Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1913-11-14
Wyoming Suffrage.

Mr.. Editor Il have read with interest
in your issue of November the remarks
of Bishop Nathaniel S. Thomas on suffrage
in Wyoming, to which you give prominence
in your editorial column II is pleasing to
learn that in spite of the Bishops mildly
expressed doubts of the benefit of women's
voting, he has Witnessed none of the dire
full results of their enfranchisemen which
some gentlemen of the East and South,
notably Senator Tillman and Representative
Ileflin, look forward to with such dread. In
fact, the burden of his objection seems to be
that as women generally vote for the same
candidates as their husbands and brothers
the net result is not altered and it is hardly
worth while to count so many extra ballots.
| Such harmony in families in State where
women have been voting for more than
| forty years does not seem to indicate in
creased work for the divorce courts But
| what about the women without husbands
or brothers, of whom thousands are making
their living in our great cities, single wO-
men and widows with children to support
Who votes for them? Certainly not the
thousands of single men, immigrant labor
ers. bachelor clubmen and young fellows
making their fortunes away from home,
each of whom has vote worth as much
as that of a man with n mother, wife, two
sisters and five children in his household.
Perhaps, in Wyoming men and women are
distributed evenly in families, but certainly
not in Maryland.
But be that as il may, there is one fea-
ture of the working of the franchise which
the churchman seems to have overlooked.
Perhaps he is not a practical politician. The
act Of voting is not an expression of Origi-
| A HI, "a
and measures formulated by the leaders of
the party. The voter either accepts or re-
jects. In an election in some suffrage State
candidate Smith, say, is put forward by his
party in nomination. A husband and wife
both vote for him. If. however, Brown,
Jones or Robinson, men of equal ability
and business acumen. but, unlike Smith,
lax in conduct and Indifferent on questions
of temperance, education and public health,
matters which interest all women, il any
of these men had been nominated, would
| both husband and wife have voted for
| him. In nine cases out Of ten the man
| would but the woman would not. The
| question is not put to a test because, where
women vote. no political party not intent
| on committing suicide would nominate
| Brown. Jones or Robinson, but Smith, who
| is pleasing 20 both men and women. When
class of people can vote. party leaders
respect their opinions and interests and
even their prejudices. That is the way il
actually works in the suffrage States. as
can be proved by many instances.
AS Bishop Thomas has only been in
Wyoming few years and women have voted
there for forty-fOur he has had no chance
to judge conditions before and after. The
people Of Wyoming and their representa-
tives however have shown conclusively
that they do not share his opinion Of the
unimpOrtance Of the wOmen's vote. When
in 1890. after twenty-one years Of woman
suffrage in the Territory, Wyoming applied
for statehood Congress was gravely con-
cerned over its admission TO the Union
with woman suffrage IN its constitution
Finally the delegate telegraphed TO the
territorial legislature that they would have
to drop suffrage for the present. The an
swer came back, prompt and unanimous,
I'VE will stay out Of the Union a hundred
years before we come in without woman
suffrage" The State was admitted on its
own terms and ii is not on record that any
citizen Of Wyoming, excepting the ri. Rev
Bishop. has ever suggested since that the
practice Of woman suffrage be discontinued
MARGARET l.. SEWALL.