Omaha daily bee., 1897-05-14
WOMEN ANSWER CRITICISMS
Use Their God-Given Right to Have the
Last Word.
RESULTS ACCOMPLISHED BY THE BALLOT
View of Female suffrage In Colorado
from the Standpoint of Its
Adyocntcs-BrinEsA About
Some Reforms.

DENVER. May iS.-The Colorado Equal
Suffrage association and the Civic federation
of Denver make the following statement in
reply to reports circulated Of late regarding
the results Of woman suffrage In Colorado:
We the members OF the Colorado Equal
Suffrage association, and of the Civic fedcr-
called to sensational and misleading reports
of some eastern journals concerning the re-
suits of impartial suffrage In our state, arc
impelled to issue brief answering state
nent .
has been secured by the vote OF women. The
tyranny of political machinery, made effect
i've by long usage under the managcinent
of trained workers, cannot be overcome by
the enthusiasm of raw. recruits We do
assert that the women of Colorado have n
vital part in the great movement that Is
The successful outcome of the late mllpiGi;
pal election in Denver. occurring as it did
three years after our Reinstatement, was
the first triumph of an organized effort
and carry an election. This success is con-
sidered an earnest of future achievement
through woman's ballot in the interest of
Never before since the establishment of
impartial suffrage in our state has there
been here such concentrated effort i'll behalf
of reform legislation. Bills relating to
civil service, local option tndetcrminate
sentence, Il new primary law ana improved
dcrsed by organizations of women, In our
present house of representatives the effort
towards, practical ceonomic reform is IL
lustrated in the careful work OF the printing
committee. which. under the chalrmanship
of Mrs &C GConine,, is found to have cost cost tn, the
journed than ever before.
To the efficiency of Mrs. Peavey's ad-
ministration Of the offices of state SuGGrInr
of school lands and state librarian, fine
testimony Is given by the German element
to the recognition of women as citizens of
the commonwealth. The Denver Herald a
journal published In the German language
commends her in one of its January issues
If the absurd and unfoundcd comments
of the eastern press in regard to the liability
of Colorado women to the requirements of
military service and rumors of unwomanly
violence of temper in Important state con
answered that the women OF the Centennial
state are as securely exempt from military
duty as are the women living under the
control of those states which still deny to
them the gentle but effective weapon of the
ballot. Further, we answer that no repre-
sentative convention has had such expert
ence of wild disorder as has been announced
by misinformed eastern papers.
In regard to the effect of universal suffrage
It is found that, although the ranks of
the temperance party have not been largc.y
recruited, because women as well as men
are in doubt as to the wisdom of working
for temperance through a distinct party,
temperance legislation has been materially
assisted, Three years, ago only three Col
orado cities prohibited the SAL of intoNi-
CantS Now twcnty-ScVen munich ali les
fuse to grant license for their sale An in
teresting fact has lately been noted in re-
gard to the relative dignity of the two
houses of our legislature. The lower house
outranks the senate in the serious decorum
of legislative de!ibcration. The few women
who sit as members in the representatives
hall of our beautiful Colorado capitol seem.
unconsCiously to impose upon its proceed
ings a greater regard for the amenities of
speech and conduct than is observed in the
upper house, where there are yet no women
to be considered. No less characteristic of
western chivalry is the Improvement that
womans presence has made in the localities
of primary meetings and polling booths. In
many precincts, where formerly they were
held in stables or drinking saloons
primaries are now convened In home parlors
and polling booths are arranged in respect
able buildings and voting is invariably con-
Quoted with deCorum.