The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-26

pILal, put cannot do IL without the
consent Of her husband. The man who
says he cannot trust his wife with his
pocket book should be watched him.
self. The married woman is the best
! kind of trader. He said women
watch the newspapers and seek bar
| gains because they are buying to pro-
| tect their pockets and why should We
| not put them on the level with unmar-
ried women. He said the husband is
| there To advise with the wife and give
them the experience they had, and "a
| Il law was going to pass that would
| Keep them together forever, that this
| laW should be passed that would he
| giving them rights due them.
Mr.. Duls said he was unalterably
! opposed To the bill. and would vote
against it. He said the arguments IN
| favor of it We're for benevolent pur-
Iposes. for the protection OF women,
| and TO force the Supreme Court TO
say what the law is. He said he was
lonposed 10 it on several principles. \
married woman has personal property
| in her own disposition. II she pos
sesseS hundreds of thousands of dol
| lars she may dispose Of IL as sho
wishes, and this applies TO all except
real estate. and the same law mere
lapplies to the husband as we'll as t.
the wife. The law would eradicate the
Ione-Ship in marriage relations, the
iWOman's place is i'm society. the nome,
| and he did not want TO see women IN
commercial relations. The women or
! North Carolina are not gong INTO inc
| trading business. 1t lays down the
| laws for Il husband TO dispose OF ms
Wife's personal property and real eS-
ltate by her @oing security on his ac-
count. 4 woman has Inherited prop
erty from her father. y mans wife
may purchase q few groceries, ana the
husband declining TO pay the Dill. the
l. Ia lkAJ4 n
says she bought them. There is no
dishonesty about the present law. lie
said he was not aware that the Dill
was to be discussed yesterday ana
had proposed TO offer a substitute. lie
thought it would be we'll to postpone
action upon it.
Mr.. Wright said he favored the bin
from 81 two-fold purpose. The time
has come in North Carolina for the
freedom of our women. In every CIVIL
lied country in the world freedom
has been given women except In NOfth
lCarolina and one or two other places.
In the laws of North Carolina married
lwomen are classified in the same man
liner as infants and lunatics. 1t is
reflection on the manhood and cIVIll-
zation of this State. Centuries ago NO.
men were supposed TO be no more
THAN little children. and were incapable
of contracting, but if any women IN
IlnC WOIlu are GdDdplc Vi AlGlilSsiNtiiit7
business matters, they are marrlei
women. The women are competent -
manage their own affairs, and TINS law
prohibiting their rights is an insult %
the states womanhood. The brainiest
lawyer in North Carolina-Judge Clark
has defined this law as relic OF
barbariSm, and il was true, for every
where except in North Carolina this
law has been abolished. There was a
time when Il married man here had
/ the right to whip his wife, but that
now the law did not regard her rs a
i chattel but his helpmeet and COM
Danion.
Mr.. Pearson asked if there was not
la law in North Carolina which allowed
a married woman TO become free
trader il she so desired.
Mr.. Wright replied that she could
if she were able to get the consent OF
that pusilanimous part of humanity
called her husband. This act should
become in force at once. y wife
should dispose of her own property Is
she likes Take an unScrupulous nus
band; he may perpetrate frauds, anu
this law prevents it. A man may pur-
chase property I'M his Wffe'S name lie
contracts the debt in her name and it
cannot be collected she contracts
debt and il cannot be collected. Break
: the letters from their bonds and give
them liberty. and allow them TO dC
with their own property as they de-
sire.
Mr.. Coke said he was opposed to the
bill at first but since hearing the
arguments for il he was more opposed
to it, as in many instances marrieo
women were not able to make good
contracts. He said take young
widow. and she was no more capable
of making contracts than youns
frivolous girl. He said the question
hnap IiGpnGSGd several sessions
of the State Bar Association. ana
!. every meeting opposed the measure.
rne bill. he declared, would place the
, married women on much better
basis than the husbands. The morai
Obligations which bind him TO MS
wife prevent him from disposing or
his property, but the wife may dispose
of her property in any manner she
wishes.
Mr. Mason, of Castor. said he
heartily favored the passage of the
bill and regarded it as the emancipa,
ton proclamation for the women OF
North Carolina. 1t is an effort TO Got
iaway from the old doctrine of law or
theory. The theory of our marriage
Irelation laws are fixed upon some old
hctions. l object to the men being
lalone the legal unity of the marriage,
land the woman is not in 1t, that the
husband is the whole family. It Is
mot right for men TO arrogate TO them
selves all wisdom. Women may con-
tract while they are single, and when
their husbands die they may contract
now why does that same woman lose
her business sagacity when she be-
comes a wife? The legislature Of
North Carolina has done the married
women an injustice, or 1t has been
remiss in failing TO provide guardian
for the unmarried women and widows.
Look at the history of nearby states
that have passed this law, and there
have been no cries of evil therelrom.
lit does not destroy the sancuty and
Iunity of marriage relations. Laws are
not to be made from a selfish stand
Ipoint. The law in regard TO married.
women is entirely out of harmony with
the conditions that exist. But be-
Esides this, we should give them the op
portunity to develop the best in them.
IThey are of good morals, a safeguard.
land an assistance to their husbands.
and ! believe women are as capable
TO take care of their business as men
iare to take care of their business
Mr.. Ward replied to the arguments