rritory at that
time. The political parties realized the necessity of putting their
best men to the front, and it was fully conceded that ethics had
become a factor in politics.

Prior to the Legislature of 1886 some discussion arose as to the
constitutionality of the Equal Suffrage Law, and, in order to remove
all doubt, a strengthening Act was passed, which was approved by Gov.
Watson C. Squire, November 29.

On Feb. 3, 1887, the case of _Harlan vs. Washington_ came before the
Territorial Supreme Court. Harlan had been convicted of carrying on a
swindling game by a jury composed of both men and women, and he
contested the verdict on the ground that women were not legal voters.
The Supreme Court, whose _personnel_ had been entirely changed through
a new Presidential administration, decided that the law conferring the
elective franchise upon them was void because it had not been fully
described in its title. This decision also rendered void nineteen
other laws which had been enacted under the same conditions.

The members of the next Legislature had been elected so long before
the rendering of this decision that their seats could not be
contested; and as their election had been by both men and women they
were determined to re-establish the law which the Supreme Court had
ruthlessly overthrown. Therefore the Equal Suffrage Law was
re-enacted, perfectly titled and worded, and was approved by Gov.
Eugene Semple, Jan. 18, 1888.

The members of a convention to prepare a State constitution were soon
to be chosen, and the opponents of woman suffrage were most anxious to
have the question considered by the Supreme Court before the election
of the delegates. They arranged that the judges of the spring
municipal election in a certain precinct should refuse to accept the
vote of a Mrs. Nevada Bloomer, the wife of a saloon-keeper and herself
an avowed opponent of woman suffrage. This was done on April 3, and
she brought suit against them. The case was rushed through, and on
August 14 the Supreme Court decided that the Act of January 18 was
invalid, as a Territorial Legislature had no right to enfranchise
women, and that in consequence the Equal Suffrage Law was void. The
Judges responsible for this decision were Associate Justices George
Turner and William G. Langford.

The very Act of Congress which organized the Territory of Washington
stated explicitly that, at elections subsequent to the first, _all
persons should be all