Woman and the Republic: A Survey of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in the United States and a Discussion of the Claims and Arguments of Its Foremost AdvocatesJohnson, Helen Kendrick
History
Woman and the Republic: A Survey of the Woman-Suffrage Movement in the United States and a Discussion of the Claims and Arguments of Its Foremost Advocates
Johnson, Helen Kendrick
Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- United States; Women -- Suffrage -- United States
Woman suffrage was secured in Wyoming by means that bring dishonor upon
democracy. Wyoming was organized as a Territory in 1868. Many of its
native settlers were from Utah. For its vast, mountainous extent of nearly
98,000 square miles, the census gave a population of only 9,118 persons.
Of these the native-born numbered 5,605, foreign-born, 3,513. The males
numbered 7,219; the females, 1,899. The "History of Woman Suffrage"
records the fact that the measure was secured in the first Territorial
legislature through the political trickery of an illiterate and
discredited man, who was in the chair. Mr. Bryce, in "The American
Commonwealth," alludes in a note to the same fact. Women voted in 1870. In
1871 a bill was passed repealing the suffrage act, but was vetoed by the
Governor, on the ground that, having been admitted, it must be given a
fair trial. An attempt to pass the repeal over his veto was lost by a
single vote. Certainly, the entrance of woman suffrage into Wyoming was
not a triumph of democratic progress and principle.
Colorado was admitted into the Union in 1876, and great efforts were made
by Suffragists to secure the "Centennial" State. This resulted in a
submission of the question to the people, who rejected it by a majority of
7,443 in a total vote of 20,665. From the first of the agitation for the
free coinage of silver, Colorado has been enthusiastically in favor of
that measure. In 1892 her devotion to it caused all parties to unite on
that issue and gave the vote of the State to General Weaver, Populist
candidate for President, and to David H. Waite, Populist candidate for
Governor. The question of woman suffrage was resubmitted to the people at
this election, and the constitutional amendment concerning it was carried
by a majority of only 5,000 in a total vote of 200,000. Neither that
movement nor its results present triumphant democracy.
In 1894 the Populist party of Idaho put a plank in its platform favoring
the submission of a woman-suffrage amendment to the people. In 1896 the
Free Silver Populist movement swept the State. A majority of the votes
cast on the Suffrage question were cast in its favor, but not a majority
of all the votes cast at the election. The supreme courts have generally
held that, in so important a matter, a complete majority vote was
required, but the Supreme Court of Idaho did not so hold, and woman
suffrage is now established in that State. This, also, is hardly a success
of sound democracy.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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