The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1897-02-27
Women Find That New England
Statesmen
Are All Opposed to Protecting
Young Girls
WHILE WESTERN MEN
Stood Bravely for Increasing
the Legal Safeguards.
Effete New Jersey Also Cause
For ReprOach.

Washington. Feb. PA meeting was
held yesterday afternoon at the First
Presbyterian church to consider plans
for the betterment of the condition of
the unlawful mother" T.
Many friends of Mrs. Kate Waller
Barrett. the defender of fallen women,
were present, as well many of the
delegates to last weeks mothers con-
gress, who are still in the city, the re-
suit being that the church was COM
pIetely filed.
Mrs. Ellen Spencer Mussey, Mrs. Bar
rett, Mrs. Helen Gardner, well known
authority upon heredity, and Mrs Mary
D. Ellis, superintendent of the national
W. G. T. U. law department spoke. A
large amount of money was contributed
in part by the delegates to the late con-
gress, for the benefit of the Third Street
Florence Crittenden Mission. Mrs. Mus
sey spoke of the bill to increase the age
of protection for girls from 16 to Is
years, known as the Shannon bill. She
said that the ladies who have been Ia
boring for it's passage expect to get 1T
through the senate this week. She made
a personal appeal to every man and wo-
man in the audience to see senator to-
day, or not later than to morrow, and
plead for its passage. A letter was read
from Judge Kimball, heartily favOring
the bill.
Mrs Mary o. Ellis, who followed Mrs.
MuSsey in q plea for the passage of
the bill, said that Judge Miller of the
police court told the ladies who saw him
recently that if it was within his power
he would make the age of protection q
tomorrow.
Mrs Ellis spoke of the efforts to get
similar legislation in the states, dwell
ing particularly, with some reproach, on
the character of the statesmen in New
Jersey, who, until very recently, re-
fused to hear of raising the age. She
told that ten states have increased the
age to IS, and she also paid tribute to
the only man in the Michigan legisla-
ture who would take charge of such a
bill
In referring to the ladies' effort be-
fore the house judiciary committee she
said:
They are alEgentlemen and treated
us most cOurte0uSly- am sorry to say
the New England men on the committee
were the only ones who opposed the bill,
and am happy to say that the western
men favored it,
She urged every mother and father to
at once address a letter to some senator
urging the passage of the pending
measure, as it is likely, in the rush and
hurry of legislation, she said, to be re-
garded as a minor matter and be put
aside.
Mrs. Barrett read a letter from Mrs.
Mary Lowe Dickinson, president of the
National Council of Women, regretting
that she could not speak at the meeting
and Mrs. Helen Gardner was then intro
dueed by Mrs. Barrett. She repeated
her paper on heredity which was read
at the woTnans' congress, a synopsis of
which was printed at the time.
Mrs Barrett followed Mrs. Gardner.
why do you make a distinction" she
said, between the lawful mother and
the mother without the pale of the law?
know that an ounce of prevention is
worth more than a pound of cure, but,
my friends, while you give the ounce
never forget the pound. The mother I
plead for never was given the ounce and
now she needs the pound. If mother
hood stands for anything, it stands for
every mother. I heartily indorse all
that Mrs. Gardner had said, but at the
same time, since we have not prevented
the creation of fallen mothers, it is
our duty to teach her conscious mother
hood