[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 378 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]

        H.Con.Res.378
                                               Agreed to October 2, 2008

                       One Hundred Tenth Congress

                                 of the

                        United States of America


                          AT THE SECOND SESSION

          Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
            the third day of January, two thousand and eight


                          Concurrent Resolution

Whereas the Wyoming Territorial Legislature passed, and Governor John 
  A. Campbell signed into law on December 10, 1869, a measure stating, 
  ``That every woman of the age of twenty-one years, residing in this 
  territory, may, at every election, to be holden under the law 
  thereof, cast her vote.'';

Whereas this Suffrage Act granted women in the Wyoming Territory the 
  right to vote with full civil and judicial equality to men;

Whereas Louisa Swain, on September 6, 1870, became the Nation's first 
  woman voter under laws guaranteeing absolute political equality to 
  women;

Whereas she cast that vote as a 70 year-old woman in the town of 
  Laramie's municipal election;

Whereas, the Laramie Daily Sentinel wrote, ``It is comforting to note 
  that our first woman voter was really a lady . . . of the highest 
  social standing in the community, universally beloved and respected. 
  The scene was in the highest degree interesting and impressive. There 
  was too much good sense in our community for any jeers or sneers to 
  be seen on such an occasion'';

Whereas this vote was inspirational to the women's suffrage movement 
  and to the cause of civil rights;

Whereas, Wyoming's statehood, in 1890, brought the codification of this 
  suffrage right through the ratification of the new Wyoming State 
  constitution under Article 6, section 1;

Whereas, when the Congress threatened to withhold statehood from 
  Wyoming, territory legislators replied with a telegram stating that 
  Wyoming would remain out of the Union 100 years rather than join 
  without women's suffrage;

Whereas President Benjamin Harrison, on July 10, 1890, signed into law 
  a bill admitting Wyoming into the Union, and recognizing it as the 
  Nation's ``Equality State'';

Whereas these actions instigated a path to the passage of the 19th 
  Amendment to the United States Constitution 50 years after Louisa 
  Swain's historical first vote; and

Whereas September 6, 2008, would be an appropriate date to designate as 
  Louisa Swain Day: Now, therefore, be it

    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress supports the designation of a Louisa Swain Day.
Attest:

                                 Clerk of the House of Representatives.

Attest:

                                               Secretary of the Senate.