The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-04-21
SUNDAY, 2,

theatres. charitable associations, etc.,
lin the broad glare of the day and in
the darkness or starlight of the night?
We're the girls killed in San Fran
cisco lured to their death by politics
or the ''nameless dangers Of the ter
rible ballot? Or were they not killed
IN a church, which even the editor of
the Dispatch will probably admit is
within the proper sphere of woman?
What had 'tthe broad glare of the
day." and the endeavor to place wo-
man on an exact level with man." to
do with the tragedy in the Old Mission
house of worship?
yet a little while and we will hear"
more and more of that equality of lib
critics and privileges and rights. which
will make women more self-reliant
and less dependent and better able to
take care of themselves. For the last
half century that has been the trend
Of thought. influence and legislation.
The old common law notion of wo-
mans nonentity is exploded. She is a
can hold property in her own right
whether married or single. She can
sue and be sued. She can choose her
religion and her politics, and ought to
be able to choose her rulers in the
state as well as in the home, if there
people where the officers are the ser
wants of the people.
1.-THE broad glare of day is what Is
needed on this living, growing question
of equality of mature citizens before
the law in all things. The prejudices
against it are of the night. The fears
and dangers which haunt mems minds
when the subject is preached. are
phantoms which the light Of reason
and of progress show to be Pigments
of dark Imagination. They are out of
place in the latter half of the nine
teenth century.
We cannot do better in closing this
article than clip the following from a
long editorial on the action Of the
Utah convention, from the Philadel-
phia Pressi
This opposition was unexpected.
Women have exercised the right OF
suffrage in Utah. and it was consid-
cred almost a matter of course that
the privilege would be given them in
the new constitution. The sentiment
in favor of permitting women to vote
has evidently been growing in that
section of the country. Wyomlng's
adoption of woman suffrage was not
considered very significant, as women
had had the privilege while the state
was a territory. But when Colorado
granted full woman suffrage it was
taken as a sign of the direction in
which public opinion was drifting.
The refusal of Kansas to adopt the
same course last year was tempo
rary setback, but this was partly ex-
planned by the identification Of wo-
man suffrage with Populism and the
desire of the people to give the lat
ter an emphatic rebuke. But since
then the woman suffrage cause has
proved strong enough TO secure the
submission of constitutional amend
ment by the legislatures Of California
and Oregon.
It is evident to anyone who has
studied this question and watched
the course of events in THE state leg
islatures for the past few years that
the opponents Of woman suffrage Will
soon have to take a decided stand in
opposition to it unless they wish to
see it generally adopted. All the
PROSECUTING has been done on one side
and the opponents of admitting wo-
men to the polls have contented
themselves with a laugh or a sheer
at such a movement. The consequence
is that one legislature after another
has granted women limited suffrage
rights. This is one step toward the
real object and so much advantage
gained. while the other was idle. That
indifference cannot continue. Woman
suffrage may be right and expedient
or it may not be, but those who think
it is not must bestir themselves if
they wish to make their opposition
effectual If the movement can be
defeated in Utah, intrenched as it
was believed to be. it can be defeated
elsewhere. If not, woman suffrage
will soon become general. For this
reason the contest begun in Utah will
be watched with profound interest by
both sides.