"WOMEN PETITIONING FOR POLYGAMY.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XIII, Issue 3527, 2 February 1880, Page 3

"WOMEN PETITIONING FOR POLYGAMY.

The Some News writes:—As in England, the fomulfl difficulty is just now making itself felt in serious ways in America, and it has been the subjectof much interesting comment in the IVew England States of late years to decide what shall be done with the surplus female population. The preponderance of the gentler sex has no precedent. They overflow the factories, fill tho stores, over-run the streets, and hasten by the score to answer any advertisement from an employer. At one time the energies of New England girls were bent on securing a husband, now they are given to getting a living. Once the young men of INow Hampshire, Maine, Ehode Island, Connecticut, and Termont turned their attention to agriculture and trade at borne, but now they sell out their farms as soon as the old folks are dead, and go westward to take hold of new enterprises. They do not so much as take a wife with them, but leave tho'maidens they went hand in hand to school with to live in single loneliness and earn their own living. Thus year by year tho roll of unmarried women increases, and the prospects of getting husbands grow moro gloomy, Tho women of Massachusetts aro about to make au ofiott to improve, this state of

t»»irouix».i.MjQ» CJ=gran - :M . Ail _ u^iJl|-1 _ uu- , |U . J>|T , ;|: , lta affairs. A fermcnla'ion has broken ontin mi open movement Awards larger lilorty for both men ard •.■.-onvn, has culminated in tho foUovvinß petition being sent ib. the State Legislature:—"To the Hon. the. Senate nnd House of Jiepresen' iatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. '! ho undersigned, citizens of the Slate, set forth the grievances under which they suffer as women who are not permitted to vote, hold any aud all offices, find engage in occupations open to men, and are otherwise restricted in tho opportunity of earning a living, and hereby bpg year permission to suggest a remedy for these evils, upon which they pray your honourable tody to act. The law which nnw govern society saya, practically, that women should bs married, should engage in work in their own homes, and should look to their husbands for support. On the other hand, the census reports show Unit it 18 impossible to carry out this unwritten biUrccognised law, but the reason that Ihcro is an excess of women iu tho Common wealth, mid many of tho men of lawful age idle, vicious, incompetent u r otherwise unfit to becom-s tho heads of households Yet your poiilionors hold that the matter is not without remedy, Prejudices and customs have decided in favor of restricting the husband.to a single wife, yet without justice or authority, as we believe In a book which lies at, tho bottom of all law recognised in this country there is no injunction against a plurality of wives, while there are many examples ihoreiu recorded in its favor. Men's wives appear to bavo increased in proportion to their flocks and riches.. Snob a rulo even now holds in tho land from which the Christian nations reoeivod their religion. Your petitioners have no desire lo interfere with the regulations of any existing household, but simply to present, their claims to tho. marnago law for vour respectful confederation, They deem it their privilege and their duty to suggest the abolition of tho law against the marriage of a man to more than one wife., in cases where tho first wife does not object, and when it is evident that the man is able to support the additional burden laid upon his resources. They are aware that it may lake years to remove prejudice, and those who take a second or third place in the household may be looked upon with disfavor; but confident that their proposed action will ■ ultimately do away with much of tho social evil that afflicts and distresses all communities,' they are willing to be the first to engage in the work of this reform, Society, which now insists that women shall be married and look' to their husbands for support, will, after mature reflection countenance its efforts to carry out its laws practically. It is far from the design of jour petitioners' to ask legislation in behalf of freo love or any loosening of the marriago bond. We ask that the marriage of the Becondrwife be made as binding and permanent aithat' of the first, and that ail children "of Hue household shall have equal honour, find in asking this we believe that we have taken along step towards doing away with foundling asylums, preventing antenatal murders and lessening tho vagabond child population of our large cities. For,, the < reason enumerated, your petitoners respectfully ask the passage of a law permitting plural marriage in cases above enumerated, and undor such other conditioas as to your judgment shall be wißo and proper. And your petitioners will ever pray, &e. &c. This remarkable document bears over 200 signatures, all belonging to woman of American parentage, and many of the family names have been well known in England for a quarter of a uentury,