The Iola register., 1890-08-01
WELCOME, WYOMINGi

The following extracts are taken from
an address by Elizabeth Cady Stanton
in Woman's Journal:
When the United States Of Americ;
| inscribed her name on the roll of ma
| tions, with a constitution placing al
| power in the hands of the people; ignor
ing popes and kings, and declaring al
men equal, we celebrated the Creates
event that had thus far marked the his
| tory of the race. But now we have as
sembled to celebrate a still greater
event, the drawing of the glad day wher
the mother of the race is at last recog
nized as human soul, as person. en-
dowed with inalienable rights: as citi
zen of the State, With an equal voice in
governments; an equal factor in the so
cial scale of being; a member of the
church universal, to be guided in mat
ters of faith by her own individual con
science and Judgment; for political equal
ity means all this-civil, social and re
ligious freedom.
The admission of Wyoming as State
into the Union, with provision in her
constitution for woman suffrage, Is ouI
second declaration of independence; as
much more important in national life
than that of 1776 as the fulflllment of a
principal exceeds its proclamation.
When the Territory of Wyoming,
twenty-one years ago, recognized wom-
an as an equal factor in civilization, but
few appreciated the momentous and far
reaching consequences of that step; and
when the great experiment was coDsum-
mated by the recent debate and vote at
the national capital, the most sanguine
of us could hardly believe that woman,
in her long. dreary struggle for free
dom, was at last victorious
Near the close of the first Legislative
Assembly, without any previous discus
sion, member introduced the follow
ing bill:
Be IL enacted by the Council and House OF Rep
resentatives of the Territory OF Wyoming:
SEC. Every woman of the age Of Is resi-
dent in this Territory. may at every election to
be holden under the laws thereof, cast her vote;
and her rights to the elective franchise, and to
hold office, shall lie the same under the elec.
tion laws OF the Territory, as those Of electors.
force from and after Its passage.
Strange to say, the bill passed almost
unanimously and without debate. 1t
was said all the time that it was done
partly as joke, and partly to advertise
the Territory, hoping thereby to induce
large immigration of women.
Before women went to the polls, dis
order and rowdyism prevailed; fisticuff
fights were usual, and even the use of
firearms was frequent; fraud and vio-
lence marked the elections. And yet,
the first time carriages rolled up to the
polls loaded with women to vote, that
rough pioneer crowd fell back in line,
hats in hand, and maintained respect
full silence until the women had voted.
Their influence was felt, too, in the
choice of candidates; they invariably
opposed the nomination of men Of inn
moral character and bad habits.
In the courts. women discharged their
duties with wisdom and discretion.
Esther Morris, as justice of the peace
presided for two years, maintaining the
most orderly court in the Territory, and
none of her decisions were ever re-
versed.
As jurors, too, they were reasonable
and conscientious, holding their senti-
ments and emotions in allegiance to the
evidence. Even in murder case, where
much anxiety was expressed lest women
should be governed by their feelings,
their verdict was strictly in line with
the testimony. They felt the response
bility in deciding on human life, and
carefully reviewed the testimony again
and again, and after a prolonged and
serious consultation, they were unani-
nous in rendering the verdict guilty"
Miss Anthony and in company visit
ed the Territory in 1871, and saw the
women who had filed these various Of
fees, talked with them at their firesides,
watched them in their domestic avoca-
tions, and ate bread made by the same
hands that had cast ballot We found
social life there the same as in the
Eastern States. Marriage had not been
annulled, cradles abandoned. nor the
stockings mended by the State. We
were struck, too, with the earnestness
and intelligence of the women. Their
conversation was more about laws and
constitutions principles of government,
and practical politics, than about fash
ions, personalities, and their neighbors'
private affairs They laughed over the
common idea that women had not the
physical endurance to vote and hold Of
flee. They said they never earned three
dollars day so easily as sitting in COM
Portable chairs listening to cases in
court, and it was less of an effort to vote
than to watch aloaf Of bread through its
various phases until it emerged from
the oven in perfection.
Women have manifested great public
spirit, and conscientious interest in
every department of Government,
especially in that Of education. At the
last census, Wyoming was returned as
having smaller per cent. Of illiteracy
than any other State or Territory in the
Union. Again, she has no public debt.
On January 10, 1890, after every obliga-
ton had been paid, there was in her