Today, the Wyoming State Quarter Coin remembers 125 years ago when Wyoming joined the Union as the 44th state.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote an article included in the Westminster Review of 1890 about the admission of Wyoming as a state and about its pioneering Constitution:
=====
A great event in the history of the race has just occurred in the United States, in the complete enfranchisement of women in a vast area covering 97,575 square miles. The admission of the Territory of Wyoming into the Union with an article in her Constitution securing to all the women within her borders full political rights, marks on the horologe of time a new epoch in which we are to witness the perfect equality of the sexes in government.
After prolonged debate, the Bill passed the House of Representatives, March 26; and after months of painful suspense on the part of friends of the measure, it passed the Senate June 27, 1890, by a strict party vote, 29 Republicans to 19 Democrats. The President was requested not to sign the Bill until the 4th of July, the natal day of the Republic, when the Colonies declared their independence and threw off the British yoke.
It is peculiarly appropriate that the same day should be celebrated for woman’s independence in the greater Republic; her complete enfranchisement from masculine domination in government. Having admitted the principle of the equal status of women in one State, it must sooner or later be conceded in all.
By the passage of this Bill the women of Wyoming may now fill any United States office. They may be Congressmen, Senators, or even President of the United States. The magnitude and far reaching consequences of this step in legislation in a country of nearly 70,000,000 of people, cannot be overestimated.
The most encouraging feature of the admission of Wyoming into the Union, is that as a Territory she had already tried the experiment of Woman Suffrage for nearly twenty years, and so thoroughly satisfied were her people with the results, that only one adverse vote was cast in their constitutional convention.
Mr. Carey, representative from Wyoming, in summing up his speech before Congress, said:
“Mr. Speaker, after twenty years’ experience with woman suffrage the people of that territory have deliberately formed a Constitution to be the supreme organic law of the new State, and have placed in Constitution a solemn inhibition of the denial or abridgment of that right on account of sex.
“The Territorial Legislature has asked by resolution for the admission of their State under the Constitution. The political organizations of the State, without regard to party, make the same prayer. No protest against it has been heard, no remonstrance, no petition against it has been presented to your committee nor to this body.
“No one dares to claim that it has not been beneficial to Wyoming and to her people. I quote the following words from a distinguished citizen of the territory: — ‘It has been stated that the best women do not avail themselves of the privilege of the elective franchise. This statement is maliciously false. The women of Wyoming vote with as much universality as men, and no State or Territory can boast of nobler and purer women. The foolish claim has also been made that the influence of the ballot upon women is bad. This is not true. It is impossible that a woman’s character can be contaminated in associating with men for a few moments in going to the polls any more than it would be in going to the church or to places of amusement. On the other hand, women are benefited and improved by the ballot. Most women in Wyoming accumulate more or less property, and under our laws manage their property, though married, as if single. The management of business necessarily gives them new ideas, and brings a knowledge of affairs that none of us get but by experience. This makes them more intelligent, gives them enlarged ideas of life and its duties, instills higher aims and makes them better wives and mothers. The fact is, Wyoming has the noblest and best women in the world, because they have more privileges and know better how to use them.’ ”
There have been several attempts made to deprive women of their political rights during this long period, but overwhelming majorities in its favor have made all such attempts futile. Hence we may rest assured that there will be no retrogressive steps in that rich young State, where so many noble women have proved their capacity in political affairs.
They have discharged their duties as jurors with marvelous wisdom and discretion. The problem of Woman Suffrage is solved in Wyoming, and firmly established there beyond a peradventure.
Scientists may now prate about the size of women’s heads and the lack of grey matter in their brains; philosophers may tell us that the masculine element always has and always will dominate the universe; theologians, fresh from communion with their Creator, may prescribe woman’s sphere according to “the Bible and the designs of Providence,” and physicians may enlarge on the disabilities of the sex; but, in spite of all this, women are now full-fledged citizens in the United States, with their feet firmly planted on a territory, comprising a larger area than all Great Britain; a well-secured and certain inheritance to our daughters to the third and fourth generation.
It is over twenty years since Wyoming as a territory passed a Bill through her legislature extending the right of suffrage to women. It was said at the time that the members, the majority being Democrats, did it partly as a joke, and partly to advertise the territory, hoping thereby to induce a large immigration of women; but whatever their object the Bill readily passed as the Republicans voted for it, and the Republican Governor signed the Bill.
The women being in favor of law and order, the large majority voted the Republican ticket, and thus changed at once the political power of the Territory, leaving the Democrats in the minority. They made several attempts afterwards to disfranchise the women but to no purpose.
The best men in the Territory at once recognized the civilizing power of women at the polls, in the courts, and in general society, and for all these years have remained steadfast to the principle.
Within the last year several Territories have become States, and all alike advised Wyoming not to put woman suffrage in her new Constitution, as it would prove a stumbling-block to her admission into the Union.
But her wisest politicians gave no heed to such advice; they said, we will take the noble women who have endured with us the hardships of pioneer life, into the Union, or we will remain with them in a Territory, until there are enough real men in Congress to admit us together.
Fortunately there was a sufficient number there already to pass the Bill, after much opposition and prolonged debates, in which the old arguments that have been answered a hundred times, were made to do duty once more.
Our chief opponents in Congress are Southern Democrats ; their anxiety seemed to be, that if suffrage were extended to women, they would see in the near future, black women in the House or Senate, or even in the Presidential chair.
