Omaha daily bee., 1898-10-28

| Ellen roster ana susan Is. Anthony
The first thing was an interesting and
| exhaustive report from Miss Octayia Will
! liams Bates OF Detroit chairm9n of a COM
mittee of woman lawyers, on Domestic Re-
lations Under the Law" 1t reviewed the
work Of the National League for the Pro-
| lection OF the Family formerly the National
! Divorce Reform League) In its agitation for
! legislation pertaining to family stability.
! Perhaps the most important agencies" she
| said, "at work today for the regulation OF
! laws respecting domestic relations are the
| state and national commissions working for
! uniformity of marriage and divorce laws"
! After reviewing what has been done by some
OF the states, principally New York. and also
what congress has done for the District OF
Columbia and the territories, she went on
to say:
! The effort to create a national commission
| whose work shall be to produce an amend
men. TO the constitution of the United
| States, making the laws regarding marriage
| and divorce the same for all states OF the
/ union and giving congress jurisdiction over
| the subject of marriage and divorce, has not
met with the approval OF the best constitu-
! tional authorities. These claim it a waste
of effort to disturb the adjustment Of our
| states to the federal sysem by useless and
| perhaps harmful amendment to the const-
! tuition. One of the greatest obstacles to be
| encountered IS the fear of many members
, of congress that state rights might suffer
| IL an amendment to the constitution should
| be the outcome of the investigation of this
| national commission. 1t is the best, there
fore, that the experiment of uniformity by
state cooperation be thoroughly tested. II
| this fail then the constitutional amendment
can be considered under more favorable con-
| ditions.
To us, as members of the National Coun-
| ell of Women it is most humilating and
| discOuraging to note that the commissions,
| both state and national, are entirely COM
posed of men AS far as your chairman has
| been able to learn no woman has ever been
a member Of those commissions nor has even
been invited to become one.
! It Is a significant fact that at the execu-
| tive session of the International council held
| in London last July, resolution was pro-
posed by an organization of Germany pro-
/ viding that the national councils of all Coun-
| tries be asked to consider the nature of all
| laws concerning the domestic relation in all
| civilized countries. The subject of interna-
| tional uniformity is TO be brought before
| the international Bar association at it's next
| meeting. Statistics and the historical study
of legal development clearly show the trend
| of international law. The tendency of the
! important legislation of the last twenty
years, especially in Germany, Switzerland,
| France, Australia and Japan, is toward an
| essentially common system of law regarding
lIS NOluSStlC itlullOHo'
Countess di Brazza's Report.
This was followed by report by Countess
| Cora SloComb di BraZza, chairman of the
| committee on social peace and international
arbitration. AS the countess could not be
| here herself, it was read by Mrs. Lillian NJ.
| Hollister of Detroit. From the Di Brazza
! castle in Italy the countess had written
some words of praise for May Wright Sew
| all, Susan b. Anthony, Rachel Foster Avery
"and the remainder of the brave galaxy of
| women across the Atlantic" and tribute
to the memory OF Frances F. Willard, the
first president OF the national council, as
propagandlsts of peace and after referring
| to what had been done by the Worlds Tenn
perance legions at Toronto and by the Ma
tional Council at Nashville last year she
expressed a wish that the peace work be
taken up again before the next quinquen-
NAL las an answer to the czar's invitation
| to the thinkers of the world for a discussion
| of the subjects of peace, individual and ma
| tional, a court of arbitration and general
| disarmament, so that the daughters OF
fair, mighty and generous Columbia might
not be behind the autocrat of all the Rus
Isias in the service of the highest human
! ideal She advised movement in favor of
| school text books Of a pacific nature. saying
the present school histories eXalt great de-
stroyers as mighty conquerors and teach
the young to try to emulate them. In con
| Cuson she urged:
With the suffering Of our late little war
with Spain still causing our national nerves
to culver: with the children rioting in mill
tarism, maSqueraded as patriotism. I'M
plore you to turn all your attention and all
your money into the channel of peace edu-
cation. Be indeed peacemakers-the makers
of the future peace, not only of the in
diydual and home. but of the nation. Let
not the czar outrun YOU in this race. He Is
dreaming; be We leaders, practical trainers.
blessed our the peacemakers. for they stall
be called the children of God
The report also contained the informa-
ton that the Sunday before Christmas
throughout Europe is to be peace Sun
day and money to be raised for the
propaganda by means of blessing boxes"
For Universal Peace.
A report from the Universal Peace union
came next through Mrs. |. c. Manchester
| of Providence, X. l., representing Mrs.
Hannah ]. Bailey of Winthrop Center, Me-,
the head of the peace department of the
National Woman's Christian Temperance
union. To quote from II:
1t is a coincidence that the civil war of
the United States caused the Universal Peace
union to be brought INTO existence III loho
and the war with Spain in 1S9S has tested
it. There has been a trial Of faith. Their
have been cruel prosecutions and severe
criticisms But from the time OF the tai Ing
of one OF our officers upon the peace plat
form and placing him in Norwich iail be-
cause of his nonpayment of the militia AK
iunto the present time. when We We're dis
posed of our rooms in independence han IN
| Philadelphia because of our letter 20 tho
queen regent of Spain imploring her TO pre-
vent war bv still further concessionS The
peace union has stood soldly and unwaver-
ing by its principles.
At our annual meeting last year we for
warded a general letter TO the operators
miners and all interested in the great strike
i'm the northwest Samuel GomDers, prest-
dent of the American Federation Of Labor
replied, acknowledging our high purpose an
assuring us that many of the miners wer
favorable to arbitration. We have continued
| 10 encourage the submission f labor din.
culties to arbitration. Through W. E'lrs
Darby of ENGLAND we have received n cory
of a memorial from all the religious bodies
OF the world to the president OF the United
States in 9 strong appeal for internatioaa
arbitration. Interviews were held with a!
? the Central and South American delegates IL
Philadelphia encouraging reciprocal CON-
mercial relations and the ratification of The
pauamerican arbitration treatv.
! Some of our plans as substitutes for boys
military br!Pades have been adOnted. suct
Ios 6ra hrigades life saving corps. accidental