Show OH HUMBUG ciny massachusetts protects vice and depravity CHECKED under tho present laws a girl may consent to her ruin at the ago of ten soars massachusetts with its superabundance of female population is one of the most active and valiant companions efanti boston led by joseph cook is period icalla wrought up into fever heat over mormonism and the bare idea of a man living with more wives than one even at the respectable distance of three thousand miles and with the rocky mountains in gives the spectacle and christians of the hub the shivers and prevents their beans from properly digesting in their shuddering vitala yet massachusetts that wants polygamy in utah annihilated by the mailed hand of the law even if its destruction involves the breaking up of thousands of peaceful homes and the sacrifice of liberty and life refuses to protect its own tender and immature virgins from the lusts and violence of brutal men this needs some explanation which we propose to give it ought to be interesting to all ano reflect upon the social problems of our age and country under the present laws of massachusetts chu a girl may consent to her own ruin at the apt of tea years if she is ten years old she has reached the ago of consent and may freely dispose ol 01 lier person except by way of marriage A child of ten years may be seduced by n brute of any age and it if can be established that she consented he is free irom any l gal punishment but tha law forbids the issuance of a license to marry to any girl under the age of eighteen years without the consent in writing of the parent lar guardi ian and justices or ministers who marry minors without such license or certificate render themselves lia hlll to a fine thus marriage is checked and crime raced in such a condition of the law what wonder there is auch a terrible condition of massachusetts society A young girl may consent to pros dilute her body but not give herself ju marriage A lecherous man may take advantage of trusting youth and yielding affection and destroy virtue with impunity but ho must no marry the victim of his wiled if she has not reached the age of eighteen years there may bo nothing wrong in the marriaga restriction but who can find words to express tho infamy of the provision concerning the age of consent to ruin corruption and disgrace same of the better minded people of that highly respectable old commonwealth have been striving to rectify this evil they have petitioned to raise the age of consent to sixteen years this was accomplished complis hed in old england mainly through the efforts of the pall mail gazette though it editor mr stead received imprisonment for his pains his excessive zeal leading him a little beyond tho bounds of discretion iset virtuous would have none of it the jiuu was rejected the high toned law makara of that leading state would not protect its girl children nor debar ita bovine men from their depredations it may beasker be asked what reasons did they oner for their refusal simply that it might lead to blackmailing by prostitutes thai is to eay the christain Christ yin legislators of massachusetts would rather protect the vile creatures who consort with female children than guard those children gieir wiles to protect from possible blackmail little girls of ten years old and must remain cs posed to the devices aud anarco of designing t alia excuse for its retention is worse hah the law to be retained it where aluse chriatian statesmen iaus oi tho platform of virtue baikal in their attempt to puffy the moral atmosphere nf frigid massachusetts the hava agreed tu the limit if the age of o to twelve years A little they think f better than A bill to amend tholan to this extent is pending in tha legia ligure ot that state tn tah bill become a law i not the inco ayt tency of principle U nd thu immorality podia disgusting A child cf twelve years is not capable iti massachusetts of making any contract aa property A swindler who would deprive her of n dollar can lie severely punished she cannot dispose of anything belonging to tier except virtue and any bicy wretch who can obtain its Eu can laugh U the criminal law and when ho has want he wanted fling ilio creature nto tha gutter without ar of consequences hii i f r C IM jy ja V 11 1 massachusetts guards sacredly the almighty dollar but leaves the avenues to the desecration of the bodies of its virgins without a single bulwark or n solitary sentinel thus the ways arc nand easy to lives of shame at acir years now at twelve years if the bill passes girls may be freely tempted and led into the path of infamy and the ranks of tho cyprian sisterhood bo replenished with young and raw recruits As the hospital and the dead house ren ceide the prematurely faded and decayed victims of the burning and besetting sin of the age the law helps the fiends who watch for tender prey to supply their places in the market of corruption hinder marriage facilitate prostitution imprison end despoil a man who darcies marcies and supports two wives at the same time and who feeds clothes and educates their children but lay not a hand on the seducer of any number of girls twelve years of age providing he can persuade them to yield to his perfidy no matter if they bring haupers paupers pau pers and the children aro bred to vice while tho mothers run riot to ruin and to hell some years ago several thousands of the surplus women of massachusetts chu petitioned the sate legislature to abolish the legal restrict eions that prevent a man from marrying and living with more than one wife they saw no opportunities for honorable motherhood unless this was boac so they respectfully asked for this change in the law but the proposition met with ridicule and was treated with derision and today to day while massachusetts reformers and morality are urging the destruction of constitutional liberty in utah because a few dofita population ral marriage their own state is reeking with corruption and its legislator arc protecting vice with such laws us that relating to the age of consent and by refusing to put barriers iu the way of the de spoiler df virtue oh humbug thy other name is massachusetts defered news |