Los Angeles herald., 1906-10-11
WOMEN SEVERELY
ARRAIGN JUDGE
COMPELLED TO TAKE BLAME
FOR SEX
Parliament VIII Present Petition to
Legislature Asking That Laws
About Community Prop
erty be Changed

The battle feld-Ihe flrSt COngIe-
gational church.
The bombarding Understanding
less than q Thousand women.
The besieged army-One lone man.
The weapons offensive and defensive
Tongues.
The causc-California laws affecting
women
The general-Miss NJ. M. Fette.
Less than a thousand women and
one lone man fought bloodless battle,
but one worthy to go down In history
with Waterloo and Bunker Hill, yester-
day afternoon i'm the First Congrega-
toinal church,
The rather deep sounding but inof-
fensive subject, california Law Re.
Iating to Women" was the bone or
contention and Judge ]. G.. Rossiter Of
Pasadena was the lone man who had
TO defend his entire sex against the
army Of tongues that would pronounce
man the oppressor Of woman.
AS the result California laws relating
TO women will be radically changed be-
fore long If the effort of the Woman's
parliament, composed Of all the leading
womens organizations OF Southern
California, is successful. Before the
afternoon session Of the parliament
was over n Legislative committee, with
Miss Elizabeth A. Kenny as chairman
and Miss M. M. Fette as one of the
members, was appointed to prepare
amendments to be presented to the
next legislature.
Unjust to Women
Miss Fette opened the question with a
scholarly paper bearing on the in1us-
tice to woman in California
Miss Fette declared that woman
should stand in the eyes of the law on
the same footing with man and that
a wife should keep PERSONAL property
entirely away from community prop
erty. She says that the wife now has
no title to any part of the community
property and that she has no right to
dispose of it by will even to her chill
dren.
She cited the equal community prop
erty law of the state Of Washington as
an example and suggested that Cali
fornia women should have such a right
and ended by saying that women can
not get justice because men make the
laws.
Judge Rossiter was given the floor for
discussion and it was to this alleged
Injustice of man that Judge Rossiter
took exception, and in unmistakable
terms
"Shall plead guilty or not guilty to
this charge which Miss Fette places
upon me and upon my sex?' asked
Judge Rossiter.
Miss F'ette's arraignment is logical
and consist ent except in one particu-
lar and III that it is decidedly wrong.
That paper is a much better paper than
The average lawyer could write today,
but it is an arraignment against
woman as well as man.
No Injury Intended
"I do not think for minute that our
legislatures want to do anything to
injure women. I think men wish
women to have more than equal JUS
tice and how must woman have failed
if she has not produced son who will
wish her we'll. That is a grave arraign-
ment against woman Every man had
a mother. What would you think Of
the son of man who would not raise
up his voice in protection of his mother? :?
81 do not believe that law should
have to enter into the home. God pity
the home that is administered by law.
think these very community property
laws are a safeguard to woman The
woman who is left widow and knows
nothing of business is protected by the
so-called red tape she must go through
before she can administer her hus-
bands estate"
I'VE want free law. that's what we
want" interrupted one woman in the
audience.
The judge continued and when he had
finished there was chance for ques-
tions.
where is the woman who wants
free law2'' asked Judge Rossiter.
Il, sir, and / say to you, sir, that
law Is not for honest men or good
husbands. 1t is for dishonest men and
cruel husbands, sir, / say it to you.
And to you women / Will say that your
husband could sell the chair upon
which you sit and the table at which
you dine and you would be powerless
to do anything. | say that to you
women and to you, too. sir. Give us
the ballot and we will show you how
to get justice.
Il am Mrs. Goodsell of San Bernar-
dino she answered in response to the
request of the chair for her name.
Judge Shrinks From Tirade
When Mrs. Goodsell of San Bernar-
dino had finished speaking and the
poor Judge from Pasadena had shrunk
sufficiently into his she'll and begun to
realize what very poor insignificant
being Is man. Miss Elizabeth Kinney
was called. and Miss Kinney, who is
one of the most clever lawyers in the
state, gave her reasons for believing &
that California laws should be changed,
concluding by saying:
There is an army of women to
which / belong that has no noble hus-
band or no husband at all. We women
should have protection. II is not thai
we are disagreeably dissatisfied We
arc dissatisfied, l grant. but 1t is be-
cause we are dissa tistied that we
Grow
so the discussion continued and fin.
ally the resolution was passed and tho
committee appointed to investigate anC
20 before the next state legislature.
Mrs. 5urbridge Reads Paper
Closely following the discussion o.
women and law was a clever paper rea
by that clever little business woman
Mrs. o. ii. Burbridge. Mrs. Burbrids,
is president Of the Business Woman
league, editor of the Pacific Fancie
and the possessor of one of the mode
poultry farms Cf California.
Mrs Burorldge traced the rise o
the business woman and predicted 70
her a bright future.
Twenty years ago a woman I'm bust
ness was so great an exception tina
she was almost an object Of curiosity,
said she. "She was caused much an
Aoyance and her pioneering made
nesdlessly hard experience Woman a
that time had strayed but little be
yond what was considered her only Vo
N.a \ L..