FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN WYOMING.

Press, Volume XXXI, Issue 4264, 29 March 1879, Page 3

FEMALE SUFFRAGE IN WYOMING.

An article appears in an American exchange on the failure or woman suffrage in Wyoming, It says :—" Thie territory, as is well known, is the only locality in the United States where women vote tbe same as men. The idea that led to its adoption was, first, that Wyoming, being the youngest of all the States and territories, should be progressive ; and, second, to throw into politics an element to eld in "* counterbalancing the influence of the roughs, thieves, cut-throats, and highwaymen who then constituted a large share of the population. Since that time a fair trial ot the institution has not developed sufficient power or importance in the voting of the women lo { wrapt anyone to move for a repeal of tha aw. I believe only one woman in the territory was ever elocted to office by tho people, and now no offices aro ever demanded by the fair sex except some sineoure places in the ; Legislature, where the pay can be drawn and but little servioo rendered. In the costing of votea women do not figure extensively except on very rare occasion*. There is a certain class, however, who always vote, and, being themselves disreputable character*, they always throw their suffrages to the worst men on tho ticket*. The purification of politics is not to their interest. In other cases, the members of some oerteia church or other society desire one of their number elected to some office, and then tho women of that organisation oast their votes solidly for that designated man. Probably half the women in Cheyenne never have oast a vote since the first or second election after the law was passed. At first it was customary for carriages to visit all therrridences on election daya and oonvey the ladies to the polls in the interest of certain candidates, but that fashion is now almost a dead letter. There if a separate polling place for the women, and they are treated like ladies, boing free from insults or jostling; ao that mixing with the mob cannot be the cause of their lack of interest in elections, but that politics is out of their legitimate sphere. As the adoption of the measure here has amounted to so little, your correspondent can see little in it to praise or condemn, except that it baa given unscrupulous politicians a chance to further projects and men of the worst oaaracter."