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About The illustrated west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1891-1891 | View Entire Issue (April 25, 1891)
THE ILLUSTRATED WEST SHORE. 273 permitted to express themselves in regard to their property rights for fear of disapproba. lion from the husband, whom the law so carefully protect, by giving the use of the wife's realty during her life, and sees that he is provided for at her death by nuking a dean sweep of the wife's estate for the husband's benefit, even to the exclusion of her own children ; and the woman who owns the property has no more say In the matter than a stone. Wo. men are so anxious for this measure of justice that where they are debarred the privilege of advocating it for fear of opposition from the other sex, they keep silent when in their ptasene-, but when with their own sex they denounce in strong terms the injustice of our laws, and wonder how men can exalt them in rhyme and defraud them in reason. No wo. nun it worthy of either property or children who does not think she ought to have the management of her own property and coguardianship of her own children; but such wo men are as scarce as women who have no love for their offspring, or who would not divide their all with their husbands and children. But the vigorous laws of Kentucky debar them the poor privilege of the use of their own or to act in accordance with their womanly nature. A spring of gratitude wells up in our hearts to the noble men who are standing by us, and with such defenders as we have we shall never lay down our armor till the victory is won. The question is up for settlement in Kentucky and it will never be settled until it is settled right. God give us men I Men whom the lust for office does not kill I Men brave for just ice, men whom .the weak can trust I Men who have honor, men who will be just I Josephine K. Hknhv. LETTER FROM KANSAS. Sauna, Kansas, April to, 1891. To THE Editob : The Salina Equal Suffrage association has introduced a new feature into its meetings. The idea is borrowed from the Topeka Conversation club, to which a doien Intelligent people belong, and in which they say bright things that would enlighten the world were It not for the unfortunate fact that the rest of the denitens of this planet are excluded. In short, the whole world is mostly excluded, and the club keeps its good things to itself, ex cept, as In the instance of the present writer, when an outsider of an inquiring turn of mind and a tendency to persistence gets a clue to the proceedings. This exclusive feature is eliminated in the experiment made by the Salina Equal Suf frage association. It advertises a " conversation," to occupy one hour of the programme, and invites everyone who has an idea on the appointed topic to take a seat in the half cir cle of seats, so arranged because we want to be cosy and within talking distance of each other. We invite any who want to listen to the conversation to occupy seats in the body of our little hall and get the benefit of our wise sayings. At our last meeting our topic was "co-operative housekeeping." The rule is that the lady or gentleman sitting at the right of the chairman sen the ball rolling by giving their thoughts on the subject, and the others follow in the order In which they happen to be seated. After all have spoken the subject is open for general discussion, without regard to any order of swiking. Our first experiment proved successful. The time had stretched far beyond the intended limit be fore we knew it. We expect to take up various topics of special Interest to women, and, indeed, of general interest and Importance, and discuss them in this way. Nobody rises to speak, it is emphatically a cmwmtwn. We mean to try to broaden the work of our suffrage society in this way, and our exierimenl leads us to believe that by means of this exercise we shall bring many peo)le who care nothing about the suffrage Into the range of the woman suffrage guns. The difficulty has been to gel the pcole who are not suffrag. Ists to come to hear our lectures or mid our papers. We Imagine this plan may Induce the mountain to come to Mahomet, and we claim for It besides that Is a good mean, to the nibbing up of our will and the culture of expression and individuality. It is high tune that women held other than reflected opinions. From many cities conies word of larger registration of women than ever before. The last week of registration was one of unprecedented storm, snow and mud. Except for this, I doubt not, the registration would have been Urge, still. Kansas people, accustomed to dry streets and sunny sky, are afraid of bad weather, i t see that some of our state papert, in commenting upon the gain in the registration of women, remark upon the con.rast between the prcnl activity of woman vou-rsand what they are pleased .0 term their "inert, I... year Indicated by he small rcgistra lion " It is a curious thing that somebody has always to be recalling to the minds of men he fact that every alternate election is an "off-year" election In Kansas dies, when men poll on h t f-o. t rf cir vote. When anylxxly who think, nuke, a com,,Uon of me u of "ur various city elections, they compare corresponding election, with each "hl, Ll7e7U..n,yi.h full elecoon, and off-year, or ,rt.. election, with off- "hei-ren for voting for -ndition. rath, than th sake of voting. The Kansas l it. Star say. that women have not v led largely in k, rt'2 rerter, seemed .0 be nothing .0 require com...ir,g. and a wonun doe.nl cat ties wncrc mere Ihrottled or a wrong righted but. on the contrary, much good, direct and Indimi. con the city government Irom women . pnrticiulion. " I such a consummation, but it is pleasant to see the friends of the cause so active every, where. Another bill of the utmost importance to the women of the slate has been Introduced by Hon. Charles P. McClelund, of Westchester. It provides (or a conslitutkinol conven tion to be held In 189a, It will be rememliered that in