Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1902-04-04

A Mother May Not Recover in Suit for Dam
ages Brought Against a Corporation for
Death Of Natural Son. So-called, on the
Ground that She Had Been Sister Of the
Deceased Wife Of Her Husband.
BY Lady Cook. nee Tennessee Clahin.
Such is the heading of a great Lon
don Daily in its relation of the claims
of two poor women under the Work
mems Compensation Act, which have
lust been tried at the Merthyr County
Court.
maria Jones claimed against the
Dowlais Iron Company, as personal
representative Of d. w. Thomas, COL
lier sixteen, who was killed on April
9th, at one OF the respondents coal
pits, by fall of the roof. Respond.
ents objected that the relationship be-
tween applicant and deceased Ga natu-
raj sony was not legitimate, and bis
honour, having regard to the ruling in
Dickinson and the North Eastern
Railway Company, dismissed the
claim.
"In the matter of Ann Prosser and
Messrs. Hill, Plymouth Colliery Com
pany, applicant claimed on account
of the loss by death, through an acci-
dent of Rees Prosser. She had been
married to the deceased twelve years,
and lived with him until his death,
but, being the sister OF his deceased
wife, was not his lawful wife. On
that ground the claim failed. In
both cases sums of 4lO paid into
court by the respondents for funeral
expenses were ordered 10 be paid out,
and no expenses were allowed"
We quote the foregoing as two per-
tinent instances OF the brutality OF
our laws in such cases, and of the
need of sweeping redress. For years
We have publicly advocated the legal
recognition of all parental relation
ship, whether legitimate or otherwise,
and have pointed out that the cruel
disabilities of q woman who marries
her deceased sisters husband, are
based upon an extremely doubtful in.
depreciation of q passage in Leviticus.
Unfortunately, the bill for leealizing
marriage with Deceased Wife's Sis.
ter, although passed triumphantly
through the "Commons" by over
whelming maiorities, was defeated in
the Lords" solely through the action
of the Lords Spiritual. With a few
honorable exceptions these Right
Reverend and Most Reverend gentle
men, after the manner of a Trades
Union, combined in q solid phalanx
for the preservation OF theological
conceits against moral and civil equity
and natural rights. Bishops who
were strangers to the very door.keep-
ers or who seldom occupied their epis.
copal benches, rushed TO Westminster
with indecent haste to block the latest
effort in the cause OF freedom. We
owe these purblind Legislators few
thanks for anything they have ever
done, and least OF all for this, and we
are we'll assured that whatever the du.
ration of their ecclesiastical power
may be, their secular authority is fast
approaching its end. The hsndwrit-
ing is on the wall and can be read by
him who runs. The fair spirit and
good sense Of the English people are
already in rebellion against the me.
deval pretensions Of priestly peers,
and every legislative success of theirs
against the liberties OF the nation will
only hasten their Parliamentary ex-
tinction. But for their so swelling
the. minority it was able to outvote
the majority Of the secular Lords over
the last bill, Mrs. Ann Prosser
would have received substantial COM
pensation from Messrs. Hills for her
husbands death, whereas the poor
woman has had to pay bis funeral ex.
penses ard has been probably ruined
by the costs Of prosecuting her claims.
All this be strictly in accordance with
the ordinary notions of employers and
capitalists, but for the Right Rever-
ends and Most Reverends, this is " to
visit the widows aud fatherless in
their affliction" with vengeance, and
utterly opposed to the apostolic teach
ings. There is large party in this
country which desires to consider
marriage as purely civil contract for
mere mutual convenience, to be dis.
solved by mutual consent if desired,
and the Bishops have given practical
emphasis to this doctrine, and have
decided that those who have been
united in holy matrimony" may,
Notwithstanding, have no relation to
each other.
Merthyr is the chief industrial CEN
ire OF the Welsh principality, and
consequently must contain no small
number OF "illegitimates." There
must be hundreds OF mothers there in
l
the same position as Maria Jones be-
fore her unfortunate boy was crushed
to death by the falling roof OF coal.
pit. The lad appears to have been
the mainstay OF his mother, who was
neither maid. wife nor widow. To
console her for the loss OF her son the
law informs her that he was not le.
gally related to her. and therefore it is