St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-02-05
WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
How 1t Works in Wyoming and
Washington Territories and
Kansas.

How 1t Works in Wyoming and
Washington Territories and
Kansas.
How much longer shall the women of
this nineteenth century be classed with
minors, idiots. criminals and the insane?
Why is it that the most moral and con-
scientious half of humanity in these
United States are by law prevented
from performing that duty which they
owe to their country and to God? Such
questions may be asked by millions in
our country, and no reasonable answer
can be given. Some say women do not
want to vote, others say "Give them the
ballot and it will unseX them, for if they
get into the muddy pool Of politics they
will be contaminated and unfit for home
dutieS," OF women should not vote
unless they can shoulder the musket,
climb to the masthead and dig the
ditches." Others say it will
make 10 difference, for wives will
vote as their husbands do, and
daughters as fathers or brothers, and,
to be equally consistent, it is often said
that it would cause discord in the fam
lily, for wives would often differ from
their husbands in regard to certain men
for Office-One would be influenced more
ter and moral reform.
A noted divine in a newspaper article
warns the ProhibitiOnists against the
':foolish project of female suffrage"
He calls the attempt to enfranchiSe
women "a war against nature and COM
mon sense, and revolutionary folly"
But what do all these horrible forbod-
ings amount to? 1t is true saying
that ian ounce of experiment is worth
a ton of theory" and this we have i'm
abundance. Wherever the experiment
of woman suffrage has been tried it has
accomplished vast deal more for good
than its most Sanguine advocates have
expected, says Isabella p. Beecher in
the New York World.
In Wyoming territory full suffrage
was granted to women in 1869, and every
| governor since that time, five in num-
| Der, has given testimony to the good
which has been accomplished thereby.
Gov. Hoyt says: Under this honorable
| statute of ours we have better laws, bet
! ter officers, better institutions, better
morals and higher social condition in
| general than could otherwise exist. Not
| in it's train" The same testimony
| comes from the other governors. Three
| judges, several newspaper editors, law
| yerS and four pastors of different de-
| nominations give the like, and even
stronger testimony of the good effects
of woman suffrage in Wyoming. Some
of them were strongly opposed before
| the trial. Rev. w. G. Harvey, pastor of
the First Baptist church in Laramie
City, says: II came to this city preju-
i diced against woman suffrage, but
have been thoroughly converted. 1t
has had no bad results, and its good re-
| suits have been incalculable."
| Like testimony has Seen given in re-
| gard to woman suffrage in Washington
territory, which was granted in October,
1883. The newspapers of the territory,
many of which had been opposed, spoke
favOrably of the results of the expert
ment. Sixteen newspapers in different
places published articles commentators
of the new law, although they had been
opposed to it. A few sentences from
one of their articles I will quote. Speak
ing of Seattle the writer says: ut was
the worst town in the territory Except
ing AinswOrthl when l first saw it.
Now it's uprOariOus theaters, dance
houses, brothels and Sunday fights are
things of the past. Not gambling
house exists"
/ We have still another experiment.
Kansas, the first state in the union to
unfurl the banner Uf liberty and pro-
claim freedom for all her citizens,
shows to the world what can be accom-