The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-03-26


had been shut out from the polls be-
cause they had lived in plural mar
riage-but women who had committed
no crime a. all, Mormon ana Gentile
alike: II word, it was pro-
posed TO take away the franchise
from the Gentle and Mormon women
and leave 1t in the hands of the men,
tour-hiths OF whom were Mormons.
Even II the In 'eution was to destroy the
political power OF the Mormon church,
the bill In question would b. failur
| since, as the speaker had already said
four htths Ut the men in whom the vot-
ing power would be lett would be Nor
mons. But he would like to know " hat
right Cnngr IS had to Interfere and take
away the suffrage from the women of
Utah who had neen guilt OF no crime
| aud place II Ill the hands of men of the
Same religious conviction. He held in
his hanu d e9er from clergyman in
Utah, a mau actively ENGAGED a ainst
polygam In which il Was stated that
at the last e. ction IN Utah only one
clunty was earned against the Nor
mons, and that the opposition to the
MprnonS IN that instance Was led by
woman voter, gentle woman. school
teacher, d woman of Intelligence, a
woman who is opposed to Mormon
supremacy. And, yet, these were the
kind of women that Mr.. EdmunCs pro-
posed to distranchise in Utah! This
was the way he purposed 10 reward
them for their energy. He 1.-THE speaker)
was not a Mormon; he had no
sympaty with pol, gamy; but to
take away the Votes of these women
who had never belle we'd III polygamy
in order to wipe away that institution
was too absurd TO bear moments re-
| Election. SO lar as legislation was con-
cerned for the suppression OF Dolygamy,
he thought there was sufficient already
on the statute books. Within the last
few days the president of the United
States had been compelled to remove
the Gentle Governor of that Territory,
not for negiecting to carry out
any law. but for exceeding his
official dutv-for interfering with
the rights of the people. When such
men as Mr.. Cannon, one of the re
cognized leaders of the church, would
rather forfeit SIS 900 than appear before
the courts, for fear that he would be
convicted, had Congress not gone far
enough? When President Taylor and
others were compelled to hide, and dare
not show their heads in public. but had
to flee to Europe and elsewhere, had
Congress not gone far enough upon this
question: He thought all they had to do
was to wait, and he thought The common
sense of the men and women OF Utah
would find some way out of the difficulty.
With the efficient legislation now. on
the statute books he did no. think the
| institution of poly gamv could live. But
it would never do to destroy the right
| of Z no nf a r..
reach poiYgamy. He claimed suffrage
for the women in the Territories. be
cause in them was large floating popu.
lation, which often voted in way that
was detrimental to the Territories but
that class of men ceased to cor trJ
the Territories directly the women are
brought in. They wanted the home re-
presented by two votes instead of one.
Mr.. Blackwell's argument, though
brief was very alb e, and it was listened
listened to with marked attention.
Mrs. Mary A. Hunt, of Massachusetts,,
next addressed the committee. cunfin-
ing her remarks 10 the rightfulness OF
women to the suffrage, and to the pow
erful influence that will be exerted by
the women sutfragists and the tenn
perance party upon all important ques-
lions affecting the welfare of the nation.
Judge Joseph NJ Carey, delegate to
Congress t ON Wyoming, next made a
few remarks. He said he had not been
invited to make a,'peech, but Mr.. Black.
well had requested him to appear before
the committee and give his opinion in
regard TO the operations of woman
suffrage in Wyoming and his conclu-
sions In reference to it. In 1869 he had
no opinion upon the Question. The
/ Low INV ha 7 lott
which was unanimously Democr attic
and signed by Republican governor
He watched the workings of it very
closely the first election. An attempt
was afterwards made to repeal the law
but it failed. He maintained that the
suffrage should be given to women as a
matter of right. But there was an OPP
position all the time raised as to its
necessity, and as to its practical work
ings. If, however, it had been
sufficiently demonstrated that women
exercised the suffrage as wisely as men
that did away with that argument il
opposition TO it. Suffrage was gener-
ally based upon residence, upon a sound
mind; having arrived at a sufficient
age, and not disqualified by reason Of
having been convicted of some crime
He believed, under that general rule
that women possessed all the qualifica-
tons necessary, But the unfortunate
thing about woman suffrage was, it wa:
unpopular, on the ground that i
brought woman into notoriety to which
she objected. Certainly, to place the suf
frage in the haLds of women was a new
thing, but the newness wore off, anC
women were found 10 take an active par
in all that pertained to the welfare o.
the Territory. He deprecated the idei
of the suffrage interfering with domes
tic relations 1t had not injured hi:
wife, VINO was a womanly woman, moi
at all inclined to be masculine. He haC
seen his mother-in-law vote.
4 member of the committee: Did
your mother-in-law vote for you?
(Laughter.)
, my mother in-law.' replied Mr..
Carey, has voted for me two or three
, times, and think she has voted agains
me once" (Renewed laughter.)
Mr.. Carey again paid compliment
) to the women of Wyoming for the in
terest they took in all public matters
: especially the management of the
r schools and maintained their right &c
5 representation. He concluded by refer
ring to the oft-used argument that BY
/ cd,