The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-05-26
HOW WOMEN STAND
BEFORE THELAN,
Has No Vote Yet Her Property
Rights Are Determined :
ONLY BALLOT KNOWS SEX
Her Responsibility to the Lava 10
Just as Great az 10 Mans While
Her Voice Is sllsneed :
In Their Making. r
ONLY BALLOT KNOWS SEX

It Is often said by opponents Of
-women's suffrage that women do not
need the vote in order to protect
their interests before the law. In
support Of this view 1t 10 contended
That they are already specially priv.
legged under the laws of West Wiz
Etnia. That this is untrue 10 known
70 all who have given even super.
acial study Of conditions. Sex dis.
ordinations in the laws Of this state
ire so frequent that the only dlf.
guilty in meeting this objection is In
picking out the most glaring In.
'tances.
There are three ways in which It
Is admitted that the law strikes hard
1t voteless women. A womsa's prop.
srty is taken for public purposes pre-.
:isely the same as is a mans, yet
he woman has no vote in determin.
:ng whether the public necessity ex.
sted for the taking Of the property.
The woman is held precisely to the
same measure of responsibility for
he violation Of a contract as Is the
man, yet she has no vote in deter.
mining the conditions which make
contract enforceable or void and OF
10 effect.
Property Rights.
The woman has no vote in deter.
mining the machinery Of the law b
which her property rights or her per
,onal rights are determined.
No concessions. such as the right
o make contracts, and own property,
md conduct business, can make up to
women the loss they have sustained
IN depriving them Of these great fun.
iamental rights. Indeed. the right to
make contracts. to own property, and
20 conduct business. which the oppo.
ients Of equal suffrage point to with
,uch pride In "our married women's
icts," carry with them as a necessary
conclusion that women must also
lave the suffrage. You can deny that
I woman has any identity, separate
rom her husband, as the common
aw does. You can sustain this posi-
ion by force IL not by arguments,
out you cannot admit that the WON.
IN as person has the right to make
contracts, own property, and conduct
business, and then exclude her from
HE right to determine how that bust.
hess should be conducted. how the
contracts should be made. and how
The property may be disposed Of.
The law exacts from women the
same penalty as from men for the
commission Of a crime. yet the wom-
IN has no vote in determining what
constitutes crime or what excuses or
nitigates II.
No woman sits on the grand Jury
hat finds the indictments, or on the
,etit jury whose magic words Of
guilty" or mot guilty" make all the
Inference between shame or honor,
and life or death. II grand jury
we're to be drawn in this State from
which all negroes or all people Of any
particular race or nationality were
arbitrarily excluded, that grand Jury
would be an Illegal body. In the last
analysis the wholesome principle Of
constitutional law. which discrimin.
,tes against women. rests upon the
proposition that all classes Of our
people have something OF value TO
contribute to the making OF laws. It
Is only when we come to women that
We suspend these principles and as.
,ert that they do not apply.