1575 
/ 
Vhe  RURAL  NEW-YORKER 
closure  and  sale  under  the.  mortgage  This  added  to  what  they  were  specifically 
there  would  have  to  he  a  public  sale,  and  given  would  give  the  widow  and  the 
anyone  could  bid,  and  you  would  have  fourth  child  $7,500  each  and  the  other 
to  take  your  chance  along  with  anyone  three  children  $0,500  each,  and  the  tax 
else  who  wanted  it.  The  foreclosure  would  therefore  be  $25  for  each  of  the 
would  cut.  off  the  dower  right,  ns  the  wife  first  and  $15  each  for  the  last,  respect- 
would  have  to  be  made  a  party  to  the  ively.  The  total  tax  would  be  $95. 
action.  The  expense  of  foreclosure  varies  - 
according  to  the  number  of  defendants,  . 
cost  of  search,  etc.,  but  it  would  be  in  the  Distribution  of  Property 
neighborhood  of,  say,  $150.  1  u  „  wornan  (i;Pa  lpnvinir  no  children 
What  Ailed  The  Western  States  ? 
Part  IV, 
women  generally  voted  as  they  pleased, 
and  cared  less  for  party  discipline  than 
the  men  did. 
The  Woman’s  Vote. 
We  have  shown  thus  far  how  many 
Western  farmers  regarded  the  cjuestion  of 
“prosperity”  money  and  party  politics. 
Many  Eastern  people  want  to  know  how 
the  women  voted  and  tchy.  In  order  to 
make  sure  of  this  we  sent  letters  to  many 
of  our  women  readers  in  the  Western 
States.  These  were  sent  to  names  taken 
at  random,  but  we  seem  to  have  struck  a 
majority  of  women  who  voted  for  Hughes 
and  therefore  ought  to  give  fair  testi¬ 
mony.  Perhaps  the  best  way  to  get  at  it 
is  to  print  actual  letters  as  they  came  to 
ns.  Here  is  one  from  a  man  in  Idaho : 
Democratic  women  were  very  busy. 
Mrs.  Society  Leader  called  mother  up  at 
the  ’phone.*  “My  dear  Mrs.  .Tones,  how 
are  you  to-day?  How  is  the  family?  I 
thought  I  would  call  you  up  and  ask 
you  bow  you  decided  to  vote.”  Mother 
replied  that  she  had  hardly  decided  yet. 
“Well,  now,  you  know,  Mrs.  Jones,  that  a 
vote  for  Mr.  Hughes  means  a  vote  for 
war.  Mr.  Wilson  has  kept  us  out  of  the 
war,  and  he  will  continue  to  dq  so.  It  is 
very  important  to  re-elect,  him.  You 
don't  want  your  husband  or  son  to  have 
to  go  to  war,  and  perhaps  be  killed  or 
crippled  for  life.  1  have  two  sons  myself, 
and  l  very  much  want  to  keep  them. 
Roosevelt  seems  to  be  running  things,  and 
you  know  bow  hot-beaded  he  is.  We  must, 
elect  the  cool-headed  Mr.  Wilson.  I  do 
hope  you  will  vote  for  him  even  if  you 
are  a  Republican.  Well,  good-bye,  Mrs. 
.Tones  ;  be  sure  and  call  on  me  wheif  you 
come  to  town.” 
Mother  is  a  bit  confused  on  the  sub¬ 
ject  of  voting  for  President.  She  asks 
father  his  opinion.  Father  is  rankling 
under  some  insult  the  standpatters  have 
been  handing  out,  and  tells  her  he  “don’t 
care  a  continental  how  she  votes.”  “The 
Republicans  deserve  to  be  beaten  the  way 
they  are  acting."  Result,  mother  votes 
for  Wilson,  then  turns  to  Republican 
State  and  county  ticket  and  votes  it 
straight.  Democratic  women  by  hun¬ 
dreds  pursued  these  tactics,  and  mother 
elected  Wilson.  Father  swallowed  his 
Adam’s  apple  a  time  or  two  and  voted 
for  Hughes.  F.  L.  hoskins. 
Idaho. 
