The herald., 1896-06-07

Law va. nother
God give us men. A time like this de-
mands
Strong minds. great hearts, true faith and
ready hands:
Men whom the lust of office does not kill;
Men whom the spols of office cannot buy;
Men who are possessed of opinions and
will;
Men who love honor: men who will not lie"
The progress of a nation toward
higher civilization is determined by the
conditions of it's women, whether bound
by the hideous deformty of the feet
yoked to the cattle in the fields. dwarfed
In intellectual pursuits or manacled by
equally inhuman laws.
No man can rise to self respect and
higher plane of action held back by
chain and ball; nation cannot rise to
the acme of a true civilization where
one-half of it's people are bound by old
time customs and prejudices.
You cannot unlock the futures por-
tails with Times blood -rusted key"
where its women are manacled by
common law that should have been a
disgrace in a crude civilization.
The property laws regarding woman,
the age of consent, the probate laws
that degrade the mother and widow are
among the heinous crimes of the nine
teenth century, and their name is le
gion.
IT is our purpose to bring to the light
VI uay lOI tHC SCIcl dl SOillG VI
the laws that should arouse the right
eous wrath, not only of the motherhood
but the fatherhood of the land for there
are true-hearted men. While we shall
speak Of California in general, better
in some respects than other states, yet
California joins hands with thirty-six
states to make motherhood and widow
hood crime. Several years ago 1 said
to one of our lawyers, writhing under
the injustice, Il am under bonds and
looking for a bondsuan." He looked al
me in bewilderment and stammered out,
Anything criminal? T." YES" l
replied, "the crime of being a mother
and widow" He drew long breath
of relief as he said, THAT isn't crime"
/ was fighting two states at the time
Yes, it is.'' l said; "the accursed laws
of the land men have made and men
sustained deny the natural right of the
mother as guardian and force her to
legal right solely to be placed by the
minions of the law He may not yet
have recovered himself How these law
yers steer clear of q woman who dares
to assert the infamy that has set a seal
upon the statute books of America! And
woman, some comfortably ignorant of
these laws, of the stigma and dark dis
grace attached to her wpmanhood, ,coolly
say:
IL have all the rights I want, would
not turn my hand over to secure the bal
lot" And men, good men and intelli-
gent, make no effort to repeal these per-
nicious laws, and others care less and
never seek to know what is hidden with
In the covers of these dark tones.
IL man dies insolvent, If he owns no
real estate or livestock, but his wealth
iss In less tangible form, the law can rob
the widow of everything to meet the de-
mands of the creditors. If he dies in
solvent or intestate with homestead,
livestock or landed property certain
set aside for the bereaved family; but
without this, If in stock, bonds, mort
cages. household furniture, etc, in
rented house, everything of value COM
munity property is not then recognized,
but all must be swept into the insatiate
& NAV Of the probate court and and cred