i8&" the question " Shall there be a constitutional convention ?" was submitted to the voters of the state, as the constitution provides shall be done once In twenty years. It was answered In the affirmative ten to one. Since then bills have been several times introduced by the republican majority and vetoed by the democratic governor. As Mr. McClelland Is a democrat his lull will certain ly pass the assembly, and is sure of the governor's signature if It passes the senate also. The debates in the conferences of the Methodist Episcopal church, on the admission of women to the electoral and general conferences, have occupied much spnee and created much comment In the papers during the past week. In the New York East conference. In session at Patchogue, l,ong Island, the vote was taken by secret ballot and deckled In the negative for the measure, fifty-two; against, 15C The New York conference held In Yonkers was the scene of a stormy debute. The question was opened on a proposition that the vote should be btken by ballot. After an exciting discusskin It was decided thai each man must answer lo his name as called, notwithstanding the plaintive drclaratkm of Kev. Charles A. Howrlls, who saki he did not think a nun should be asked to cast his ballot openly. " If a man should vote against the admbskin of women lo the conferences and should happen lo be sent lo a charge in favor of It, and which knew he was against It, the women would make his life a burden." When murmurs of dissent arose he thun dered out : "One Irate woman is more than the Angel (iabriel can stand I " The whole proceedings were winched by crowds of women in the galleries, who manifeated their in dignation by eric, of " Ohl Ohl " All day Friday, Saturday and Monday the conference discussed the question of admitting women, As the time grew shorter seches were lim ited to len minutes each, and a correspondent describing the scene says that "80 eager were they to deliver their arguments in that time that their faces were pule and their hands trembled in the nervous haste of Ihelr sech and gesture." Kev. William Mi-K. liar, wood favored admitting women, because In Ihe early ages they were prominent In the church. Kev. Charles (ioss declared, truly, that Ihe women raised most of thrir sauries. Dr. George R. Crooks was opposed, because, If admitted to Ihe conferences, women might become ministers and bisho. Kev, John Miley and l)r. George K. Slrowlirklge were also opposed. On Ihe second day of the delnte Rev. W. G, Drowning and Rev. C. H. Travis mailt speeches in favor of Ihe women, and Kev. DeLoss Lull spoke against them. On the third day the debate was continued by many earnesl sprokers, Kev. Geo. H. Smith, Kev, William H. Mickle, Rev. J. H. Slone and Dr. G. H. McGrew being among thow who argued In favor, and Kev. Charles II. McAnncy, Dr. Ensign McChesney. Rev. J. J. Dean, Dr. J. K. Day, Dr. James M. King and Dr. J, V. llrrmance among those who argued against. On the roll-call the vote stood sixty ayes lo 133 noes. The arguments in the nega tive might be reviewed and annihilated with euse-for Instance Ihe renurk of Dr. Dean that women oughl not to rule, liecause, " From the Numklian Ikin lo the New Jersey mos quito, the male sex is the sex that executes a purpose." 'Ihe entomologk-ul Infoniiolkm of the reverend genllcnun must be limited, or he would know thai It Is the female mosquito which stings. He should remember Ihe rase of the sder. Ihe eagle, and numerous others, In which the female is more industrious, warlike and voluuble, The regular meeting of our Woman Suffrage league was held last Thursday evening, AfM-il ad. Mrs. Imogene C. Fales rend an admirable paprr on " The Industrial Condition of the United Sulci." It was greatly regretted that on account of a vkilenl norm the at. tendance was mull. I.II.ME DKVKItlU'X lll.AKE. 140 East Forty-fourth streel, LETTER FROM NEW VORK. New Yokh, April 10, 1891. To THE E1..T..E : i-h.uuu.iua. ha. Introduced a bill into the assembly The Hon. Walter C. Gifford. of I hu'aq . , giving the right ,0 vole a. municiH I. . rcmemlred thai a clns. of women represented n b, l b rfr th I Judge Tuley, of Chicago, recently rendered nit Interesting nd unusual decision. A man applied for a divorce on the ground dial hii wife refused lo live with him. He had previously enteral into a contract of separation, and agreed to pay his wife $100 a month, which he ceased to do in one year's time. He then went west, and two years later wrote asking her to come and live with him. 1 he court found that the separation was on account of the man's drinking and gambling habits, the transfer of his affection to another woman, and cruel treatment of his wife. The letter he wrote from Ihe west was cold and harsh. There were no regrets for his past conduct, no promise for the future, and he did not write that he had mended his ways. His wife knew that he was bankrupt, and, while he asked for everything, he gave her nothing in return. The judge held that a wife required something more than bread from her husband. She was entitled to love, affection, and attention. The husband should have shown that he could provide for her, and promised to do belter and treat her with kindness. She refused lo comply with hit letter, and the judge held that she had a right lo refuse. The husband is said to have reformed, and may now be in a position to ask her again to live with him. But at present he is not entitled lo a divorce. His bill was dis missed. Among the men who give active effort to promote the woman suffrage cause, there is no more tealoiis or persevering worker than Hamilton Willcox, of New York. The recent endorsements of woman suffrage by the American federation of labor and other influential representative bodies, have been actively promoted by him. He has aided in securing the admission of women to wider fields of usefulness, as notaries public, etc., in state and nation. When the battle for equal rights it won, women and men will share the laurels and jointly enjoy the good results.