unhesitatingly approved all of
them. He promptly returned the bill with his veto; and the
accompanying message is such an able paper and so fully sets
forth the reasons in favor of the original act, and the good
results of its operation, that at least a few extracts well
deserve a prominent place in this record:

I return herewith to the House of Representatives, in which
it originated, a bill for "An Act to repeal Chapter XXXI. of
the Laws of the First Legislative Assembly of the Territory
of Wyoming."

I regret that a sense of duty compels me to dissent from
your honorable body with regard to any contemplated measure
of public policy. It would certainly be more in accordance
with the desire I have to secure and preserve the most
harmonious relations among all the branches of our
territorial government, to approve the bill. A regard,
however, for the rights of those whose interests are to be
affected by it, and for what I believe to be the best
interests of the territory, will not allow me to do so. The
consideration, besides, that the passage of this bill would
be, on the part of those instrumental in bringing it about,
a declaration that the principles upon which the
enfranchisement of women is urged are false and untenable,
and that our experience demonstrates this, influences me not
a little in my present action.

While I fully appreciate the great danger of too much
attention to abstract speculation or metaphysical reasoning
in political affairs, I cannot but perceive that there are
times and circumstances when it is not only proper but
absolutely necessary to appeal to principles somewhat
general and abstract, when they alone can point out the way
and they alone can guide our conduct. So it was when, two
years ago, the act which this bill is designed to repeal was
presented for my approval. There was at that time no
experience to which I might refer and test by its results
the conclusions to which the application of certain
universally admitted principles led me. In the absence of
all such experience I was driven to the application of
principles which through