The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-03-28
LADIES TOO GOOD TO VOTE.
INTELLECTUALLY WELL QUALIFIED
TO EXERCISE THE FRANCHISE.
conditions Are Presented to Us
That Never Confronted "a People
Before" Says the Minority-Au-
thOrity to the Legislature to
Grant Special Charters to Cities
is Denied.

cldentS which gave rise to some of the
best oratory of the whole session All
the trouble was caused by Varian, who
might have acted somewhat differently
had he foreseen the full effect of his
motion, when he moved that the ar
ticle on education and school lands be
referred back to the committee with
instructions to go over it and make it
less cumbersome and SAVIOR a great
deal less of unnecessary legislation.
The motion was carried and the COM
mittee of the whole Immediately went
on with the consideration of other bust
ness on the calendar. Before noon the
article on cities, counties and owns
had been disposed of and members,
looking at the calendar of the commit
tee, discovered that the only thing
having precedence over the article on
elections and suffrage was the article
on future amendments.
Word was Immediately passed
around that woman suffrage would
come up in the afternoon The min
ority members of the committee, Sc
cure in the belief that the educa tional
week and perhaps extend into the
middle of next week. had seen no par
ticular necessity for hurrying up their
report against equal suffrage They
were taken totally by surprise by this
new development. 1t came like
bombShell. The convention had hardly
adjourned for the noon recess before
they were together in consultation
with the leaders of the anti-suffrage
movement, deciding on what should be
done.
The leaders of the suffrage move
ment were equally prompt. They only
waited for the convention to be fully
adjourned before they came together
with the intention of deciding on some
course of action. When they separated
it had been decided that the regular
order should be demanded and the ar
ticle pushed to the front if that were
possible during the afternoon. Word
was hastily sent to some of the suf-
frage leaders notifying them that they
should be present during the after
noon if they wished to hear the whole
discussion. Then developments were
awaited.
When the convention reassembled in
the afternoon there was visible air of
expectancy about the members. Roberts
appeared on the scene. somewhat early,
but 1t could be seen that he was rather
anxious over the non-appearance of
the minority members of the commit
tee. Soon after the chair had called 20
order, however, Kiesel came in and he
and Roberts held a short consultation,
after which the latter sat down with
an appearance of content at the course
mapped out.
The fight began in the first few min
utes of the session. Kimball, foresee-
ing trouble ahead if the suffrage ques-
ton should come UP during the af-
ternoon, Immediately moved for con-
sideration of the declaration Of rights
on its third reading before the conven-
ton. Although the committee of the
whole spent about five days on this
it is still warranted to bring up all the
way from one days to three days de-
bate before it is finally put into the
hands of the committee on compilation.
Had it been taken up there would have
been no further chance during the af-
ternoon for consideration of any
thing and the suffrage question would
have been effectually blocked How
ever, he was disappointed in the at
tempt, as Richards saw what it meant
and opposed immediate consideration,
while Wells, as chairman Of the COM
mittee, supported him.
Failing in this respect the anti-suf-
fragists laid low and waited develop
mentS. They came soon enough. 1t
took only half an hour to dispose of the
article on future amendments and then
the committee was about to pass to
the suffrage proposition. However,
the minority asked the privilege of
handing in their long delayed report
and the convention resumed session in
order to allow this. AS soon as the re-
port was in, the anti-suffrag ists, who
were still sparring for time in which
to get their ammunition together, held
that under the rules this minority re-
port must be printed before the ar
ticle could be brought up for considera-
ton.
Thurman had moved to go into COM
mittee of the whole to consider the
regular order and the majority was
evidently with him. Had d vote been
forced at that moment the proposition
would have been taken up at once.
Roberts, however, was making the
fight of his life. In a moment he had
bent over to Thurman and agreed that
the opposition would allow the matter
to be made the special order for this
morning, in consideration that Thur
man withdrew his motion and Child
ester, chairman of the committee, in
Difference to his station, was allowed
to make the motion for special order.
This was the first bad break on the
part of the suffragists. The agree
ment had been that the opposition
would vote for set time for consider
alton. But Chichester moved that the
article be made special after the regu-
lar order of the day. WINS Immediately
caught the effect of this He
saw that the suffrage ques-
ton would be made subordinate
to the third reading of the bill of rights
and he Immediately moved to go into
committee. with the idea that when
the convention had done so the first
section of the article would be laid
over until today, and thus the regular
place on the calendar could be re-
tanned
Fortunately for the opposition, WINS
motion was put first and voted down.
If it had not been they would not have
received the two-thirds vote necessary
to a postponement. AS it was, they
were victorious, and more than they
had believed they could be when the
agreement was made for the special
order.
1t is a questionable thing whether
the suffragists have enough strength
to take the matter UP today. The OPP
position may hold that they fulfilled
their agreement to the letter when
they voted for the special order and
may decline to give their support to
set aside the regular order before the
bill of rights is disposed of in the
convention. In that case there will be
an interesting parliamentary discus
sion. President Smith so far has held
that a motion to go into committee
can come UP only under the head of
motions and resolutions. which gives
precedence to third reading of ar
ticles. However. that point will be ques-
toned and the house is likely to take
= - Sy,fr Sfc- 10