Show MEMORIAL TO CONGRESS cor COl GRESS BY THE WOMAN WOMAX suffrage association OF pennsylvania to the senate and giouse of representatives senta tives in congress assembled senator Freling huysen on the tile the ard 3rd of december 1873 presented to the senate seriate of the united states a bill to aid in the execution of the laws of we tile territory of utah and fo rother purposes purpose which was read twice and ordered ordered to be printed and whereas there are certain sections in that bill which if it becomes a law will do great injury to a large number or of the citizens of that territory first in that it will disfranchise the women who aro are aro are now voters second it will prevent women from serving 0 on either petit or grand juries third it will subject them to fine and imprisonment if they attempt to vote fourth it will prohibit the legislature gi slature of the tho territory from ever passing a law tores to restore store storo th these ese eso rights ta see sections sect loris 5 6 7 19 22 and an d 24 of said bill and whereas senator logan on the ath day of Dec 1873 also aiso presented to the senate of the united states a bill with the tile above named hamed provisions and containing another section which reads as follows sec 13 3 that the common law of Eng Erig landas it existed in the colonies at the date of the tile declaration of independence is hereby extended L d over and add declared to be in force in the territory of utah so far as tile the same is practicable babl ea bl and whereas these sections seem unjust and oppressive your petitioner in behalf of woman and by authority of the woman suffrage association so of the state of pennsylvania would respectfully pray your honorable bodies not to pass a law containing the neove named sees sections tiong s nor any law whatever by which the women of utah may be franchised disfranchised dis or in any way be deprived of their civil or political rights we pray your honorable liono rable rabie bodies to gra grant I 1 it our petition for tile tiie following reasons first because the tile dis franchising of these women will render them thein wholly subject to the power of the men who are voters in that eliat territory as they will be compelled to obey laws which they had no voice voice in making and will have no power of repealing however unjust cruel or oppressive they may be and thus will many of these women become more hopelessly subject to the corrupt influences existing ingin in that territory second A law that franchises disfranchises dis any class of for high crimes and misdemeanors is cruel and tyrannical iii in its nature and no such law can ever be enacted by a truly democratic government third hird such a law would force one half the people of utah to be governed without their consent would compel them to pay tax without deprive they of a trial by a jury of their peers all of which aro aio direct violations of the fundamental principles of our government bourth fourth As the tha united states government has never disfranchise ed any of its citizen citizens except great criminal this law would place these women who wha are not charged with any crime in tile the category of felons a and nd traitors fifth fifths if the common law of E england is extended over and declared to be in force in the territory of utah married worn women n will be entirely subject to the will of their husband husbands and tho the legitimate mother will be rendered powerless for the common law declares that the very being and existence of the wife 0 is suspended during marriage that the mother as such has no power it gives the ii husband Us compi complete e to control over the tile wife gives him the right to the tile custody of her per por person con zon and to her strict obe obedience diance a r right ight to her time property services earnings and children this law would subject the women of utah to the most crul cruel A proscriptions prescriptions ions it the sacredness of the marria marriage go relation by making it a contract between masterana mast master masten erand enand and servant giving the husband coid coiA complete pleto pieto supremacy and reducing tile the wife to abject submission tib mission llla ISIA MATILDA TILDIA hindman agent agat of the woman suffrage association of the state of pennsyl pennsylvania |