The San Francisco call., 1896-04-13

ton, to homes where there can be privacy,
where these people can feel that they are in
partnership with nature; that they have an
interest in good government With the means
we now have OF transportation there is no
necessity for poor people being huddled in
fostering masses in the vile. filthy and loath-
some parts of cities. where poverty breeds rags
and rags breeds disease. 1 would exempt a
homestead of reasonable value, say of the
value of $4,000 or $4,000 not only from sale
under execution, but from sale for taxes of
every description. These homes should be alb
solutely exempt. They should belong to the
family, so that every mother should feel that
the roof above her head was hers; that her
house was her castle and that in its possession
she could not be disturbed, even by the
Nation.
= here is another question In which take
great interest and it ought, in my judgment.
to be answered by the intelligence ana kind
ness of our century.
We all know that for many, many ages men
have been slaves, and we all know that during
all these years women have, to some extent,
been the slaves of slaves. 1t is of the utmost
Importance to the human race that women
that mothers, should be free. Without doubt
the contract of marriage is the most important
and the most sacred that human beings can
make. Marriage is the most important of all
institutions. OF course the ceremony of mar
riage Is not the real marriage. 1t is only evil
dence of the mutual flames that burn within.
There can be no real marriage without m utual
love- So I believe in the ceremony of mar
riage; that it should be pu bile; that records
should be kept. Besides, the ceremony says
to all the world that those who marry are in
love with each other.
Then arises the question of divorce. Millions
of people imagine that the married are joined
together by some supernatural power, and that
they should remain together, or at least mar
ried, during life. If all who have been married
were joined together by the supernatural, we
must admit that the supernatural is not in
fnitely wise.
After all, marriage is a contract and the par
ties to the contract are bound to keep its pro-
visions, and neither should be released from
such contract unless in some way the in
terests of society are involved. would have
the law so that any husband could obtain a
divorce when the wife had persistently and
fiagrantly violated the contract, such divorce
to be granted on equitable terms. I would
give the wife divorce if she requested it, if
she wanted it.
make a difference bet ween granting divorce
to man and to a woman, and for this reason: !:
woman dowers her husband with her youth
and beauty. He should not be allowed to de-
sert her because she has grown wrinkled and
old. Her capital is gone, her prospects in life
lessened, WHILE on the contrary, he may be far
better able to succeed than when he married
her. AS rule, the man can take care of him
self, and, as rule, the woman, needs help. So
/ would not allow him to cast her off unless
she had hagrantly violated the contract But
for the sake of the community, and especially
for the sake of the babes, would give her u
divorce for the asking.
AS to the labor question Colonel Inger
soil saw no final solution except through
the "civilization" of employer and en-
ployed.
1 think that when we become civilized great
corporations will make provision for men who
have given their lives to their service. think
the great railroads should pay pensions to their
wornout employees They should take care of
them in old age. They should not MAIN and
wear out their servants and then discharge
them and allow them to be supported in poor
houses. These great companies should take
care of the men they main; they should look
out for the ones whose lives they have used
and whose labor has been the foundation of
their prosperity. Upon this question public
sentiment should be aroused to such q degree
that these corporations would be ashamed to
use a human life and then throw awey the
broken old man as they would cast aside a rot
ten tie.
1t may be that the mechanics, the working
men, will finally become intelligent enough
to really unite to act in absolute concert.
Gould this be accomplished then reaso nable
rate OF compensation could be fixed and en-
forced. Now such efforts are local and the re-