Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-03-03
A JUST TRIBUTE
To the Friends of Woman Suffrage
in the Last Legislature.

To the Friends of Woman Suffrage
in the Last Legislature.
To the Editor of the Register.
In the House of the State Legisla-
ture FEBRUARY 21st., bill No. IA. asking
for the enfranchisement of the women
of the State was reported from the
Judiciary Committee, recommending
that it do not pass. Mr.. Heryey. of
Brooke county, the steadfast friend to
the cause of justice to the women of his
State, made a noble speech in favor of
the bill; going as far as it lay in his
power, to prove the long yaunted boast
and argument, that men represent wom-
en-, by enacting any laws they may de-
sire to be true.
Mr.. S. G. Smith, of this city seconded
Mr.. Hervey's efforts for the cause of the
women. by demanding the aye and
noes, on the Speakers question. Shall
the bill be rejected?" The demand be-
ing sustained they were ordered and
taken. Pending the announcement of
the vote Mr.. Smith moved that, the
announcement thereof be postponed I'M
til tomorrow morning at IL o'clock"
thus favoring it's reconsideration, but
this motion did not prevail. OF the
fifty-six representatives present the
| ayes were Messrs. Wilson (Speaker),
Aten, Bartlett, Brannon, Carter, Cock
| eran, Fisher (of Braxton), Good, Grant,
Hall Harlow, Jackson. Jarrett, Laugh
lin, Law, Lowry. Millender, Murphy,
McClintic, Mcclure, Mccoy. Roberts,
| Scherr, Sinclair, Smith (of McDowell)
Steck, Stump, Washburn, Williams,
willis and linn, 81.
The noes were: Messrs. Baker. Bran
mer, Briant, Colcord, Fisher (of Nor
gam, Groves, Handley, Hearn, Hen
shaw, Hervey, Lilly, Luzader. Martin
Mitchell, Nicely, Owens, Prichard,
Smith (of Ohio, Stapleton, Swisher,
Talbot, Via, Wetzel, Wilson (of Wayne)
and Woodward. 25. Is absent and not
| voting The bill against the enfran-
! chisement Of the women of the State
thus being carried by only a majority
of 7.
The women of the State cannot but
feel the greatest encouragement on the
showing of this vote on their bill,
made up OF a number of West Virginia
representative men to whom the love
of justice and liberty is such that they
will no longer be participants in hold
! ing in a state of tutelage and disfran-
chisement one-half of the citizens OF
their State; and a half that no man
will now maintain is less intelligent or
capable than the half that now alone
make the laws governing the whole.
1t is said that no bill can or will
pass in a legislature without persons
interested in it being present and
working for and pushing the bill
among the many presented before the
body. The woman's bill was sent to
the legislature, and at no time during
the session vas any person in Charles
ton to lobby, work Or speak In its
favor. 1t received the vote it did, com
ing so near to success solely on its
merits, and ON the men who voted for
1t having the courage of their convic-
tions and daring to maintain them,
To these men, and especially to Mr.
Hervey, of Brooke, and Mr.. Smith, oil
Ohio, the woman ~suffragists of this
State owe a debt of gratitude which
they most gladly acknowledge and
deeply feel.
The women of West Virginia, IN
their appeal to the men OF the State
for the removal of their degradation
as disfranchised citizens, ranking
them with criminals idiots n chill
dren, feel as citizens of the same loved
Mountain State, breathing in its air
the same love of justice and liberty
that their appeal for enfranchisemeni
to the men of the State will not much
longer be in vain. u.