The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-07-25
POLITICAL EQUALITY.
Some of the itrsnH OF Woman Suffrage In
Wyoming,

wyoming.
Rachel Foster Avery: Since 1869 wy.
omlng has stood ~ tho representative
OF the political equality OF women With
mon. Let NJ geo what this has meant for
tho women and for the community In
which they have exercised the right Of
governments Years before such a
thing was known In any other common
wealth, the women teaching In Wyom-
ing'A public schools received salaries
bhHcu upon the value OF their work with
out regard 10 their sex; this was done
without struggle and without com.
ment hN soon M women formed part
| OF tho governing power
The right to serve upon jurlOS In all
wyoming courts was such new do.
| pArturE that Il called forth M much
| nmnHement IN tho outside world rs did
tho voting Itself, In 1852 ! visited the
territory and met che gentleman who
had drafted the very first Jury upon
which women served. Many times In tho
course OF short acquaintance he men.
toned this to mo with PRIDE but u mli-
tuAl friend told me with considerable
amusement, that, ut tia time, this gen.
tlemnn had been exceedingly unwilling
| to do what he has since come to regard
as tho act OF his lie, which most en-.
titles him TO recognition.
About fifteen years ago there appear
"d In all the eastern papers which were
untrlendly to equal suffrage most
Scurrilous article hnrpOrtlng to have
becn written by "a leading citizen" OF
Laramie. Among other things It stated
that the service OF women as Jurors
hRd tended to lower tho standard OF
public morals In the community. and
that only bad women voted and accent
I'd Jury service, 4 careful investigation
M to the sOurc" OF this mlSguldIng mr.
tlcle (SiEncd by u false namc) resulted
In tho discovery that the writer did
Know, NJ he claimed, "by personal cX-
ncrlence.' the results OF having women
on the Jury, since hc had dragged
ball and chain through the streets Of
Laramie, convicted OF his crime by II
Jury composed In part Of womenl
STIRLING and reliable testimony ms TO
the decrease Of crlmlpuilty In Wyom-
Ing Is given In u valuable article EMIT
led Woman Suffrage In Wyoming" by
Clara Bewiek Colby, OF Nebraska, as
follows:
THE population OF the United States
has Increased In the last decade aiG per
cent That OF Wyoming has Increased
l2lH per cent. But while the number of
has Increased 1913 per cent, an alarming
ratio,-far beyond the increase In pop.
notwthslandln the immense
Increase OF population IN Wyoming, the
number OF criminals has not increased
az all. giving Il relative decrease, which
shows law.abidRg community ind
constantly Improving condition OF the
public morals In 1880 there were con-
fined IN the jails and prisons OF Wyom.
ing sHvcnty-four criminals, seventy
men ana two women. Tho census of 1890
shows the same number Of criminals,
SeFenty-Four. as against an average
number OF criminals In the other west
ern states OF 6i5.S This remarkable fact
IL more interesting because the seventy
four in 1890 were all men. and thus
the scarecrow of the vicious women in
politics disappears"
Nothing IL more characteristic OF the
anti-SuffrAgISt than his fear lest the
home life may suffer ut tho hands OF
women when they shall become the no.
litical equals Of thar husbands. Ger
talnly this anxiety ought TO be al!aycd
by the knowledge. based upon undoubt-
cd statistics, that, while In all the other
western states the number OF divorces
Increased. from 1870 to 1890 80 per cent.
In wyoming the number decreased %
pei CENT ullu lNat no" the ratlO OF
divorce in Wyoming Is os one to tlsre"
In the rest OF our United States.
II VIC wish official testimony as 10 the
advantages TO the state OF the enfran-
chsemcnt OF Wyoming's women, we can
call upon any or all of her governors
and can record the resolution OF her
second state legislature, passed by the
house OF representatives., and c0nCurred
In by every senator but one:
BE II resolved by tbs second leglsla-
ture OF the state of wyoming That the
possession and exercise 1f suffrage by
the women In Wyoming for the past
quarter Of n century has wrought no
harm and has done great good In many
ways: Tint it has largely aided in ban
ishlng crime, pauperism and vice from
this state. and that without any violent
or oppressive legislatIon; that 1t has
secured peaceful and orderly elections,
good government, and remarkable
degree of civilization and public order;
and we point with pride to the facts
that after nearly twenty-five years OF
woman suffrage not one county In Wy
OmlHH has pOnrhUuSe, that our jlilS
are almost empty. and crime. except
that committed by strangers In the
state. almost unknown; and as the re-
suit OF experience we urge every civil
llZed community on earth to cnfran-