The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1906-04-24
before the law.

Their lives were legally merged In
one, but the one was not new crea.
tlon; tho one remained the life Of ths
man.
And the law made him about as
troublesome 10 her sfter he was dead
no when he was alive. II he left any
property when he died she could claim
the income Of one.third OF II. and no
more, during the ordinarily brief time
while she remained his widow.
II she had brought the property to
him when she married him or IL they
had accumulated II together, II made
no difference. II he failed TO sell II
or give II away In bis lifetime or neg.
lected 10 dispose OF II by viii, the law
came In at his death and consIderate.
ly corrected his oversight In his inter.
est.
She could not make will at all.
He could give or will her property to
his relatives. Her
Services and Earnings Were His.
She had no right OF control over the
children. except 10 subordination 10
him: the income OF their labor, AZ
well as OF their mothers, was bis.
He had the right to chastise not only
them. but their mother as well.
All these abuses have been corrected,
but not by women's votes or because h
few women have demanded votes. The
changes have come about because de-
mocracy. without chart or plan or un.
derstandIng Of what the end would b.
merely obeying the conscience and us
Ing the force OF the mass, bore down
the nnbroken traditions OF thousand
years.
Wherever democracy has had any
development In the world. even under
autoeraiIc or aristocratlc forms, there
the rights OF women have been enlarg.
cd. The opportunity has been NO much
larger and the advance 10 much
stronger In America than In any other
land that we have become conspicuous
In world movement.
But the movement is on all over the
world. II Ia one OF the great strides to
the high destiny Of the race.
Look at the position OF
Women In Oregon
through the courtesy and chlyairy OF
men.
A married woman can contract pre-
cisely MS II unmarried when her sepa.
rate property IA concerned.
II the husband obtains possession OF
the wife's property either before or
after marriage the wife may maintain
an action therefor,
A married woman may apply to the
courts for an order requiring her hus-
band 10 support herself and her chill.
dren.
The property OF married woman 10
not subject to the debts or contracts Of
her husband except such as are family
necessities.
A wife Ia entitled TO hold any prop
erty acquired with the proceeds Of her
personal labor
A mother is as fully entitled as a IA
ther TO the custody and control OF chill.
dren and their earnings.
A husband who beats his wife Is
liable to penalty Of twenty lashes.
Could women expect any more privi-
leges from a Legislature elected In part
by their own votesy
II Is urged that the ballot win
Help the Wage Earning Woman
by bringing her better wages. Is this
true? There are in the United States
more than 100000 wage earning wo-
men ten years old and over engaged
In some 800 different industries. This
fact is being cited In oregon as an ar
gument for the extension OF suffrage to
women.
But examine the figures Thrty-two
per cent, or nearly onethird OF those
|, 100000 women, are under twenty-one
years Of age: 40 per cent, or nearly one
half. are under twenty-five years Of
age. Nearly 100000 are engaged in
agriculture. and three.tifths of these
are southern negroes. Two million wo-
men are In domestic and personal serv-
Ice; 100000 are teachers or engaged IN
the professions.
Since nearly one-thlrd OF the wage
earning women are under twenty.one
and could not vote and nearly one-half
OF the whole number are under twen-
ty-flve, II is evident that the average
wage earning woman, unlike the wage
earning man, does not enter industry |
for her life work. She works for a
short time and then through marriage |
becomes what we call the average wo-
man. Nine-tenths of the women of the |
United States marry, and four-fifths of |
the housewives OF America, statistics |
tell u.s. still do their own housework.
AS only per cent of married women
are wage cnrners. II Is evident that the |
average wage earning woman remains
In industry short time, going ont Of |
that industry into the ranks Of those
women tn whom the ballot waHld
IN added responsibility in lives already |
flled with cares Wilde caunot be re.
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