| Show WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN UTAH the following is from the rep report ort of the pennsylvania woman suffrage Asso association clation lead by matilda J hindman Hindma nj at the annual meeting of the american woman suffrage fra frage e association at the 0 opera pera house detroit imm Iff mch thich oct 13 as reported in tho comans womans journal during the session of Con congress gras gres we spent some time in hi the capital li purposing to work for the endran ehl ehi of the women of tile the district of columbia and rind of the bud but finding that congress was more likely to disfranchise the wamen who already possessed this night hight than to enfranchise ot others hers our efforts were used as far as possible to prevent this 13 ackward backward step I 1 had we been a voter we might have had less troubie trouble to convince some of our friends of their duty daty in this affair several bills were introduced cad any one of which if I 1 r it became a law would have franchised disfranchised dis the women or of utah I 1 the mekee melree bill bili had llad been referred to the house Commit committie tue tie on territories while the subject was way under dis cassion in the committee by iby invitation of the members membris on two occasions swe we stated our views one of the members before the committee convened gave his reason for favoring the passage a of the bill the vote sustains polygamy said lie he an and tt to dest destroy roy toy that I 1 would wo uld take the tho th 0 right of suffrage from every wom woman an in the territory would it do that we enquired 1 I think it would lil lif did polygamy exist in the territory before the women voted oh I 1 lyes yes have they ever had the privilege of voting against it no that has never been made an issue but they voted to send a polygamist to congress did any man mau vote for him 1 desmore Ye smore than eleven thousand men and ten thousand wo women anen how many voted for thee the opposing candidate something less than two thousand men and women together I 1 found on examination this was correct you intend to disfranchise the men who voted for this man we said cdon oh no then the polygamist can still come to congress by a majority of nive five toone to one 11 though this was as true he seemed to think it would be vei very wron wrong 9 to disfranchise the men how many of the committee reasoned as this one we are unable to say but the majority wished to disfranchise the women as they returned the bill to the house with the obnoxious sections unchanged the friends of woman by their honest work prevented action being taken on the bill and perhaps saved the country tho disgrace of having done such a great wrong which it could not soon have undone there was something more inore vital to the of the nation in this than some of our legislators were willing to admit had the they y passed assed this act they would probably eave have laid the foundation for the ruin of the nation if congress has the power to disfranchise di s one class it undoubtedly has the power to disfranchise another and what freeman in such a case is is secure in his rights similar bills were before the senate and house judiciary committee mi atee should we go bedore before these and argue beg plead and pray that justice be done no had we not learned that there is nothing so powerless as the powerless inlaw in law such can do nothing of themselves but with powerful allies the weakest may conquer the strongest seek such before you enter the contest those in authority have little regard for the wishes of those who haye no power to place them in or remove them from office the question came where shall bhail we look for help among those in power to he the true the trusted and the tried to those of the grandest intellect and purest heart to the friends of bf the weak and oppressed our appeal should be made to the highest to the honorable and most honored honorea charles sumner he cordially granted us a hearing bearing when we stated the object of our visit he quietly remarked you have come to the wrong per person spitz I 1 hava no influence with them men 11 1 1 I 1 after talking some time on the subject he said t should hesitate to take this right from any who wilo now possess it I 1 will go further I 1 would be willing to grant it to those who have it notly not he afterwards remarked t shall investigate this matter thoroughly ough ly 11 rhe the rho bill sill passed tho the senate last year yea r and many good men voted for it we said lefe jefe he jere kindly apolo apologized glied nor for their action in these wards they did not fully realize the nature of the tot lot ball hii hit they had bad not examined it carefully had olind it deprived tb them e m or i any class of men benj of the right to vote would they not have realized what it meant and voted differently biffl brently erent ly we Inqui ingui inquired red i 4 in that case they would doubtless have had sharp eyes tote to on note all its defects he be ansbe answered red with a smile 1 I did not vote on it I 1 was sick in bed at the time have you seen mr li in reference to this was his next I 1 I 1 I 1 inquiry we have not it seems useless a man who would frame such a bill ylli would not be likely to change it 1 l 1 I must say that you will have performed your duty very badly if you neglect to see him lie he said ago go to his hib hi house he be has a nice homo home an excellent wife wire and accomplished complis hed daughters he will receive you in a kind hind and gentlemanly manner we vye followed his advice sawar saw mr Freling huysen huyben mr edmunds and others mr declared he would not change his bill however ilo lio wever much he might be abused referring to something that had been beeh sald said publicly about his action in this matter the principal reasor reason he gave for wishing to disfranchise the women of utah was that the man inan who had twelve wives would have thirteen votes while the man who had only one wife would have but two of course these women would have no opinions of their own to express only husbands have personality we thought it would be almost as reasonable and quite as christian a methot method of avoiding the evil of giving one man more power than another to prevent men having so many wives as to take from all women whether wives or not I 1 the right to express their opinion on subjects of f importance to themselves and ot others herge herse two days after we again met mr sumner and stated the result of our emm efm morts lorts 1 his first remark was 1 I shall talk with mr Freling huysen hussen he is a good christian gentleman and does not wish to do wrong Sen seni senator atol toi tot edmunds views the subject in the same light that is unfortunate as chairman of the committee he would have been great aid ti to you you should see senator anthony also senator sargent he has publicly espoused the cause they are men meu of influence and can be trusted and mrs sargent is an excellent lady she is engaged in this work these theto cau can tell what is best befit to be done in comparing the manner of wor working kingin in this and the anti slav ery cry cause he be said sald That hat bat was accomplished plis pils lied by working both in congress gressan and dout out it never could have havo been done by either the people or congress alone so in this if you wish to succeed you aust educate the people and urge congress to 1 enact such laws in Te reference ference thereto as it has power to do in answer to the request that lie he might publicly announce to the association which alch we rep reb represented resented his views he lib said 1 I shall shail let my actions not m my y words tell what I 1 am you iyott did not do so in the a ase of the black nian man we ventured to m remark wo no but I 1 ishall shall in this 12 in a moment after he said goi gol 1 I will pre present rent cent to the senate any memorial or petition you may wish and then refer it to the judiciary committee thatis that is the best way to do his farewell words were whether you succeed or oi r not I 1 wish you all well weli 11 we have been thus lp particular to state mr views as expressed on these two occasions because many mady of the opponents of woman suffrage assert that he was unfriendly ly to the reform every express expression lon ion every word his whole manner proved him a friend not an enemy and by no means au indifferent friend as too many aro are just three weeks from the day of our last conversation with masum ner der hh his work on earth ceased and the cause of justice lost a grand friend on the morning of february we ve handed him a suffrage rage rago memorial which he presente I 1 to the senate tee teo and referred to the judiciary committee fee which was almost his last official act the women of utah were not disfranchised franchised dis doubtless this was chiefly owing to the searching search lug logical editorials of the homans womans journal which placed the subject in its true light before the people popie together with the netlon notion of the advocates of woman suffrage in new england new york pennsyl pennsylvania vania vanla and other states reclaim we claim this as a grand victory for woman suffrage the following is from the report repart of the new york association read by miss diary mary F eastman when the bill franchising disfranchising dis the women of utah came before bedore congress our representatives were promptly ned to use their in gence Kence floence against the measure |
