The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-10-06
WRITING TO TAFT !
ON RACE SUICIDE
Urging Them to Marry While
Marriage and Maternity Get So
Little Protection Is Futile
HOW TO TREAT WIFE DESERTERS
They Should De Punished Like Army
Deserters-Look at Hoch, Who Mar
ried and Abandoned or Killed Thir-
ty-two Women, Correspondent Says.

Cincinnati, Ohio.-The subjoined
open letter to President Taft was
adopted unanimously as the sense of
the Susan B. Anthony Club, composed
Of representative Cincinnati women.
DR.. Sarah NJ. Siewers. President of the
club, was authorized to forward it to
Mr.. Taft.
To Hon. William II. Taft, President Of
the United States:
Out of the din raised by multitude
of voices against the women of our
country for race suicide, for going into
industrial and professional pursuits
instead Of marrying and rearing large
families as their grandmothers did,
wish to raise one voice for Federal
law that will protect mothers and
children and compel truant fathers to
help support their children.
Deserters from families Of children
should be pursued and punished as
diligently as deserters from the army
and navy. AS the laws now stand
decree for support given to the moth
er Of children can be evaded by the
father going to another State to live.
In Cincinnati the Humane Society
reported 2,7T00 deserting fathers in
eleven months up to Dec. /. In Chica-
go 1900 men deserted their families
in three winter months on the west
side alone. The Humane Societies Of
other large cities could no doubt re-
port similar numbers of deserters.
What becomes Of these men? Do
tra
they. But they go to another State
and pass themselves off for single
men and marry some unwary girl.
Seven years ago case Of multiple
bigamy was apprehended. who con-
fessed to having a wife in thirty-two
different States. His crimes were
treated as a joke, and the conse-
quences to the deluded wives, and to
the faith and trust of all women over
looked. Then came Hoch, who con-
fessed to having married many more,
but the rest trusted him with their
money before the ceremony was per-
formed, so he did not stay for 1t.
Some of the wives were not easily de-
serted, so he despatched them as he
would a troublesome animal. Now
Madison has married so many women
that he cannot remember their names
and was sentenced for only seven
years.
These three cases are symptoms Of
a national disease that must be
stamped out If the integrity of the
nation is to be preserved. The germs
of this disease are penetrating and
coloring the minds and morals of So
ciety to an alarming extent, and
in consequence we have an ever in
creasing army of irresponsible bigam-
lists and deserters.
The wives of these deserters strug-
gle heroically against fearful odds to
keep their families together, but when
the mother must go to work to sup
port the children there is no home
life, and the street, reformatories and
jails overflow with them.
Urging women to marry while mar
riage and maternity receive no more
protection than our present laws af-
ford is futile. for now women can sup
port themselves and need not marry
for a home.
Mothers should have voice in law
making or they and their children
should be protected in their right to
survive honorably. Respectfully,
SARAH M. SIEWERS, M. D.,
President Susan B. Anthony Club.
Cincinnati, o.