Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-26
WYOMING'S PETITION
FOR ADMISSION AS A STATE CONSIDERED
IN THE SENATE.

Mr.. Vest Opposed to the Bill Because the
Territory Permits Women TO vote-Nr.
Plat Tells of the Grent Resources of
the Mountain Region.
| WASHINGTON, June 25.-After the exec
utive session to-day the Senate took up the
House bill for the admission of Wyoming as
State. The report of the Committee on
Territories was read.
Mr.. Vest opposed the bill. He knew
that, in the past, States had been admitted,
with small populations, because of some
sectional or party exigencies. But there
was no such exigency existing now. The
Republican party had majority of eight in
the Senate to-day. If it was possible at any
time to appeal to the deliberate, calm and
non-partisan judgment of the Senate, it
should be possible at this time, and yet he
distrusted the effect of any such appeal. He
referred to Wyoming as having a popula-
tion of not over 60, O00 scattered over an i'm
mense area OF 10000 square miles. But, as
they have woman suffrage in Wyoming, at
least one-third of the voters were women,
which would leave II, 600 male voters.
OPPOSED TO WOMAN SUFFRAGE.
Mr.. Vest went on to say that he would
its present constitution permitting woman
suffrage. He never would vote to admit
into the Union any State which permitted
woman suffrage. In his judgment woman
suffrage was antagonistic to the spirit and
institutions of the American people, and
was utterly antagonistic to his ideas of the
Government which the fathers had made and
left. He deplored the extension of suffrage
10 colored men in the South, and said that
no intelligent man to-day would give it to
them. He himself would no more give them
the right of suffrage than he would give a
deadly weapon to a child. And certainly
he would not give it to the colored women,
who were far more impulsive and thought
less than the men.
Another objection which Mr.. Vest made
to the constitution of Wyoming was that it
gave the right OF holding property to aliens.
FALLING OFF IN VOTES.
Referring as an indication of the lack of
interest in the subject to the falling off of
10,000'votes in the vote for the constitution,
as compared with the vote for delegate in
1888, and to the explanation made OF it by
the committee that 1t was on account of the
stormy weather, Mr.. Vest said that the re-
ports OF the Signal Office showed that the
day was rather pleasant one.
Mr.. Edmpnds-The Signal Office is gen.
orally and uniformly wrong; as for instance,
we were told yesterday that there would be
fearful thunder showers in this town. So 1
am inclined to think that the committee is
right, and that the Signal Office, as usual,
was wrong.
Mr.. Vest-I confess that there is some un-
certainty about weather as well as about
politics. A good many prophesies were
made about the time of the last Presidential
election that have not turned out true.
Mr.. Edmunds-Yes, you prophesied evil
and good has come.
TWO SIDES TO THE QUESTION.
Mr.. Vest-As to whether good has come
or not, I am willing to take the verdict of
the Republican party itself, and if the de-
gree OF sublime satisfaction with the Ad-
ministration that exists in this chamber be
any indication, there has never been very
great disappointment as to the political
weather.
Mr.. Platt said that Wyoming had as good
right to admission as State as any Terri
tory that was ever admitted in the whole
history of the country. He was surprised
that gentlemen so devoted to "home rule"
should not be willing to allow a Territory
to decide the question of woman suffrage
for itself. He believed that the population
of Wyoming was nearer 125, 900 than
100, 900.
A WEALTHY REGION.
In conclusion, Mr.. Plat spoke of the
great resources of Wyoming, and said that
with irrigation it could support 10, O00, 600
of people. 1t has a soil as fertile as the
Nile Valley. All that was wanted was to
have water turned on to it. 1t had more
coal under it than PENNSYLVANIA ever had
and of an excellent quality-and now being
developed. But it had, above all, a true
manhood that was ready to grapple With all
problems, to develop all its resources, and
to add not only to Its wealth, but to the
wealth of the Republic.
At the close of Mr.. Platt's remarks he
made an effort to have the vote taken on the
bill, but Mr.. Vest objected and moved an
adjournment, and the Senate adjourned.