Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1912-06-28
WOMAN, BALLOT AND
PROPERTY RIGHTS


franchisement Of women should be
granted is not question of personal
opinion Of prejudice, nor is 1t a de-
Tense 10 the anti-suffragist that GER
tain laws are we'll founded. The
right to the ballot should be consid-
cred by all sound thinking persons
as an inherent right to womankind
as citizens of an equality with man.
Some one says women are not citi-
zens." Nevertheless, we have the
following in the constitution of the
United States, article IA OF which
reads in part. All persons born or
naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof
are citizens of the United States and
OF the state wherein they reside"
Again We read In section 20, ar
ticle one, OF the constitution OF Ore
gon, that mo law shall be passed
granting to any citizen or class OF
citizens privileges or immunities.
which, upon the same terms, shall
not equally belong to all citizens"
After considering this question, 1t
seems to me there is but one way to
deprive the women OF this state Of
their right and that is by wrongful
and prejudicial Interpretation OF the
law
While property rights In this state
are somewhat more favorable to wo-
men than in many OF her sister
states, there is still vast room for
improvement Especially is this so
in regard to personal property.
II married woman wishes to
claim certain personally the law
says she must do so by making de-
scriptive list on oath that the prop
erty and rights therein described be
long to her at the time OF marriage
or that she has acquired the same by
bequest or inheritance, or by gift OF
some person named other than her
husband; then said list shall be re.
corded In register kept by the coun'
ty clerk for that purpose, and shall
be prima facie evidence of the facts
therein stated, and property not sc
Registered shall be deemed prims
facie to be the property of the hus
band rather than the wife. See sec.
tions 1851 and 1862 L, o. L.
In speaking of the laws being
more favorable to women than n
many of the sister states | do not
mean to infer that any of our laws
grant any women any special privi.
leges for they do not; if so it would
hA in onntravautinn To the onnstitu.
tion Of our state.
Women are needed in carrying on
the governmental affairs, not to take
the place of men nor to crowd then
out, but to fill an unoccupied place
which has been calling for her fol
ages past in other words she has
place to fill in the political life tC
correspond to the place she fills in
the home, in the church, in the lodge
room, in civic improvement work
etc Her gentle nature and purity
especially adapts her for an Officer
of the juvenile courts, a place which
lit seems has been sadly neglected
throughout the nation. If it were
possible for good, conscientious wo
men TO take care of the various de
partments of the juvenile courts o
this state for a time, 1t would soor
be discovered that crime would b'
materially lessened If more time
could be spent on the bringing up o
the children of the state, less time
and money would be required to b.
used in placing criminals behind thu
bars. Oh, II the many women coulc
only see the good they could do b.
stepping outside the four walls o
their home and letting their lgh
shine beyond this narrow conhne
am sure they would do so.
II is only by the ballot that womai
can hope to yield an influence 70
good that will be far-reaching in re-
suits
VIOLET A CLEMENTS