Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-08
SUFFRAGE IN WYOMING
how That State Game to Allow Women
to Vote.
A Member of the LegisIature> Writes
an Explanation and Miss An
thony Has Her Say.

lows to The Evening Star: I'm your num-
Der of the Sd instant, article, Woman .uf-
frage.' your contributor says: The fight
in Kansas, though it ended in defeat spur
red the suffragists on, and they entered
Wyoming, then territory. The territorial
legislature enfranchised women December
TO- etc. As was a member of that legis-
lature, and voted for the bill, 1 would saw.
in the interests of true history. that the
sufragists qua suffragists had nothing
whatever to do with orfgina ting the BILL nor
with urging its passage. have read of
how Mrs. Post and a Mrs. Morris done
it, as they claimed, but there was abso-
lutely no interest taken In the measure
neither by the citizens generally nor by
the women. At the time the bill passed the
council, or upper house. L counted noses
in the house, of which was a member
and found that a tie vote would be cast for
and against. Then 1 sought to win over to
its support one of the party of the contrary
part, but only succeeded in so far as gain
ing his consent to absent himself at the
time of putting the bill upon its passage
LII, the two or three days elapsing before the
bill came to us, one or two of the opposition
came over to the support of the bill AS
to my own part, l supported the measure
not upon conversion so r-uch as from the
wish to see practical trial given woman
suffrage. Others were ardently in favor Of
the principle. while some voted for it in
jest. and Others again, voted for it. be-
lieving that Gov. Campbell, who was not in
favor of it, at that time, would veto it but
who approved it, and became favorable to
it, afterward, as good thing for the terri
tory. AS soon as the law was of the code
the interest of the Wyoming women folk
was stimulated. and they have voted at
every election since its enactment; and in
large proportion at that. A few of the op-
posite SEX as the ladies are sometimes
called, have been elected to office, and, at
first, they were drawn as jurors. but, for
some reason, they have not been called
upon in this capacity for more than twenty
five years last past.
Il have lost track of many of the survi-
vors of that body Of lawmakers, some Of
whom We're barely of lawful age. One is
living here. one in Tacoma one in Lexing
ton. Mo-; two in Cheyenne. Wyo.: one Lar
annie, Wyo.; one in Denver one in Nebras-
ka, one in Virginia and one in Wenatchee,
Wash. The first bill offered. after the Suf
rage bill, was one adopting a territorial
seal, whose motto was Let arms yield to
the gown expressed in LATIN. The speak
err who, like the mother of the girl in the
nursery rhyme who had poisoned her IA
ter's tea. was extremely vext.' and bit
terly said: I think they're done-they have
yielded to the night gown
Ben Gallagher now merchant of Oma-
ha sent in several cases of champagne and
other devices of the old serpent, and such
was the immediate effect of the law that
in order to permit the members to express
their horror in suitable terms, the house
took a recess of twelve hours
Miss Anthony's Statement.
Mr. Wilson's letter was shown Miss Anthony
MIR. Wilson is right and he isn't" she
asserted in her quick, brisk way. woman
is, and has always been, the power behind
the throne, and 1 cannot see why men will
not be honest with themselves and ac-
knowledge it, and then give us our just
-, l,;o
way. Away UP in the mountains of that
territory, then so far away that It took the
better part of a summer to reach it. there
lived Mrs. Esther Morris, and Mr.. and
Mrs. Wright. Mrs. Wright was taken dan
gerously ill., and Mrs. Morris took care of
her, and nursed her back to life. No money
could repay the gracious deed. but when a
little later Mr.. Wright was elected to the
first territorial legislature, he asked Mrs.
Morris what he could do for her in the
capital city.
Just use your vote and your best en-
deaVOr to have the women of the territory
given the franchise when you frame the
laws of the territory, and 1 shall ask moth
ing more
Mr. Wright promised, and he did more. he
kept his word. He framed a bill giving wo-
men equal rights with men in the territory
and then he used his best endeavor to have
the bill passed. 1t was Mr.. Wrights bill
that Mr.. Wilson was kind enough to SIM
port, and it did pass without any stir. for
the woman who instigated this far-reaching
bill was up in her mountain home praying
for its success Gov Campbell was about
to veto the bill, but delegation of women
visited him and told him that he could
never hold another office if he did so. and
after much importuning, signed the bill,
which became law. I'm 1871 some mem
bers of the legislature tried to repeal the
law, but Governor Campbell vetoed the
measure, declaring that he was heartily in
favor of the law, which had worked splen-
iYin Mrc
terward appointed justice of the peace. an
office which she held for many years / do
not remember the state that Mrs Norris
Went from to Wyoming, but the little
leaven that she got before going west was
quite as effective as though there had been
whole regiment Of us on the ground,