Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1882-04-11
FROM THE FAR WEST.
WYOMING TERRITORY, !
E.h Ok 1870


To the Editor Of the oxford Democrat:
Duriug the last ffteen months l have
had occasion to visit the two principal
towns Of Wyoming, Laramie City snc
Cheyenne, some six times. They are both
rather remarkable towns, and especiall,
Cheyenne. suppose no town in the In
tied States hs- been more largely adver-
tised as a He'll on Earth" than this same
Cheyenne. The all-prevsiliug 7. T. Bar
NUN, in his journey round the world will
Tom Thumb, had TO report thirty sever
siloons on the way from the hotel to th.
station, and the reputation OF the town
was correspondngly bad in all particulars.
1t has, now, a population OF 1000, against
1000 in the days Of the great Black Hills
ex itement. There are to-day perhaps 20
licensed saloons and great number OF
hotel bars, and still many people say tina
drunkenness Is seldom seen upon tt'
streets. explain this fact. which OF
serve to be fact, by stating that the po-
lice arrest every drunken man seen on the
streets, and inssmuch as the officer o'-
tiins two dollars for every arrest, tie
streets are very quiet, iudeed-much more
quiet than the town OF Greeley, where
there arc no saloons and the boys are a
lowed on the streets at all times, and lit e
Use Is made of the cooler
Cheyenne, although still very immorsl
town, has improved immensely within
few years. There are now six thrift
churches whose influence Is already felt.
But auy garrison town should have our
sympathy, for 1t bound 10 be immoral.
The officers and soldiers OF the army &C.
mand immortality and tue TO the law OF
.upply aud demand, great wrongs come
,kulking in. Aud they don't always skuik.
ither. In this particular Laramie ard
Cheyenne are alike, Fl. Saunders oeits
.oca,ed near the one and Fl Russell neal
near the other. Some time since an en-
listed man was court -martisled somewher'
further west for writing that the regular
rmy wa. a school of vice. II not Away,
wise to utter ones convictions. l pre-
,ume II there had not been most nnpa'-
table truth 10 the assertion he would mol
ave been punished for the utterance OF his
sentiments.
have visited anl become acquanter
With many people In Cheyenne. and must
s,y that do not believe there Is city on
tle continent OF its size that has so man,
WEALTHY people, who live so well, spend SO
much money, dress so well, and have so
many first-class books as the Chcyennes".
The number OF fine turn.o outs Is very great.
Yearly every evening in the past week
there has been some kind OF public enter
er,ainment 10 which the admittance fee
vas from fify cents TO one dollar, and
they were largely attended. The church
ralrs are wonderfully successful, some
mes making from $500 TO $1,000 per
vening. There are many college sradu-
,t@s here, who have great herds OF cs,tl'
N the plains 10 Wyoming. new Opers
Inuse has been erected worth perhap,
$50 600. And IL will be we'll patronized
There Is fine school building well sup
,li-d with teachers. Wyoming, so far n
voman's rights are concerned, Is the pa
,iise Of women. CHANGED 10 be In the
la IN u a
Mrs. Packard asked 20 have women con-
coded the right OF identity during marriage
4. before. In reply to her plea, Judge
'orlett answered in full and eloquent
manner. He reviewed the law as at pres
.at In force and showed how women IN
vyomin. have a. many rights "a men al
ready, and some that would seem 10 pui
nen at disadvantage. For instance, II a
woman, possessed of 100000 marry man
who has to depend on his daily wages only,
tue mother is not Obliged 10 spend ore
G ant for her own or the children's support.
rhe husband has, by law, TO do 1t all. In
this manner did the Judge pass from point
% poiut, showing how the law does iu.i
Justice TO women, and closed by opposing
the proposed bill, ying that the contract
ing parties gain some rights by marrlage
aud lose others, aud that no woman can
I'VE the same Identical rights that she
b I'd when sole. The other members took
the same view, the bill was lost, aud then
j Idge Corlett arose and moved that the
Judiciary Committee be Instructed TO pre-
p.re a bill that should amend the laws In
80 far as they work any hardship to wo-
man The voting Of the women in this
Territory is attended with the happiest re-
s,lts. The candidates cannot so easily
mtnage the women as they do the men,
aud the elections are rendered more pure
No elections iu the world are carried op
with greater decorum. The laws are very
stringent that parties shall not stand about
the polls, but shall enter the polling place
and after quietly deposltiug the vote leave
the place Immediately in direction as
nearly as possible opposite the one Of en-
trance. A former candidate for Delegate
to Congress spent $4,000 to secure his
election, and would have been successful
h al not the women turned out under an
aged Qaakeress and turned the tables.
The women are very apt to vote against
any candidate who misues his wife or Is
known to favor or consort with vile wo-
men; and they are not favorable to the IL
ouor interests, although in Cheyenne those
interests are so large that no party can
fight them successfully at present. The
boast that few are seen drunk here may be
trne and Vet 1t is painful to notice as