The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-11-23
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER %, 1888.
raE NEW YORK TIMES wOnANs
sUFFRAGE ARTICLE.

say exhaustive, invectiye from q cor
respondent Of The New York Times,
against woman's suffrage, reproduced
In our columns this morning, we sus-
pect will be read with great interest
and curiosity by every resident of the
city. The writer shows that he is per-
fectly familiar with, not only the
affairs of Cheyenne, but the entire ter
ritory. The lights and shades Of our
territorial political and social life have
undergone a crucial investigation at
his hands; unfortunately at the ex
pense of fairness. While the article
does not say that the evils Of which be
speaks can be attributed to woman's
suffrage in Wyoming, yet the implica-
tion is clear that woman's suffrage 10
Wyoming q failed to exercise that
elevating and purifying influence
claimed for it by Its advocates.
The deduction arrived at is a fear
full picture of the moral, social and po-
litical condition of u city, in which
the entire territory must share. At
the outset Of his article be admits that
Cheyenne society is ''rioh, travelled,
dressy, cosby, %vlrtuous and well
housed;'i that the territory has churches
and common schools In every town;
that ''people opposed to the liquor traf-
fc End satisfaction IN writing to friends
of their political faith in the east that
in tho fourteen years during which
women have voted in Wyoming nc liz
nor dealer has been elected to o~fflce;''
and in substance, that the city is ele-
giant In its appointments of electric
light. arc aud ~incandescent; sewerage,
water works, numerous homes OF refine
ment, well on to 1000 children attend
ing school with earnest church people
attending worship in costly church
structures. He forgets to say that
every Sabbath morning the church bells
chime out here in unison just as they
do In the eastern cities and towns. Ho
forgets to make it known that, barring
the indifference to Sabbath keeping
and church going among the masses,
the city is even more orderly and quiet
than the average city Of the east of the
same size. Ladies walk out day and
night unattended just as they do in
cities Of greater pretensions TO law,
order and morality. The drinking,
gambling and prostitutlon; the city
and county prisons; the lack Of a poor
house; the alleged crude condition of
our territorial laws; the irregu-
larity Of u candidate making;
the corruption at the polls, and the one
lynching in many years, are all pointed
TO and intensified as If they were un-
common occurrences aud not the cause
Of complaint in every quarter of the
country. The only difference between
Cheyenne and some of the large cities
Of the east, it may be said, Is, our evils
are less covert. Things are done in an
open manner This feature, as II mat
ter Of course, shocks the average
stranger who has come from his obscure
hamlet or farm; but a contemplation of
the matter soon reeonciles him to men
tally calculate: "Well, about the same
Is going on elsewhere, but considerably
more under cover" 1t should have
been borne in mind by the Times cor
respondent that our city has been grow
ing better from year to year. But a
few years ago the dance house, variety
theatre, and over sixty saloons graced
the city limits. Though the city has
doubled in population since the decline
of the Black Hills excitement, the
drinking places have been reduced to
less than forty. The legislature has
enacted a restrictive law and there is
every indication that the moral tone OF
society is steadily improving. The
writer should have remembered that our
city is the resorg OF strangers from
nearly every quarter OF the globe, and
1t Is not to be supposed we can sudden
ly settle into the staid ways of com
munities fifty or a hundred years old.
The community of Greeley, Colorado,
is pointed out as an example of steadi-
ness and sobriety. The causes operat-
ing in the two places is obvious aud
need not be pointed out.
But the browning mistake of the
Times writer is in at all connecting
woman suffrage with the social and
political condition of the territory.
Contrary to the Intention of the arti-
Gle, the worst that can be said OF
woman suffrage is, that 1t has acted
negatively, but to imply that it is in
any way accountable for any condition
OF u society is a position entirely I'M
supported. The worst case that can be
made out is, it is useless and unneces-
sary in effectIng desired reforms. But
even this has not been established. The
fact that it is harmless and llkelv to do
good is much in its favor. One thing
we do knew and that is, a majority OF
the intelligent ladies enjoy the privilege
and do make such onslaughts against
the regular course of party manipula-
tion that the calculations OF the pre-
cinct juggler are often thwarted. Just
why the young territory of Wyoming
adopted womsn's suffrage In advance of
any of the staid and cultured states of
New England is, OF course, an unray-
eled mystery.
But that has nothing to do with the
merits or dement's Of an enactment