The frivolous objections made on both sides the great waters, in England and America alike, are unworthy of those who claim to be endowed with reason, men who have had the advantage of college drill in logic, mathematics, history, philosophy and science.
But it is fair to suppose that they present the best arguments they can find, hence we must attribute their failure not to any lack of native strength, but to the paucity of the material at hand, on that side of the question.
I visited the Territory in 1870, and saw the women who had voted, filled the offices of Justice of the Peace and Jurors, talked with them at the fireside, watched them in their domestic avocations, ate bread made by the same hands that had cast a ballot on election day, and found that “marriage was not annulled, cradles abolished, nor stockings mended by the State.”
I was struck with the earnestness and the intelligence of the women, talking more about laws and constitutions, principles of government, and practical politics, than fashions, personalities, or their neighbor’s private affairs.
I was told that the women had discharged their duties with marvelous wisdom and discretion.
Esther Morris presided for two years as Justice of the Peace, maintaining the most orderly court in the Territory, and not one of her decisions was ever reversed. The women were much amused with the financial view of the arduous jury duties of which they had heard so much. They said, “we never earned three dollars a day more easily, sitting in comfortable chairs listening to arguments.”
The judge told me of a murder case that had just been tried, in which he was very curious as well as anxious to see whether they would render the verdict based on the evidence in the case, or be guided by their feelings. They felt the responsibility in deciding on the life of a human being, and passed the night in talking over the evidence with seriousness and care, and rendered their verdict “guilty.”
He said the change in the appearance of the Court-room, and the habits of the people were remarkable. As soon as the women appeared, everything was clean and in order, men came better dressed and smoking was abolished.
In former times said the Judge, ” the room was often so thick with smoke that I could hardly see how to give a decision.”
Before women went to the polls disorder and rowdyism prevailed, fisticuff fights were usual, and even the use of firearms was frequent, fraud and violence marked all the elections.
And yet the first time the carriages rolled up loaded with women to vote, that rough pioneer crowd fell back in line, and with hats in hand, stood in perfect silence while the women performed as citizens.
Woman’s influence was at once felt in the choice of candidates, for it was known they would invariably oppose men of immoral character and bad habits.
At the last census Wyoming was returned as having a smaller percentage of illiteracy than any State or Territory in the Union. Although her educational and charitable institutions are numerous and well sustained, yet she has no public debt.
At all times women have manifested great public spirit and a conscientious interest in every department of government, especially in that of education.
Wyoming is by no means an insignificant portion of the earth’s surface, but one of the largest, and when its resources are developed, it will be one of the richest States in the Union.
On July 25, 1868, Wyoming made its first appearance on the map of the American continent.
By an Act of Congress it was cut out of the enormous territory of Dakota; but it was many years before European maps ceased to name both Dakota and Wyoming ” the great American desert.”
That vast territory is now populated and comprises three States admitted into the Union within the last year. The resources of Wyoming are varied and boundless. It is rich in agricultural productions, is well watered, as three of the largest rivers in North America have their sources there, and four others cross her boundaries on every side.
It has from eight to ten millions of acres of spruce and pine forests, which with the melting snows on the mountains keep the atmosphere humid, and the smaller streams full most of the year.
The oil and mineral resources are said to be boundless. Such are the natural advantages of the great State where woman has made a successful experiment of self-government, manifesting the necessary self-control and public spirit for a good citizen, and an officer of the State, and proving her capacity to the satisfaction of her coadjutors, to fill any sphere where duty calls her.
The history of Wyoming should close the debate on this question, as we now have abundant facts to contradict all the absurd suppositions and harrowing prophecies of the opposition. The progress of the debate in Congress was watched with intense interest throughout the country; the galleries in the Capitol were crowded with ladies day after day.
The passage of the Bill was hailed with the wildest enthusiasm, especially in Wyoming, and celebrated in all her chief cities with music and processions, flags and banners, with bonfires, guns, and cannon firing salutes throughout the day and far into the night.
Preparations are being made for a greater celebration when her delegates return from Washington. Among other things, a company of thirty-one young girls of Cheyenne have been enrolled as the Wyoming State Guards, and have been uniformed and drilled to take part in the Statehood celebration.
This is the first genuine Republic the world has ever seen; a government of the people, by the people, for the people. In Wyoming it can now be truly said, under our flag there is no caste nor class, no bond nor free, no male nor female, no Jew nor Gentile, but all are one, by the provisions of our State Constitution.
In one of his speeches, given at Harvard College, the late Wendell Phillips, one of our great prophets and reformers, said: “The first glimpse we get of Saxon blood in history is that line of Tacitus, in his ‘Germany,’ which reads, ‘in all grave matters we consult our women.’ Years hence, when robust Saxon sense has flung away Jewish superstition and Eastern prejudice, and put under its foot fastidious scholarship and squeamish fashion, some second Tacitus from the valley of the Mississippi will answer to him of the Seven Hills, ‘ In all grave questions we consult our women.’ ”
This prophecy, made only nine years ago, is already fulfilled. The statesmen of Wyoming have indeed echoed back to him of the Seven Hills, not only that “in all grave questions we consult our women,” but that once more women enjoy the right of self-government, that the matriarchate, or mother-age, has come again.
As England and America have thus far kept pace, step by step, on the question of women’s emancipation, I venture to prophesy that the sunlight now shining on the wild mountain-tops of Wyoming will soon gild the venerable dome of St. Paul.
=====
The Wyoming State Quarter Coin shows against the broad expanse of the state’s plains and mountains.
