Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1876-02-11
Woman Suffrage in Wyoming.

f chusetts Senate and House of Rel
resentatlves, to meet them in tn
Green Room, and communicate t
$ them what he personally knew of tn
practical working Of Woman SUI
frage of that territory.
The Judge began by stating, il
1 general, that the effect of voting b
i. women had been observed with muci
care and interest by men who ha,
the good of the territory at heart, AM
= he could honestly say, that he ha,
seen only beneficial results. Their
was better order at the polls; mel
guilty OF crime were more sure to b.
convicted and punished; better mel
were made candidates for Office
Ihereshad never been an appeal from
a decision Of u woman Justice of tn,
Peace, the service Of women OF
juries has been marked by thought
full and painstaking care to get a
and act upon the facts, and the Who'll,
manners of the courtroom were I'M
proved.
The statement was most satisfacto
ry. But the Suffrage Committee
wanted particular facts, They asked
whether bad women thronged the
polls? Judge Kingman said he had
never known but a single instance
where woman of bad repute ever
appeared at the polls, and that was a
poor, degraded victim of vice and of
rum, to whom some politicians prom
lsed money if she would be present
and accost every woman who came
to vote. First they made her 50
nearly drunk that she would care lit
tie what she did, and then brought
her to the polls. She approached the
first woman who came to vote, but,
before that face full of pity and sor-
row mingled with scorn, the poor
thing skunk away, and though her
political friends went after her to ply
her with rum and inducements to re-
turn, she could not be persuaded to
do so.
Judge Kingman was asked what
was the effect of the presence of the
women at the polls in regard to order
He said 'two women at the polls, are
worth more than whole regiment
of police" that there was literally
no disorder at the polls now, That
on account of the floating character
of the population at the organization
of the territory, the one election held
before the women had Suffrage was
a time or rowdyism and positive per-
sonal danger. Now that women
vote, the elections are as quiet as
they are in the most orderly New
England town; men and women vote
and go away. There is no special
ling ering about the polls, and man
who suspects that he is getting in
toNicated takes himself away. Judge
Kingmau was asked: ''Do wives
vote with their husbands?"
"Generally, but not always" was
the reply; "about as often as we find
sons voting the same way that their
fathers do"
"Docs it make disorder when they
do not?"
"On the contrary" said Judge
kingman, ''the men seem well salts
fled when their wives have the cour-
age of their opinions"
Then he mentioned a case where
Il saloon keeper was candidate for
the Legislature, in which he would
be sure to use his influence for open
ing the saloons on the Sabbath. His
wife assured him that she should use
every influence she could command
to defeat HIM, and he was defeated
But he Good-naturedly accepted his
defeat, saying that his wife chad
proven the smarter man of the two"
The Judge said, that time when
there was an effort Tor a sunday law,
which would close saloons and bus
mess places on that day, those who
wished to keep those places open
held a secret meeting on the evening
before election, and laid plans which,
the next morning, seemed to be sue
cesstul that their ticket was likely to
be elected, and to put to rout the
party of better order
Word was sent to the women,
only few of whom had that morn
ing appeared at the polls "becausc
the weather was very severe" the
Judge said Il knew it was because
4 they had been at home attending to
their domestic dutics). In the after
noon they came out in body and
voted for closed saloons, and carried
it triumphantly. This fact settled
the minds of some of the best citi-
zens, who, up to that time, had not
been quite sure that Woman Suffer
age was best.
To the question whether the vot-
ing by women had made any per
ceptible difference in the candidates
for Office, Judge Kingman replied
that it was now constant factor in
the question about candidates, evil
the women vote for him." and that
at any corner where you hear men
discussing a candidate you would be
stlc W Hcitl w III Jllc NOUlcH NoJe
for him?" and care was taken to have
candidates whose character and hab
its would command the votes of the
women.
When women began to vote in
Wyoming they were much fewer in
number than now. Men still some
what outnumber the women, but only
in the proportion Of ten to nine. AT
every election the proportion of wo
men who vote, has become larger
and at the last election women voted
much more universally than did the
men. The bitterest opponents have
in many cases become the warmest
friends in the measure. Among
others, the Congressional delegate
Col Stoelo, the speaker or the Toni
torial House of Representatives
Doth leading Democrats the Presi
dent of the Bank of Laramie City
and his wife, and others. Both par
ties cordially accepting the measure
and would resist any attempt to re
peal it.
In answerto enquiries Judge King
man stated that he had never known
or heard Of any domestic discord
growing out of political difference
I