The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-12-14
EXCUSE Is GIVEN OUT
claim Profession is Already Too Full
and for That Reason Fe-
males Are IN
desirable.
By Henry Wood, Rome correspon.
don't of the Tinted Press,

Ebers of the bar in italy, are frankly
| sarful of pittins their ability against
1.-THE ability Of women, the latter will
fhaye little, II any chance to wrest
Efrom the new parliament the right to
&practice. The hopes Of the women at
ttorneys, in the past week, received a
serious setback which is all the more
Eaggrayating because 1t was not based
Ion any intrinsic objection inherent In
1.-The women themselves. Prominent
Legislators who oppose the movement
most strenuously. assert in public
THAT heir only objection is that the
profession already is greatly over
Crowded. They admit privately that
"wcmen would be too industrious and
would attempt too many reforms of
procedure
The man who has just taken up
The cudgel against the would-be WON
en- practitioners Is Senator Mortara.
As head of the judicial prof ssion In
italy as we'll as the judicial commits
tee in the senate. his attitude makes
It certain that even If the women
succeeded In wringing the much de-
Sired consent from the chamber OF
deputies, it would receive the veto
bf the senate.
At the recent opening of the Italian
judicial year, Senator Mortara was
Eeected to make the annual address
hnf hn Ind pJ q r.
torneys of all Italy He was suppose ed
10 make review of the current judi
cial situation in Italy and point out
the more pressing and urgent needs.
In reality, his address dealt wholly
with the suggestion that the most
Urgent need of the legal and judicial
profession in Italy, is to keep women
attorneys from having the right to
practice
Although Senator Mortara treated
fhe subject with the usual lightness
with which all Italian men persist in
Fegarding the feminist movement In
italy, and which is incidentally the
manner which rifles the Italian women,
hls address was nevertheless consid-
Fred the deathblow, for the time
peing at least. of the movement Last
year Signorina Labriola, a professor
pf law at the University of Rome, car
ned test case through all of the
tallan courts as to the right of WON
en attorneys to practice The Ana
court Of appeal, however decided that
Phe cannot appear before the tribun
rs as an attorney. The legal status
women in Italy is such the court
ecided, that she cannot appear be
ore the tribunals as an attorney I
vas the changing OF this legal status
nat the women attorneys hoped u
Vfest from parliament at the prssen
ession and it was against this tina
eenator Mortara directed his inaug
lral address.
The question" he said, sis not on,
lncapacity, but of inopportunity.
IN convinced that it will be tn,
highest duty of parliament not t.
Brant this concession If for no othe
eason than to not increase the dan
yer to society at large which alread.
PSists from the lamentable plethorl
p male attorneys.
Personally, bell ave that both tn
udicial and political status Of womel
mould gradually be placed on tn
anne basis as man. | also believe
'oWever, that the least important ste
THIS direction, not only in the in
sfest OF the nation but in the inter
se Oh the women themselves, is tina
admitting the latter to practice.
II, as 1t Is usually conceded.
e',aln chivalry is at all times du
women, 1t seems to me that in TIL
resent case 1t would be anythin
" chivalrous to throw open to tn
o,nen the doors of profession i
ni.n NOT only the best, but tn
'7uium and even the most modes
'sss are all taken, while behind thes
''e Is whole army of unoccupie
neys working with their arm!
'sueing with their voices, and usin