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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 378 Introduced in House (IH)]

110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 378

  Expressing support for designation of September 6, 2008, as Louisa 
                               Swain Day.

_______________________________________________________________________

                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             June 24, 2008

  Mrs. Cubin submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was 
      referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 
  Expressing support for designation of September 6, 2008, as Louisa 
                               Swain Day.

Whereas the Wyoming Territorial Legislature passed, and Governor John A. 
        Campbell signed into law on December 10, 1869, a measure stating, ``That 
        every woman of the age of twenty-one years, residing in this territory, 
        may, at every election, to be holden under the law thereof, cast her 
        vote.'';
Whereas this Suffrage Act granted women in the Wyoming Territory the right to 
        vote with full civil and judicial equality to men;
Whereas Louisa Swain, on September 6, 1870, became the Nation's first woman 
        voter under laws guaranteeing absolute political equality to women;
Whereas she cast that vote as a 70 year-old woman in the town of Laramie's 
        municipal election;
Whereas, the Laramie Daily Sentinel wrote, ``It is comforting to note that our 
        first woman voter was really a lady . . . of the highest social standing 
        in the community, universally beloved and respected. The scene was in 
        the highest degree interesting and impressive. There was too much good 
        sense in our community for any jeers or sneers to be seen on such an 
        occasion'';
Whereas this vote was inspirational to the women's suffrage movement and to the 
        cause of civil rights;
Whereas, Wyoming's statehood, in 1890, brought the codification of this suffrage 
        right through the ratification of the new Wyoming State constitution 
        under Article 6, section 1;
Whereas, when the Congress threatened to withhold statehood from Wyoming, 
        territory legislators replied with a telegram stating that Wyoming would 
        remain out of the Union 100 years rather than join without women's 
        suffrage;
Whereas President Benjamin Harrison, on July 10, 1890, signed into law a bill 
        admitting Wyoming into the Union, and recognizing it as the Nation's 
        ``Equality State'';
Whereas these actions instigated a path to the passage of the 19th Amendment to 
        the United States Constitution 50 years after Louisa Swain's historical 
        first vote; and
Whereas September 6, 2008, would be an appropriate date to designate as Louisa 
        Swain Day: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress supports the designation of a Louisa Swain Day.
                                 <all>
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