Rocky Mountain husbandman., 1884-10-02
WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN PRACTICE.


From Pacific Coast exchange we clip
the following interesting account of the
womens' first day at the polls in Washing
ton Territory.
"At the election which occurs to-day in
Seattle, of nearly 5000 registered voters,
about one-third are women. Party feeling
runs very high, and nothing but politics is
talked of or thought of to-day by men, wo-
men or children. The latter are especially
enthusiastic, and greet each other with the
excited question, Whom is your mother
going to vote tor?'
This morning walked down after break
fast with two ladies to the polling-place of
the second ward, and acted as a sort
of impromptu committee for half an hour,
greeting many friends and acquaintances,
and finally took place with some of them
in the line, and passed along with them in
order to see the entire performance, altho'
not yet qualified as voter myself.
Away up the street stretched the double
line of men and women-the latter in the
majority slowly making their way down
to the engine house, through the open win
\ dove OF which the ballots were passed into
l the inspector and judges. 1t was a cool
morning, and not at all uncomfortable, and
great deal of pleasant chat whiled away
the time, the crowd being a much better
natured one than lines of men and women
whom have often seen waiting their turn
to get into some place of amusement Car
rages driven by women were flying briskly
about the city to bring out the voters who
live at distance, and "a committee of
women was present at each polling place.
This has been by far the most hotly con-
tested election ever held in Seattle, and the
new element in politics is what has raised
the excitement. 1t began back in April,
when the grand jury, composed of six wo-
men and eleven men, made sharp on
slaugh on the gamblers and keepers of
brothels. and found long string of indict-
ments, which were followed up in almost
everv case with convictions by the petit
iury. Now this course of action struck ter
ror to the hearts of those (and they seemed
to be many) whose pockets were affected,
and they declared that something must be
done. Meanwhile, howeve', many of the
leading lawyers in town, who had hitherto
been very strongly opposed to the intreduc,
ton of women into politics and courts OF
Justice, became entirely converted by the
sound work which the female jurors did
and they haye declared to me that there has
never before been empanneled in the Terri
tory so intelligent, reliable, and honest 6
iurv as were those of the last term OF court
Well, the women didn't rest there, but be
gan to work bright and early for the munic
ipal campaign. The first step was takel
by calling together a committee, consisting
of five representatives from each of tn
churches and temperance societies IN tn
city. This committee composed OF abou
equal numbers OF men and women, prompt
ly met, organized, appointed sub-commi'
/ tees and held secret meetings, at which mai
ters were fully discussed aud plans laid
After a little hesitation the leading dali
paper espoused the cause of the Law an
order party despite threats OF boycottlne
which do not seem to have been carried ou
The object which this party OF men an
women sought to gain was the eection
CITY officers who would honestly entorc
the Territorial laws and the city ordinance
against gambling and prostitution, and ref
ulating the sale of liquor. There are som
very good laws on these subjects already
the statute books if they were but carrie
out. No attempt has been made toWar
prohibition or other extreme measures, le
the excellent reason, among others, that
such an attempt can be made now. But u
saloon-keepers and their friends forto"l'
denounced the committee as set OF laua
les, and as soon as they were convince
that the fnatics really meant business ths
went to work to counteract them by calllf
a meeting to form an Equal Rights par
by which term was meant that one mi
/ had as much right to sell whisky as anoth
to sell drp-goods. But this society comm
ed suicide at its first gathering by maki
the blunder of allowing the saloon men
make speeches and swear at the wome
1 They adjourned sine die.
Party feeling has run so high that ma
\ begun to wonder lately whether the
wouldn't be some domestic ruptures, as