e of the ballot upon woman that I deprecate and would
avoid. I do not want to see her drawn into contact with the rude
things of this world, where the delicacy of her senses and
sensibilities would be constantly wounded by the attrition with
bad and desperate and foul politicians and men. Such is not her
function and is not her office; and if we degrade her from the
high station that God has placed her in to put her at the
ballot-box, at political or other elections, we unman ourselves
and refuse to do the duties that God has assigned to us.

I can say for myself and for those who are dearest to me of all
the objects in this life, that I would leave a country where it
was necessary that my wife and daughters should go to the polls
to protect my liberties. I would just as soon see them shoulder
their guns and go like Amazons into the field and fight beneath
the flag for my liberties, as to see them muster on election day
for any such purpose.[478]

James K. Jones of Arkansas based his argument on the estimate of an
equal number of men and women in Wyoming, and assumed that all the
women had voted in favor of the suffrage clause and that therefore it
did not represent the wishes of men, thus denying wholly the right of
women to a voice in a matter which so vitally concerned themselves. In
reality women formed considerably less than one-third of the adult
population, while the constitution was adopted by more than a
three-fourths vote.

William M. Stewart of Nevada and Algernon S. Paddock of Nebraska
defended the right of the Territory to decide this question for
itself.

George Gray of Delaware declared his belief that "woman suffrage is
inimical to the best interests of society." John C. Spooner of
Wisconsin disapproved the enfranchisement of women, but believed
Wyoming had a right to place it in its constitution.

Orville H. Platt of Connecticut in urging the acceptance of the report
said:

I never have been an advocate of woman suffrage. I never
believed, as some senators do, that it was wise. But with all
that, I would not keep a Territory out of the Union as a State
because its constitution did allow women to vote, nor would I
force upon a Territory any restriction or qualification as to
what its vote should be in that respect. When Washington
Territory came here and asked for admission and the bill w