absence of divorce might
work few hardships, we are better salts
ned than our neighboring states, which
have divorce laws But when we remem-
Der that over 6S per cent of the divorces in
the United States during twenty years
We're asked for by wives, on account of
cruel treatment from their husbands some
doubts present themselves as to whether it
might not be better to hear from the
women than from the men of South Caro-
lima on this point The governor of De!a
ware alone wrote very fully, giving his
6pinlon OF poth marriage and divorce, but
he neglected to state whether or not he
would comply with the councils request.
Women's Opinions Disresarded.
Now, if women are gifted with intell-
gence above that of children, the total re-
suits of this correspondence, together with
the fact that twenty-three states have
appointed bodies of men to tinker with
divorce laws, without appointing a woman
in any one of them, ought to show women
in Just what estimation the men of the
United States hold their opinions We
might as well face the fact, that the off
cial servants of the United States cherish
frank contempt for woman's opinions and
wishes, and that, too, in regard to a mat
ter which concerns the welfare of women
far more vitality than 1t does the welfare
of men, as the statistics given in the for
mer report of your divorce committee bear
witness. The one thing women should
deprecate Is having men make any new
laws or fresh provisions for women's pro-
lection. The only safe protection Is self
protection. Any other is apt to prove sim
ply a fresh chain, an added stumbling
block in the path of righteous freedom
riage, would be immensely healthier and
happier to use her own feet Many an
Individual could live more nobly and hap
PLY were she but allowed to express her
own opinion as to how she ought to live"
The report was signed by Mrs. Dietrich
Mrs. Mary A. Livermore and Mrs. Fanny
B. Ames.
Marriage and Divorce.
Following the report Mrs. Dietrich read
a paper on the subject, Equality in Leg
islation Concerning Divorce" Inasmuch
as marriage and divorce al so closely con-
nected, Mrs. Dietrich discussed the two
together. In both, she said, as women may
be said to be more interested than men, it
Is but right that they should be given equal
voice with men in the making of laws bear
ing upon either marriage or divorce. She
presented quite an exhaustive resume Of
marriage and divorce laws from the earl
lest times down to the present, and con-
sidered carefully the origin and history of
the idea of mans ownership over his wife's
from all sides, Mrs. Dietrich showed how
1t was all nothing but argument in favor of