Here  is  a  letter  from  a  woman  in 
Washington.  We  think  it  is  wise  to  let 
these  voters  speak  their  minds  freely,  as 
in  no  other  way  can  our  Eastern  people 
understand : 
The  majority  of  the  women  of  Wash¬ 
ington  vote  with  the  men  on  questions  of 
national  importance  In  our  own  neigh¬ 
borhood  many  old-time  Republicans  voted 
for  Wilson  because  they  did  not  like  Mr. 
Hughes’  speeches  in  regard  to  the  Ad¬ 
ministration.  One  Republican  said  to 
me:  “I  believe  in  the  protective  tariff, 
and  never  voted  for  a  Democratic  Presi¬ 
dent  before,  but  I  don’t  like  that  man 
Hughes  and  his  abuse.  If  I  would  abuse 
my  neighbors  in  that  way  I  could  not  live 
here.”  lie  and  his  wife  both  voted  for 
Wilson  and  Lister,  but  .voted  the  rest  of 
the  Republican  ticket.  If  Mr.  Hughes 
and  Mr.  Roosevelt  lmd  both  stayed  East 
of  the  Mississippi  River  their  tickets 
would  have  been  the  gainer.  The  “Mil¬ 
lionaire  Special”  was  u  mistake,  too.  as 
far  as  Western  women  are  concerned. 
They  prefer  to  do  their  own  thinking. 
MRS.  W.  T.  DRAKE. 
And  here  is  a  note  from  another  Far 
Western  voter.  You  will  see  that  these 
Western  people  talk  straight  and  say 
what  they  think  without  reserve. 
You  ask  me  why  Mr.  Hughes  was  un¬ 
popular  in  this  part  of  the  country;  there 
are  several  motives  back  of  his  unpop¬ 
ularity.  although  I  voted  for  Mr.  Hughes. 
When  Mr.  Hughes  first  visited  this  State 
on  his  speech-making  tour,  he  did  not 
seem  to  talk  about  anything,  but  only 
criticized  the  present  Administration.  He 
did  not  offer  any  remedy  ;  he  did  not  say 
what  he  would  have  done.  In  other 
words  he  did  too  much  “knocking.”  which 
does  not  take  well  with  the  Western 
people.  Adding  to  this  unpopularity  was 
the  sending  out.  of  t ho  so-called  “Golden 
Special”  party,  consisting  of  rich  New 
Yorkers,  who  came  out  here  to  plead  for 
the  cause  of  woman’s  suffrage  and  for 
the  election  of  Mr.  Hughes.  Third,  Mr. 
Roosevelt's  speeches  urging  the  election 
of  Mr.  Hughes  contributed  largely  to  his 
defeat  in  the  State.  The  people  out  here 
do  not  approve  of  Mr.  Roosevelt’s  atti¬ 
tude  regarding  excessive  appropriations 
for  preparedness  and  his  warlike  spirit. 
Woman  at  Law 
Getting  Rid  of  Dower  Right 
My  father  owns  a  farm  with  a  small 
mortgage  against  it.  Four  years  ago  he 
married  his  second  wife.  They  are  nut 
living  together  and  have  not  for  two  years. 
She  will  not  sign  off  so  he  can  sell  it. 
Can  the  one  who  holds  the  mortgage 
foreclose  it,  and  still  have  any  chance 
to  buy  and  get  a  clear  title  of  farm,  or 
will  it  have  to  be  advertised  publicly? 
Oan  the  second  wife  bold  any  claim  then, 
and  what  would  be  the  expense  of  such 
proceedings?  l.  a.  ir. 
New  York. 
It  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  get  rid  of 
a  wife's  dower  right.  Could  you  not 
figure  out  the  cash  value  of  her  dower 
interest  now.  and  offer  it  to  her  to  sign 
off?  Has  she  given  ground  for  divorce? 
Where  judgment  in  divorce  is  rendered 
against  the  wife,  she  is  not  entitled  to 
dower  in  any  of  the  husband’s  real  prop¬ 
erty  nor  to  •-  share  in  bis  personalty. 
