The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-08-07

man g u Uut IOvc uCI Inc UOJCs auu uOb par
with her,
Better than Best!
-Lady's Pictorial
WELCOME. WYOMlNoi
The First Free state for women-How m
Experiment Has Deen Crowned with
Success.
The following extracts are taken from
an address by Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
In Woman's Journal:
When the United States Of America
inscribed her name on the roll of ma
tiOns, with constitution placing all
power in tho hands OF the people; ignor-
ing popes and kings, and declaring all
men equal, we celebrated the greatest
event that had thus far marked the his
tory OF the race. But now we have as
sembled to celebrate . still greater
event, the drawing of the glad day when
the mother OF the race Is At last rccog-
dowed with inalienable rights: as citi-
gen Of the State, with IN equal voice in
government; an equal factor In the So
cial scale Of being; Q member Of the
church universal, to be guided In mat
tcrs 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 IS State
into the Union with : provision in her
constitution for woman suffrage, Is our
second declaration Of Independence; as
much more important in national life
than that Of 1910 as the fulfillment Of
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 momcntous and far
reaching consequences Of that step; and
when the great experiment was consnm-
mated by the recent debate and vote Mt
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 1t enacted by the Council and House Of Rep
resentafives OF the Territory Of Wyoming:
SIC. / 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 10 the elective fraschisc. and to
hold on c.. shall Q the same under the clec.
tion laws Of the Territory, ~ those Of electors
FEC II. This Act shall take effect and Le in
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; fsticuff
fights were usual. and even the usc Of
firearms was frequent; fraId and vio-
lence marked the elections And yet,
/, the first time carriages rolled mp to the
polls loaded with women to vote. that
rough pioneer crowd fell back in line,
hats in hand. and maintained respect
fnl silence until the women had voted.
Their influence was felt too. in the
choice Of candidates; they invariably
| opposed the nomination OF men Of i'm
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 tho testimony again
and again, and after prolonged and
serious consultation, they were unani-
nous in rendering the verdict guilty"
Miss Anthony and in company visit
ed tho Territory in 1871, and saw tho
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 tho samo as In ehe
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 . loaf Of bread through its
various phases until it emerged from
tho 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 q smaller per cent. of illiteracy
than any other State or Territory In the
Union. Again, she has no public debt.
On Janu,ty 10. 1890. after every obligs'
Aon lad bsl1 paid, there was In hsl