Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-01-15

ton a clause providing that at the first general election or at any election there after the question of suffrage might be submitted to vote of the people upon the passage of bill to that effect by the state legislature. The general assembly passed such law at it's first session in | 1977 and the ensuing campaign was 8 notable one. The struggle was in vain, however, for the suffragists were over whelmed by vote of 10000 against their measure to 10000 in its favor. | Nothing disheartened, they made an ef- | fort ill 1881 to secure municipal suffrage | for women, but even that small favor was refused them, and the effort came to naught. In the spring of 1890 Mrs. Louise M. Tyler, who had done active work in the cause of woman suffrage in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, went | to Denver and stirred the friends of the movement up once more. Through her | efforts an organization was formed which 1 in the winter of 1891 again petitioned the I legislature to extend to women the right to vote. They made the mistake of not getting their bill introduced within the required time, however, and it had to be ldChCo OA 6tS Sb 11oC4 IO cb bl1A foreigners from voting on their first nat uralization papers. The bill was lost and the rider with it.
 But that "a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump'' received fresh verifcation at the next meeting of the legislature, for in the Ninth assembly, which met in January, 1893, not less than four suffrage bills were introduced, one of which got through the house by small majority and narrowly escaped suffocation in the senate. It was one of the last bills passed by that body.
 Then the Equal Suffrage association enlisted the services of Mrs. Carrie Lane Chapman and went to work as they had never worked before. Headquarters were opened in Denver, where Miss Helen M. Reynolds, corresponding secretary of the association, engineered campaign that was worthy of a veteran politician. Nothing was neglected that might pro- mote success, and every thing was avoided that might stimulate opposition. Some of the leading newspapers were enlisted in support of the movement, and the campaign was conducted entirely on an educational and nonpartisan basis.
 Mrs. Chapman made tour of the state, travelling every day, speaking ev cry night and organizing 8 league where ever she spoke. Men made up the great CT portion of her audiences. and even in the mountain towns and mining camps she received the most courteous and chivalric treatment. Her tact was equal to her eloquence, and under her infu- ence somesof the best men in the state enrolled themselves in the local leagues, sometimes filling all the offices and do- ing all the routine work. There was no organized opposition, and the Populist party was united in support of the move ment.
 The most sanguine suffragists hardly expected to carry Denver. In fact, de- feat there was looked for as practically certain, and when the returns from Arap- ahoe county showed a majority of 915 in favor of equal suffrage the friends of the movement were among those most surprised. The official count showed the total majority in the state to be 6,347, and in accordance with the will of the people thus expressed the governor on Dec. 2 issued proclamation conferring the right of suffrage on the women citi- zens of the state.
 The women accepted the decision quietly. There was no public jolliica- tion, but many of them hastened to show their appreciation of the franchise by registering as voters. It remains to be demonstrated whether the exercise of their new privilege will have the bene- fioial effects predicted for it.