The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1877-06-15
WOMAN SUFFRAGE WHERE IT BX.
lists.

ISTS.
For seven years past women have had
the legal right to vote in Wyoming, and
have voted at every election held there
10 that time. At the time of the pas
sage of the law it was opposed by large
majority of the people, and was enacted
by the Legislature as an experiment,
some claim as joke. At the next ses-
sion an attempt was made to repeal the
law, but failed, because, we believe, of
the interposition of Governor Camp
BELLS veto. Since that time repeal has
been talked some, but no serious at
tempt has been made to press it. Every
resident of the Territory knows that
such a repeal would now be much more
unpopular than was the enactment of
the law.
A Catholic clergy of Denver, Col
orado, recently delivered a lecture
against Woman Suffrage in his church,
which was filled with such gross mis-
representations relative to the result of
Woman Suffrage in Wyoming that
Methodist clergyman of the same city
addressed prominent citizens of Laramie
and Cheyenne asking information upon
the subject, and received the most salts
factory replies concerning the matter,
signed by number of the most promi-
nent citizens of both cities. Extracts
from these letters should put the "expe-
diency" question forever at rest, and
give a permanent quietus to many of
the so-called objections to Woman Suf-
frage which opponents so delight to re-
iterate, and in the hope that they will
do so, we give a few. Remember, you
who read them, that this is evidence
freely given by prominent and intelli-
gent citizens who have witnessed the
workings of Woman Suffrage for more
than seven years. 1t is no hearsay, re-
tailed by some tourist who has sped over
the plains of Wyoming on the cars, per-
haps not tarrying a week all told within
its boundaries, but the expressed decla-
ration of bona tide residents:
Eight years experience has demolished all
the favorite arguments against Woman Suf
frage that were urged before its adoption. In
addition to the gloomy predictions as to its
baleful effects on women themselves, it was
:. urged confidently that it would break up fami
, lies; breed contention between husband and
wife; cause the mother to neglect her children
, and require the husband to take her place al
home. And 1t was said again that women die
! not want it, and would not exercise the right Il
conferred. None of which arguments could bt
answered because they were simply theories ol
predictions, and contrary statements, or asser
/ tions, had no better foundations. But Wyom
ing has answered all by the conclusive argu
3 ment of experiment.
l. Families suffer no more from disagree
ments on political questions arising between
r husband and wife than from disagreement
= about thousands of other questions that dali!
arise in household affairs.
2. The interests of the family do not suffe
more in consequence of the mothers participa
t patton in politics than they do in consequence
| of attention to shopping and church societies
committees, or sociables.
8. The right is universally exercised ant
r highly priced, even by those women who a
: first bitterly opposed it as the probable de
stroyer of society.
In short, the family is not in the least dis
turbed, and in every respect pursues the evel
Z tenor of its way, unruff1ed as before. And II
e the light of the present, those arguments loo
G as absurd as does the old theory that the SUI
revolved around the earth.
= To the letter from which this extrac
/ is taken is signed the names of eigh
O residents of Cheyenne, including that G
v the mayor, pastors of churches, attor
neys-at-law, and delegate elect to Con
gress. To the following is affixed tn
names of the postmaster at Larami
City, the late speaker of the Territoria
u House, the clerk, sheriff, probate Judg
and treasurer of Albany county, an
p the pastors of the NJ. E. and Presbytt
rian Churches:
oI We have had opportunity to watch I'll
l. practical effect of Woman Suffrage here for IL
,s past seven years, and have seen none of I'll
evil results prophesied for it by its opponent
We never heard of a case of domestic troub
growing out of il. Women have not been d
Is graded or demoralized. On the contrary, the
l. have, in a quiet, lady-like manner, exercise
:, their elective franchise, as rule, in favor
law, order and good government. Their inf
IL ence has done much to refine the politics
OF our Territory, and TO divest them OF their o
as jectional features, and all lovers ofIaw and 0
der in this Territory, of whatever polite
faith, acknowledge the benefits of woman's
'e dning influence in our local government.
{, Let this testimony stand out in bo
~ refutation of the assertion so often mat
by "penny-a-liners" and copied wit
- such unseemly and ill-concealed glee |
&c narrow-minded editors, that "Woms
- Suffrage is a failure in Wyoming"
1 1 II WAS KEPT IN"