Litchfield enquirer., 1873-03-06
aaman aarlrEane ln vtromInr.


 IAe fallouing letter written by Judge kn8@Mn o9 tha supreme court of Wyom- @g t0 tAe Pennsylvanin woman suffrage samSem6oas in reply Co letter of inquiry ua2 tne ansoczaki0n, cannot fail to inter sAe an thoss who. whatever may be their eRmlnmn oa the general subject, are watch As vexy lnteresting experiment that is e~lag 1aae in that te1itoTy:
 LAAAxR CErx, wruxrxe TRRRrroRY,
 December %. 1872. 1s tAe RsnnsyspaaSa Woman Ss6rage 2aoecSafsoms
 R@ n0w three years since the act was P@med giving women the right of suffrage. ed tAa EsgAt t0 hold offce. in this Terri s1Eys m aM the respects the same as other alscAnE& Under this law they have been eAeeA@d. and appointed to various offices, ed kzxe acted as jurors and justices of se@ PeaeA xhsy have very generally vot- s9 @4 an emr elections, and have taken sam@ p@E4 in making the nominations; and eaEAe1gA 8aEe are some among us who ao 1ne approve of if as . principle, I think eAeRe is 10 ono who will deny that it has bad maxksd influence in elevating our el@ee1oaz. and naEng them quiet and or d@E1Ys and m e@mbling the courts to pun
 
 esaA nns he obtained without their aid. For i1s2anee when the Territory was eEze cEgazlnsds almost every one carried a loaded revolver on his person; and as a E@etar of eo1rse, ,alkere&tions generally re- szlksd in uxfnx them. I do not remember 6 sEmgie insknnee where jury of men has eamvlrAed either party of shooting at each osA@R. even in q erOwded room, if no one w4s kiIlea. oe for killing any one, if the vse4s2 had bean armed. But with two or tARm@ wuneR on the jury, they have never failed b follow the instructions of the eonKk
 ARMin: the courts have been nearly pow sE3@@n1 with only men for jurors, in en- kcRezng tke lRws against drunkenness, wMmhalng. houses of ill-fame. and debauch- sgy in a1y of its forms. Neither grand oR pn&ik iaxies could be relied on; but a fsw wuman oa either panel changed the faee oG things at once; and from that day xAm hind of vice has trembled before the Law and hidden itself from sight, where anxmaEly iR mEAlked abroad with shameless fEo14 and hr21en confidence in protection from panishmenk
 There are. comparatively, so few women hsRs. and those are so generally kept at hs@a by domestic duties, that the courts
 
 them for jurors as was desirable. But tA0aa who have served have uniformly &C., quilted themselves with great credit Not single verdict, civil or criminal, has been aa8 aaide where women have composed 6 part of the jury. This has not been the easa. by any means. when they have not been present They have given better at- tanki0n than the men have to the progress of the trials; have remembered the evil d@nce better: have paid more heed to the charges of the court; have been less in- annmcsd by business relations, and out aide considerations; and have exhibited a ksenaR eonscientiousness in the honest dischaxge of responsibility. And have heard of no instance where they have in- ezrrsd any Odium, or ill will, or want of respect. from having served as jurors. On the contrary, I ann quite sure that in every instance they have been more high ly respected and more generally appre- siated in consequence os 1t.
 There is one other influence that has grown out of the presence of woman in the court room, both as jurors and as bai- lin. that has been most apparent and welcome; it is the quiet order and deco rum. the decent and respectful behavior, the gsatlsmanly bearing that has always beon observed in their presence. The spectators come there better dressed, chew lsss tobacco and spit less, sit more quiet ly in their seats, walk more carefully on the floor. talk and whisper less and in all respects the court room assumes a more digni6ed and business-like air; and better pEogress is made in dispOsing of the mat SaR in hand.
 Certainly all the effects in our courts
 
 participation of women in the administra- si0n of the laws. has been most beneficial aa4 satisfactory; and it seems to me peculiarly proper that those who suffer W0at from the commission of crime and tho evils of viea. should take part in its sappresssOn and puniRhment.
 There is annother matter in which we have been greatly benefited by this law; and that is the change it has wrought on election days, and its influence at the pollA Formerly our elections were scenes of drunken revel, and noise of fighting and not But when the women came to vote, they were always treated with the atten- eoa and respect everywhere shown to women in the United States. If there w@8 crowd around the polls they always gave wsy when women approached, and wsze sileak and orderly while she deposit cd her vote and went away. If men be- came intoxicated, they did not remain tA@Ee where the women would see them. No noszy disc1ssi0ns would arise around tA@ po1la. because invariably, when a wo- came up. all such conversations would ea@.G. The fact has been that very few people gathered at the polls; and noise Gl4 &ghfing. not and drunkenness have ha@3 entirely unknown there. If men 9EAMk tea mnch as they sometimes did, tA9y rs@ainsd st the drinking shops, each Pokkleal party by itself; and consequently avoided tha Quagrels and collisions that @ oisea 0cears while the people went to tAe po1ls and voted as quietly as they go Co eAnreA This of itself has been a gain 5n 01r commnnity of no small moment
 Al ers& there was quite a number of wo@ea vh0 refused to vote, but at every s1seGSoa that number has grown less, un- all nOw veEy few. if any. fail to exercise ehe pxiSiledge. Many refuse to vote as tAelH husbands do, but I have not heard 0f any d0meatic discord or trouble grow iag oat of sncA a course.
 h conclusion I wish to say. as broadly aa4 as unqnal6edly as can express it, that wAile \ have seen a great many ad- Wanenass and much public good grow out of thi8 change in our laws, I have seen nn1a of the evils 0F disadvantages SC gen. sFmlly appRehended and so warmly de- n01need by the opponents of the measure
 Very respectfully,
 I. W. KINGMAN, Aasoaiaas junsies United States supreme eOuzt. Wyo@ing Territory.