Failing  in  either  of  these  ways,  the  hus¬ 
band  has  not  much  chance.  On  a  fore- 
Amount  of  Inheritance  Tax  her  personal  belongings  and  property  in 
A  man  died  leaving  a  widow  and  four  .  ,  .  . 
children  and  an  estate  of  about  $55,000.  —  ]  womans  father  Willed  his 
To  the  widow  be  leaves  $5,000,  to  three  property  to  her  mother  and  at  the_  moth- 
children  he  leaves  $4,000  each,  and  to  ,’1‘  *  'leath  to  his  children.  Now  if  this 
the  other  child  he  leaves  $5,000,  and  the  daughter  dies  before  the  mother  will  her 
balance  of  the  estate  to  be  divided  equally  husband  receive  her  share  of  her  fath- 
•with  the  widow  and  children.  There  er  s  property  or  does  it  go  back  to  the 
are  hills  of  about  $500  to  be  paid  out  of  other  children .  b. 
the  estate  before  divided.  Can  you  tell  1.  No ;  after  the  payment  of  debts  and 
me  what  the  inheritance  tax  will  be  in  funeral  expenses  he  receives  half,  ami 
New  York  State  on  each  of  the  chil-  the  balance  goes  to  the  next  of  kin.  If 
dren’s  share,  and  how  much  will  the  tax  there  are  no  descendants  (children)  nor 
be  on  the  whole  to  go  to  the  State?  parent,  brother  or  sister,  nephew  or  niece 
New  York.  w.  c.  of  the  wife,  the  husband  would  take  it 
All  property  passing  to  the  wife  and 
children  up  to  the  value  of  $5,000  each  2.  There  being  a  will,  what  happens  is 
is  exempt  from  inheritance  tax.  All  entirely  dependent  on  its  terms,  that  is 
amounts  above  this  sum  are  taxed  at  the  whether  the  father  left,  it  to  his  wife 
rate  of  1%.  The  expense  of  administra-  for  life  and  then  to  the  children  then 
tion,  and  debts  of  the  estate  are  first  living,  or  in  some  other  way.  If  he  gave 
deducted  as  no  tax  is  paid  on  the  sums  it  to  his  wife  for  life  and  remainder  over 
used  for  these  purposes.  After  the  spe-  to  his  children,  then  only  the  children 
cific  bequests,  and  the  deduction  of  the  living  at  the  time  of  his  death  would 
$500  for  expenses  there  would  be  left,  for  take  and  the  daughter’s  husband  would 
distribution  $12,500  or  $2,500  to  each,  have  no  interest  in  the  property. 
While  Your  Coal-Hod  has 
been  shrinking  KEROSENE 
has  stayed  the  same 
Coal  has  been  going  up — and  up! 
The  papers  say  it  may  jump  still  higher  before  the  winter 
is  over. 
Go  light  on  coal — burn 
SOCONY  KEROSENE 
A  gallon  of  Socony  Kerosene  costs  from  10  to  15  cents. 
Burned  in  a  Perfection  Oil  Heater  it  will  warm  any  ordin¬ 
ary  room  for  10  full  hours. 
10  or  15  cents  worth  of  coal  is  about  half  a  acuttle-full— and  there** 
small  comfort  in  a  scuttle  of  coal  these 
A  Perfection  is  on  when  you  need  it  J 
and  off  when  the  weather  turns  mild.  >88^1 
You  carry  it  upstairs  and  downstairs,  SV 
wherever  you  want  it.  /wBTpnpnjJWJflX 
But  the  furnace  stays  in  the  cellar,  //|  y  I  ^ ^  ImT 
steadily  burning  up  the  dollars.  Ill  i  I  n  ill 
Get  out  your  old  oil  heater,  or  order  UUU  KEROSENE  HI// 
a  new  one  today.  See  that  the  grocer  j  nil  » 1JJ 
Company's  best  graae  oi  reun 
oil.  Look  for  the  Socony  Sign 
his  window. 
STANDARD  OIL  CO.  of  NEW  YORK 
(Princ 
New  York  Albany 
STANOAROOl  LCOJC  N.Y. 
We  judge  from  these  letters  that  quite 
a  majority  of  Western  women  voted  for 
Wilson.  The  chief  argument  with  them 
was  “he  kept  us  out  of  war.”  Many  of 
them  evidently  resented  the  idea  of  send¬ 
ing  the  “suffrage  train”  from  the  Atlantic 
coast  through  the  West.  That  train  was 
evidently  a  political  mistake — it  lost 
votes  instead  of  gaining  them.  The 
Buffalo 
Boston 
