The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-12-29
The Texas Legislature by a Single Blunde
Gives Woman the Ballot.


New York Herald
Do the advocates of female suffrage know
that they have at last got their way in one
of the largest States of the Union2
In adoptiong what is callet srevsion, but
which is for the most part only republica
ton of their statutes, the last Legislature oil
Texas re-enacted 80 much of article 6,
sections and Of the Constitution, as fol
lows:
Article 1876. The following persons shall
not be allowed to vote, to wit:
l. Idiots and lunatics.
2. All paupers supported by any County
3. All persons convicted of any felony.
4. All soldiers, marines, and seamen EN-.
ployed in the service of the army or navy
of the United States.
Article 1858. Every male person who i:
subject to neither of the disqualification
named in the preceding article, who shall
have attained the age of twenty-one
years, and who shall be a citizen of the
United States, and who shall have re-
sided in the State for one year next preced-
ing an election, and the last six months
within the district or county in which he
offers to vote, shall be deemed qualified
eleetor.-Revised Statutes of Texas, p 252,
articles 1857, 1858.
By re-enacting the precise words of the
constitution, the Legislature authorized the
presumption that the sections incorporated
as articles were meant to be construed to be
"civil statutory enactments." Indeed, as
they are neither common Ii. e. unwritten)
law nor equity, even had they not been re.
enacted, could they be held to be other than
"civil statutory enactments?" Funda-
mental or organic law, when adopted as
written law, is statute law. The fact that
it is made by the people by means of dele
gates, and is not amendable or repealable a:
ordinary acts OF the Legislature are, does
not cause it to be more or less than a COM
paratively permanent and higher grade OF
statutory law.
The Legislature, at the same time, provi
ded as follows:
Article 3,138. The following rules shall
govern in the construction of all civil statu-
tory enactments:
and 2. Omitted, because irrelevant tc
the subject under consideration.)
8. The masculine gender shall include
the feminine aud neuter.-Revised Statutes
of Texas. PIP. Asa So; article 1888, 8.
From the above extracts it is manifest
that female suffrage has been introduced in
Texas. 1t was probably doneinadvertently
nevertheless it is now the law. Though
this assertion may be treated with levity. il
will be found that no lawyer or judge whc
has any regard for his reputation will write
sign, and publish an opinion to the con.
trary. What will the next Legislature Of
Texas do about IT'D Will 1t seek to get rio
of female suffrage, or will it suffer it to &C
into practical operstion2 Should it repeal
articles 1857 and l 1858, would not those
articles as sections" remain in force in the
constitution as 'civil statutory enactmentsr
Can it afford to declare that one set of rules
of construction shall apply to its acts and
another to the Constitution If its rule:
as enacted are right, ought they not to b
applied to all written lsw7 s.,f.
Will it try the remaining method and
seek to get rid of female suffrage by repeal
ing article 3,l38 Sand indeed the whole