Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1872-02-02
us'O.u.S.v SUFFRAGE ~. uv.y.O-
.NI.vG.

IL reads almost like II romance--or the
record of some carnival time-this story of
woman's advent TO legal power in Wyo-
ming. There is grotesque and cxagcrat-
ed air about all the stories concerning her
brief reign there which makes one at first
incredulous. Yet responsible witnesses
affirm that they are strictly true. Since
December, 1869, when the bachelor Legis-
lature of the Territory, moved by admira-
ton for the fair sex, gave them the right of
suffrage, there have been lynx-eyes fasten-
cd upon every movement of the ladies in
their efforts 20 help govern. In this new
Territory, where there was an incult but
sturdy reverence for womanKind, the ad-
vent of female justice of the peace was
not received with the unmanly and unman-
nerly ridicule which any new departure by
the advocates of "woman's rights" receives
in certain Eastern cities. But ii was dis
covered that the newly made judge found
her position decidedly embarrassing
SO much because of its ncwness as.of GER
tain peculiarities inherent in female char
acter. Charges and sentences were grace
fully and pointedly delivered, but there
was an unpleasant tendency TO allow law
ycrs to make their debates intcrmiuablc, rs
woman, who so dearly loves the last word,
did not understand that she must cut the
thread of discussion at some point. The
female Justices were also, il seems, conlus-
ed and apt TO close the run of the story"
when the immense number of objections,
exceptions, dcmurrcis, and attorneys
pleadings were brought in on purpose to
annoy and divert.
1t seems strange, too, TO read of drunk
On husband brought before his wife, the
justice, and sent to n cell, firstly, for con-
tempt of court, and secondly, for drunk
enness. Yet ii actually happened in Wyo-
ming, and the lady herself went bonds for
her recreant lord. Compensation for this
somewhat sudden reversal of ancient ira
ditions came suddenly, one day, however,
TO this lady arbiter of men sentences for
she was compelled hastily 10 retire from
court, after an exhausting session, and the
recently humiliated husband arrived short
~ after to announce that "mother and
child were as well us could be expected"
The parties endeavoring to secure the re-
peal o. the woman suffrage act in Wyo-
ming do not put forward these flcts in an
offensive manner; they simply allege
them. They claim that prisoner on one
occasion went TO prison FOR life rather than
have his appealed case tried by woman
jury. He had been before the lady jurors
once, and found that it took them an ago
nizng tine TO agree. The jury duties
seem TO have been most unsatisfactory, as
they disturbed family relations, kept wo-
men from their homes for long season.
and improperly fatigued them at undue
times. The presence of women at the polls
is admitted by friend and foe of the pres
ent act TO be sautary, and a Wyoming
judge now sits in Congress as the first rep
resentative of female constituency. 1t
would not seem, however, that Western
manners are much soitened by woman
suffrage, for on one occasion, when a crowd
of ladies were introduced to pack a meet
ing, the opposing faction threatened vio-
lence, and the ballot was insisted upon
The suffrage in Wyoming has been neither
failure nor success up TO date, and ii is
fair to hear both sides. -B0StOn journal.