Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-16
ENGLISH WIVES
FIND ANOTHER
SAXON SHACK[E
Storm in Parliament
at Coercion Doctrine
and Repeal Efforts.
Old Law Holds Woman
Is Virtually Property
of Her Husband.

London, April 15.-(By The Associ-
ated Press. )-Discovery of an ancient
Saxon law. technically known as the
doctrine Of COERCION under which a
wife is virtually the property Of her
husband, has precipitated storm in
both houses of the British parliament;
Lady Astor has formally introduced
a bill in the house of commons to amend
the offending statute and Viscount
Ullswater strongly pressed for a SINH
lar measure in the house of lords.
Parliament took note of the act when
member Of the commons pointed out
that it had been resurrected to secure
the acquittal recently Of the wealthy
Mrs. Peel who was concerned with
her husband in betting frauds, while
the husband himself was sent to prison
The old law, Viscount Ullswater ex-
planned to the lords, was founded on
the assumption that a wife would not
dare to contradict her husband; "but
if we want to maintain respect for the
law" he said. 1T must be strictly in
accordance with our lives and our So
cial relations. Whatever the legal pre-
sumption may have been in the olden
times, there can be no such presump-
ton today
Same Footing As Men
1T connotes an inferior and degrad
ing status which women of the present
day will never accept. The whole ten
dency of modern thought has been in
the other direction-to elevate the sta
tus Of women and put them on the
same footing as men,
The viscount raised laughter when
he continued: II appeal to the ripe
experience of any of our lordships.
Bachelors with no experience Of women
are the only people who take an oppo-
site view" and he pointed out that the
doctrine did not prevail in Scotland
presumably because Of Lady Mac
BETH he said
Lord Buckmaster former lord high
chancellor, defended the existing law
He said it was his firm conviction that
the bulk Of women today acted under
the direction of their husbands, and
this, he held. was assuredlv true among
the lower ranks Of society. Il am not
prepared to destroy what had been
established by the wisdom of our an
and women as we do today, he de-
clared Women have got the vote but
they are just the same as before
Birkenhead Douges Issue
Here the present chancellor. Lord
Birkenhead, spoke up. "As to hubands
controlling their wives" he said, every
man has his own experience in these
matters and / am not bold enough to
make any such claim
Lord Aberdeen. former lord lieu
tenant of Ireland and ex-governor
general Of Canada. reflectively observ-
ed that one of his ancestors, when
chancellor of Scotland resigned office
rather than carry out an act which
proposed to make husbands RESPONSE
BILE for their wives nonattendance at
church.
Lady Frances Balfour. president Of
the National Council of Women of
Great Britain and Ireland. writing in
the Times, calls attention to the fact
that the doctrine Of coercion is not
the only survival of ancient English
laws affecting married women. She
cites the law Of coverture." according
to which a man and his wife are one
person and the husband is that person
The wife's legal existence is incor-
porated and consolidated into that of
her husband
Attacks Old Statutes
Lady Frances pointed out that it is
no more than 80 years since the house
Of lords negatived a claim that hus-
band had the right to imprison his
wife. which was based on this doctrine,
which has, however, never been abol- |;
ished in its entirety.
At the same time. she proceeds. a !
wife's position as her husbands prop
erty is still in practice, as, for ex
ample. when she is not allowed to de-
eide for herself. like other adults,
whether or not she shall submit to a
surgical operation Her husband must
first give his consent.
These doctrines. which belong to an
age Of servitude and serfdom, should
be explicitely annulled by legislation,
Lady Frances declared /