confer the right of suffrage upon females throughout the country;
and for us to undertake to legislate upon this question in regard
to a distant Territory where perhaps there are few or no women,
unless they be of the Indian race, is to me a very astonishing
thing.... If suffrage should be extended to females let it come
up as a distinct, independent proposition by itself, and then
every Senator can take his position in regard to a question which
affects the whole country, and not a distant Territory merely.
That is the way, in my opinion, to get at it.... Inasmuch as in
the wisdom of the Government and people of the United States the
right to the elective franchise has been conferred upon the black
race in this country, I see no reason on the ground of
qualification why it should not be conferred upon females.... But
I am unwilling to legislate by piecemeal in this manner. If there
is any good in it; if, as the Senator from Indiana says, as a
matter of right women should be entitled to the franchise, that
right should be co-extensive with the whole country, and not be
limited to the little Territory of Pembina, which is not yet
organized.

Mr. EDMUNDS.--I renew the motion to lay the bill on the table.

Mr. SARGENT.--On that motion I ask for the yeas and nays. The
yeas and nays were ordered.

Mr. RAMSEY.--I should like to appeal to the Senator from Vermont
to withdraw the motion for five minutes.

Mr. STEWART.--We will not lay it on the table.

Mr. RAMSEY.--Very well; let the vote be taken. The question being
taken by yeas and nays, resulted--yeas, 24; nays, 24; as follows:

YEAS--Messrs. Bayard, Buckingham, Conkling, Conover, Cooper,
Davis, Edmunds, Frelinghuysen, Hager, Hamilton of Maryland,
Howe, Ingalls, Johnston, Jones, MeCreery, Merrimon, Morrill
of Maine, Norwood, Ransom, Scott, Sherman, Wadleigh,
Washburn, and Wright--24.

NAYS--Messrs. Bogy, Boreman, Boutwell, Carpenter, Chandler,
Clayton, Ferry of Michigan, Flanagan, Gilbert, Harvey,
Hitchcock, Logan, Mitchell, Morton, Patterson, Pratt,
Ramsey, Sargent, Spencer, Sprague, Stewart, Tipton, West,
and Windom--24.

ABSENT--Messrs. Alcorn, Allison, Anthony, Brownlow, Cameron,
Cragin, Dennis, Dorsey, Fenton, F