Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1878-12-18
Wo MAN SUFFRAGE IN WYOMING
How the Women Voted In Chey
enne Nov. 0-Scenes about
the Polls.


enne Nov. 0-Scenes about
the Polls.
Miss Matilda Hurdman writes In
the Denver Mirror:
Almost ten years ago the women of
Wyoming were enfranchised. The
oppOsers Of the measure prophesied
failure. "You have" said they.
thrust this burden upon the women.
They did not ask for 1t and do not
want 1t. You have donethe ignorant
and lewd women favor perhaps, for
they will doubtless avail themselves
Of the opportunity of making money
by selling their votes. But respecta-
BILE women will not degrade them.
selves by going to the polls. It will
not be many years until you will be
glad to undo what you have done to-
day."
Arriving in Cheyenne the day be-
fore election, we made inquiries of
those whose intelligence, position, oc-
cupation and business best fitted them
to give the desired information.
Seven Of the eight, four gentlemen
and four ladies, with whom we talk
ed, spoke In highest terms of the benz
eficial results of the measure. The
eighth, though declaring himself In
favor of equal rights because sshe
believed cultivated, educated.
woman was as good as an ignorant
negro or drunken white man. vet
he must say, female suffrage is not q
success" When asked, after he had
asserted that only women who could
be bought voted, II he said respecta-
BILE women did not vote, he answered
that he would not say 90. Finally he
said he could give no statistical infor-
nation on the matter.
One gentleman who is considered
an opponent to woman suffrage said
to us that two very beneficial results
had come from the enfranchisement
Of women. One was that both politi-
cal parties had been compelled to
nominate better men fol Office
Though men would, for the sake of
Office, vote for immoral men, their
wives refused to do 80, often voting
for the opposing candidate, and their
husbands commended them for 1t.
The other good spoken Of was the
protection ofproperty-owners in their
right.
Most men who own property"
said he, "have q wife, sisters, and
mother, whose votes Offset the votes
of the reckless, worthless renegades
who have no property, q kind of float-
ing population that believe those who
have property are their enemies, and
who atevery opportunity vote against
the moral interests of the town.
"But you will see how many and
what class of women vote Ii you
stand near the poll,n said all with
whom we talked, except one.
In the town are two polling places.
At one of these, a nicely furnished
room in the Inter- Ocean Hotel, the
most Of the women vote, and some
gentlemen who have accompanied
their wives and sisters, with Others
who, on account Of the order, quiet
ana neatness that prevails, doubtless
prefer to cast their votes here.
In this room, the floor of which is
covered with Brussels carpet. sat the
Judges and clerks Of election-three
ladies' and twogentlemen. The BRIGHT.
intelligent and pleasant faces Of the
ladies, and the dignifled and pleasine
manners of the 9entiemen, paye 4
nome stEs - trance that was very
agreessDs ~ one could not fall e
o..s.,. ..x S,S.tssss y - Should be made q
- a ! nasssr .