The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1904-12-10
WOMEN WHO ARE VOTERS.

Few people are aware of the ex-
tent of women's part in the Presiden-
tial campaign. That it is growing
one is shown by the fact that the re-
cent election registered women voted
in four States of the Union -Wyo-
ming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho-cast
their ballots for Presidential electors.
Fourteen of the 476 votes IN the
Electoral College are cretited to these
equal suffrage states-Colorado, S;
Idaho, 8; Utah, 8. and Wyoming. 8.
And the women's vote is rated as
sufficient, is case of close contest IN
anv of these States. to turn the scale
in favor of either one or the other
Of the Presidential leaders.
In Wyoming. where women have
been voting for "a years, woman sut-
frage was incorporated IN the Con-
stitution when Wyoming became a
State, in 1890. Wyoming has had nine
Governors since women were erfran~
chised bv act of Legislature. in 1869,
each of whom has given his unquali-
fed Endorsement of woman suffrage
and declared it a benefit to the State.
This is regarded as significant be-
cause of the fact that Governors of
Territories are appointed by the
President, so from 1860 to 1890. a
period of 2I years, the Governors Of
Wyoming were in no sense depen-
dent upon the voters of the Territory
for their Offices. In 1898 the Wy
oming State Legislature passed a
unanimous resolution declaring That
the exercise of suffrage by the wo
men of Wyoming for the last quarter
of century has wrought no harm
and has done great good in many
ways; that it has largely aided in
banishing crime, pauperism and vice
from this Stale, and that without any
violent or oppressive legislation that
it has secured peaceful and orderly
elections. good government and re 5
markable degree of civilization and
public order; and can point with
pride to the fact that, after nearly IS
years of woman suffrage, not one
county in Wyoming has poorhouse,
that our jails are almost empty. and
crime, except that committed by
strangers in the State. is almost un-
known and as the result of expert
ence we urge every civilized commu-
nitv TO enfrauchiSe its women with
out delay"
Great activity has been shown by
women voters in Wyoming during
the recent campaign, and it was ex-
pected that large vote would be
polled.
A similar resolution to that of the
Wyoming Legislature, indorsing wo-
man S suffrage in terms of high praise,
was passed by the Colorado Legisla-
ture in 1890, six years after the cleo
tors of Colorado extended enfran-
chisement to women by a vote of
5000 majority. At the last Presi-
dental election the woman vote in
Colorado -aPProxinatedZ ~ per cent
of the total vote cast. In 1896, the
stirring campaign Of Bryan, brought
out a large vote of women, and
swelled Bryan's majority over Nc
Kinley in Colorado, the comparative
vote of the two candidates being I6I,-
900 to 26, 900.
The most vigorous opponent of wo-
man suffrage in the Constitutional
Convention of 1895, which gave
Utah women the ballot, was Brigham
H. Roberts, whose trial and rejection
by the United States House of Rep
rentatives have made his name fa-
miliar to the nation.
In Utah, as in Idaho, where wo-
men were given the suffrage by pop
ular vote at the general election in
1896 by a majority of almost to I,
woman's suffrage has been great
success, and none of the evils predic-
ted of it have come to pass, and as
measure of justice it is said to have
gained much popularity.
Women of Utah and Idaho were
expected to pol larger vote this
year than ever before, because of the
anti polygamy movement. In Idaho
the Democratic party adopted an
anti polygamy plank. which would
call out the vote of Gentle women,
who are largely in the majority over
Mormon women in the State.-PAi2-
adelphia Record.