The Iola register., 1889-08-23
A NEW DEAL
Three Views of the Woman Suffrage Oues-
tion from the Wild and WooIly West.


tion from the Wild and Woolly West.
Il remember" said an old railroad,
man as he sat in a crimson velvet easy
chair in the Laramie Boomerang Office.
and rested his feet on the FURNISHED
fender. "how in 90 when | was in the
Wyoming Legislature, the woman suf-
frage bill came up for action. and was
referred to a committee of three. /
was selected as one. and an old miner
and a cattle man made up the balance.
1t was an act to grant to the women of
Wyoming Territory the right of suf-
frage and to hold Office. II was. of
course. a new deal. and we didn't know
exactly what the effect would be on the
Territory. As chairman of the COM
mittee, l said to the other two men,
bers, when we had tackled the measure:
Gentlemen. this is pretty important
move. 1t is kind of wild train on a
single track. and we've gou to keep our
eye peeled or we'll get in the ditch. It's
a new conductor making mis- first run.
He don't know the stations hardly, and
he feels as if there was a spotter on ev-
cry coach beside. Female suffrage
changes the management. and it may
put the whole outfit in the hands of
receiver in year. We can't tell when
Wyoming Territory will be side
tracked. with a lot of female conductors
running the train. and a female master
intendent, and a lot of giddy girls at
the brakes. tell you. we want to con-
slider this thing pretty thoroughly OF
course, we get our time-chcck when
the session closes. and we don't care
much; but if Wyoming gets a hot-box
hereafter. or telescopes some other
Territory. folks will point us out and
say there's where the difficulty is. We
sent a choice aggregation of railroad
men. miners and cattle-men down here
to Cheyenne, thinking We had car
load of statesmen to work up this thing
for US; and here we are without any
law or any gospel in the whole domain.
I'm in favor of the move, and if the rest
OF you couple on with me. we'll hand
in our report and get our orders
The stockman didn't have much to
say. He just said: Mr.. Chairman. l
don't talk very much. I'm poorly cal
culated to paralyze the throng with ma
tive eloquence. l tell you talk is in
expensive. anyhow. i agree with the
chair that we want to be familiar with
the range before we go wild like lot
OF Texas cattle just off the trail. travel
ing one hundred miles n day and filling
ourselves up with poison weed and
other peculiar vegetables. We want
to consider what we're about. and act
with some judgment When We turn
this maverick over to the Governor
to be branded. we want to know
that we're corraling the correct an
imal. You can't lariat broncho
mule with clothes-line sometimes, and
after we've run this bill in and got it
in the shute, we might want to pay
four or FIVE good men to help US let go.
However. i shall vote for it as it is, and
take chances on the roundup. Passing
a bill is like buying a brand on the
range. anyhow. You may tally ahead,
and you may get everlastingly left with
a little withered bunch of Texas frames
that there is no more hope of fatting
than there would be OF fatting a veloci-
pede.'
The member from the mining dis
trict said: Mr.. Chairman, l don't
know what kind of a fist the women
will make of politics. but I'm prepared
to invest with the surface indications.
1t may be true fissure move, and it
may be doggon slide We can't tell
till we 60 down on it All We can do
is to prospect around and see that we
comply with the United States law and
the law of the district about locations.
Then two more years will show wheth-
er we've got mineral in place or not
II it works all right the next shift that
comes to the Legislature can drift and
slope the blamed thing, and get the
wealth. We don't expect to declare
any dividend the first year. It'll take
some time to show what there is in the
measure and declare dividends My
opinion is that women can give this
Territory a boom that will make her
the bonanza OF all creation. We've got
mighty pretty blossom rock already.
and if we manage right. Wyoming will
be quoted on the boards in a mighty
short time. l was in California years