Show DEFENSE OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE IN UTAH THE interest taken by women suffrage rag ests against the edmunds measure now before congress continues unabated the following foli gwim letter contains the views ot of a prominent bromine ut lady upon that subject LAFAYETTE indiana march 25 to the editor of the inter ocean two wrongs never made a right every right minded woman in the country wants polygamy in utah stamped sta out and the sooner the better but they want this done on strict constitutional rights and without adding any greater indignities to to w women n than are placed upon them now by the written laws of the land aud this is why the circular letters of one of the earlier pioneers ot of the woman suffrage Clem encle mozier Loz ler has 1 been called forth in the editorial of the inter ocean upon this circular eire blar it is said that woman suffrage has been eeb ri a failure in utah and all right minded loriers should aid mr edmunds in doing away with the institution in order to weaken the curse of polygamy mr edmunds section 7 does not weaken but strengthens the nolva polygamous vote of utah already alrea y the test oath of the former edmunds bill has franchised disfranchised dis all men and women livin living g I 1 in pa polygamy in Uta band hand itis acknowledged that this element is about eliminated from utah elections let it be remembered that only about one twentieth of the tha mormons cormons are polygamous byrbe by the disfranchisement disfranchise meat of the gentile women and the nondis non dis f ranchi of non polygamous mormon men the mormon vote is strengthened in utah and mr edmunds knows it upon the same principle that mr edmunds proposes to disfranchise women innocent of wrong in utah might every man in chicago no matter how just and law abiding he may have been be dis franchised because mr Mack inand his co conspirators have bave abused the privilege of the ballot if polygamy is declared a crime then let the punishment fall alike upon both men and women practicing it and upon no oth others rs mr I 1 edmunds dunda has no constitutional grounds to stand upon in the tyrannical attack upon the hefted right of the ballot in the hands bands of a non criminal class the whole history of mr edmunds course in congress shows a contempt for not only political but industrial rights of women and it is another proof that a nonvoting non voting class is an class in american legislation ared mr ed munds made his apology for asking the disfranchisement of women that women do not want the ballot he has been showered with letters and resolutions so extensively denying this statement that he acknowledged his inability to answer these communications courteously so he is sending out a printed circular which has been written in such undue haste and couched in such terms as to leave no doubt as to his pique or lack of courtesy toward women his insulting paragraph telling women that they do not understand the situation in utah is but a fair sample of the man the women of the country are shoeing sho ing that they understand the situation in utah and mr edmunds too a little better than the gentleman wishes polygamy can be done away with on constitutional principles if men in congress are incapable of killing this monster of polygamy that they have nursed along by their shilly lo 10 these many years then let the lo 10 take their seats for a time and it will be done without adding another wrong to the great wrongs already inflicted mr edmunds is manufacturing the demagogues capital for presidential bucce succession assion so he thinks but he or any party who may nominate him will find that the silent influence of women of which he has so much to say will come like a whirlwind to defeat him whenever or wherever he may raise his political head in the f future HELEN M gougar |