Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-12-22
Suffrage In Wyo,nins.
SrR1NerIELp, ILL.,, Dec. 10

w nAANOH AASAAASy Assst ~SSs AVs
To the Editor of<he Kyening Post.
I perceive in your paper Of the
9th inst. an editorial headed death
of Woman Suffrage in Wyoming, -
(which, whatever nfigAs lsve been
the basis of the writer, docs not
correctly state the history Of the
law of that Territory comforting
the right of suffrage to woman.
I presume you will allow me to
state for publication the facts Of the
case as / learned them from Cover
nor Campbell, Chief Justice Howe
and others Of that Territory, short
ly after the law was passed, and
leave it to your readers whether
woman suffrage has had an in4oar-
tial and fair trial.
At the first election, in 1869, the
two houses of the Legislature were
exclusively Democratic, and there
were, if l rightly remember, out of
the entire number of twenty men,
bers, five livery stable and whisky
saloon keepers, one or two lawyers,
of whom the less said tho better,
and some good men. This Legis-
laturc quarrcled with the Governor
and tried to treat him with con-
tempt, and among other things they,
without anyone requesting the pas
sage of such law, conceived the
idea that they could put good
joke on him by passing the law in
question. He, it will be remember
ed, was a bachelor, and opposed 10
woman suffrage. They supposed
he would veto the bill; 50 it was
passed by q nearly, if not quite,
unanimous vote in both houses.
The Governor conceived, how.
ever, that some jokes had two edges,
and under the advice Of some other
territorial officers signed the bill,
and it became law. 4
In it's effects, as jurors. women
were found not to tolerate those
twin vices of lcwdness and drunk
enness, which prevail to considera-
BILE extent in the new territory.
They were unsafe persons to act
as Jurors on the trial of persons
charged with these offences.
At the polls, lcwd women did not
stake front Seats" or, indeed, any
seats. The first woman's vote was
cast by lady over seventy years
old, and smoking, swearing and
fighting did not exist.
Women sometimes voted one way
and husbands the other; yet
there was no increased crop OF
divorces or matrimonial squabbles,
Further, at the election of 1869, the
Democratic candidate for delegate
in Congress was man Of low char.
acter. Judge Jones, the Republi.
can candidate, was man of excel
lent reputation. The women sup.
ported the latter, and he was elect.
cd-elected only in consequence OF
womcn's votes in his favor. This,
Of course, made Democrats quarrel
with the law.
Again, in August, 1871, new
Legislature was elected, and it had
a majority in both houscs-only
three or four Republicans being
elected in one house, but these it is
said, owed their election to woman's
votes. Here was a fresh grievance
for Democrats. Such work as that
could not be borne by them. They
have, therefore, voted to repeal the
law.
And now you pronounce the law
! q ssseeming failure" Was the law
conceived by its friends? Was il
in force among people majority
! of whom desired it? Who ever be-
fore thought Of declaring any law q
failure whose execution and ever
liberation was not in the hands OF
its friends. Gov. Campbell rightly
| said, "Women have made good
office-holdcrs, and in the jury room
are intelligent, faithful and CT
ticicnt." And this comes from one
who was originally opposed to thcil
exercising these rights, an ole
bachelor, presumably having nc
high regard for them as women.
What reason then does the ex
pertinent in Wyoming afford fol
declaring womcn's suffrage a fail
ure? RENO.