eets, in some of the towns, during the latter part of
the day and evening. At South Pass City, some drunken fellows
with large knives and loaded revolvers swaggered around the
polls, and swore that no negro should vote. One man remarked
quietly that he thought the negroes had as good a right to vote
as any of them had. He was immediately knocked down, jumped on,
kicked and pounded without mercy, and would have been killed, had
not his friends rushed into the brutal crowd and dragged him out,
bloody and insensible. It was a long time before the poor fellow
recovered from his injuries. There were quite a number of colored
men who wanted to vote, but did not dare approach the polls until
the United States Marshal placed himself at their head and with
revolver in hand escorted them through the crowd, saying he would
shoot the first man that interfered with them. There was much
quarreling and tumult, but the negroes voted. This was only a
sample of the day's doings, and characteristic of the election
all over the territory. The result was that every Republican was
defeated, and every Democratic candidate elected; and the whisky
shops had shown themselves to be the ruling power in Wyoming.
From such an inspiration one could hardly expect a revelation of
much value! Yet there were some fair men among those elected.

The legislature met October 12, 1869. Wm. H. Bright was elected
president of the Council. As he was the author of the woman
suffrage bill, and did more than all others to secure its
passage, some account of him may be of interest. He was a man of
much energy and of good natural endowments, but entirely without
school education. He said frankly, "I have never been to school a
day in my life, and where I learned to read and write I do not
know." His character was not above reproach, but he had an
excellent, well-informed wife, and he was a kind, indulgent
husband. In fact, he venerated his wife, and submitted to her
judgment and influence more willingly than one could have
supposed; and she was in favor of woman suffrage.[492] There were
a few other men in that legislature, whose wives exercised a
similar influence; but Mr. Bright found it up-hill work to get a
majority for his bill, and it dragged along until near the close
of the session.