The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-01-07

| by virtue OF law proclaimed according
! to ancient custom. from the top OF Tynwald
| on Jan. 81. 1884, female owners Of real estate
| having an annual rental OF $50 or upward were
| admitted as voters for the House OF Keys. the
| popular branch OF the Manx Legislature. In
the colony Of New Zealand also the Legisla.
! ture in September. 1898. passed an Electoral
Reform bill which confers tho right OF fran.
chise upon women. Before passing to . re.
view Of the situation In the United States. we
may note that in Holland. where q claim was
made by n woman to be enrolled upon the
electoral lists. the high couet OF the kin dom
decided In 1888 that female voting was con-
trary to the principles OF the Constitution. In
the revision OF the Dutch Constitution made
four years later. the word male was inserted
In all the provisions relating to elections
Nv.
In one OF the United States Q precedent for
the admission Of women as voters was fur
nished during the last century. The State re-
ferred to was New Jersey. which. by its Con-
stitution OF lT76 gave the suffrage to all the
Inhabitants who had the property aualhca-
ton. A law passed Feb. %. 1907. to regulate
elections under that Constitution provided
that every voter should deposit his or her bal
lot. and that the written ticket should coufsin
tho names Of those for whom he or she voted
But later act In 1907 enacted that no person
should be allowed to vote except free-born
white citizens OF the male sex. Since then the
word male has been inscribed In the Constitu-
ton Of the state OF New Jersey. as had already
been done In the other States. Since the civil
war the question Of the constitutional right OF
women to vote has been submitted to the su-
preme Court OF the United States The court
held that the qualification OF citizen In no
way implied the enjoyment OF electoral rights:
that the Union had no electors OF it's own
creation; that its electoral body was only
composed OF electors In the State; that SUI
frage was not coextensive with tho citizenship
OF state. either at the time Of the forma alton
OF the Federal Constitution or since the adop-
ton OF the Fourteenth Amend m emit; that this
amendment did not add to the privileges aud
immunities Of the citizen. but simply affords
an additional guarantee for the protection OF
such as he already had: that the suffrage not
being one OF the civic privileges and i'm NUM-
ties withdrawn from the control OF the
States. . provision In a state Constitution
combining the right OF voting to male citi-
zens." was no violation OF tho Federal Consti-
tuition. and consequently that In all States
where this provision existed. women had not
the right to vote. The point OF law was
thus irrevocably decided and the petitioners
had to fall back upon State or Territorial
Legislation. In 1859 the Territorial LeGlsla-
ture OF Wyoming gave the suffrage to all
women who had completed twenty-one
years. The next Legislature voted TO re-
peal the act. but the Governor OF the Territory
vetoed the repeal. and the required two-thirds
majority to pass tho repeal over the veto was
not obtainable. When. In 1890. the Territory
OF Wyoming applied for admission as n State.
1t submitted for tho preliminary a approval OF tho
yotaFa N draft n tina fufuFa Sfata ar
The United States Congress made no obiec-
ton 10 tho clause relating to woman suffrage.
but admitted the Territory into the Union. aud
Acknowledged that the exercise OF the
by women was not incom patible
with the Constitution OF the United Statea
Soon after the adoption OF woman suffrage In
Wyoming. 1t was introduced into the neigh
boring Territory OF Utah. but Congress In
1882 enacted that no woman cohabiting with
a polyGamist or bigamist could take part IN
any election or be elected in any Territory I'M
der the jurisdiction Of the United States. BY
this act. the wives OF monogamists and IN
married women were not affected; they still
kept the vote which had been given TO them
by the local law. A new Federal law. however, |
passed In 1887. withdrew tho suffrage from all
women In Utah without exception. In 1888 |
the Territory Of Washington adopted woman |
suffrage. but after the law had been enforced |
Tor upward Of three years. the Supreme Court |
ot the Territory declared the act null and void |
because the contents Of the act had not been |
properly set forth In the title. Thereupon the |
Territorial Legislature passed another act |
1889, giving women the right to vote. and |
mis- time adding a proper heading. But the |
leW law was also declared null aud void by the |
court on the ground that the Territory had no |
light 10 confer the suffrage upon WomeA- tits |
'ery doubtful whether this decision was war |
-anted. for. when the Wyoming Legislature |
conferred the vote on women in 1860. Congress
lid not com plain OF violation OF the act organ
zlng the Territory. although this defined the |
,lectora qualification for WyomiAg In the same |
erms as Were employed 10 the act organizing |
he Territory OF Washington. II Is true that |
Congress excluded the women /
u Utah from the suffrage. but thsy did so By |
Ilrtus OF the discretionary powers which they
exercise over the Territory. not because thsy
disputed the right OF the Utah Legislature TO
onisr such privilege. Now. Of course. this
natter has only retrospective interest. see
nE that, IN 1889. the TERRITORY Of Washington
'eeams a State. When. on the eve OF its Ad-
Mission into the Union. the draft OF its Constl-
ution Was submitted TO the voters OF the Ter
ltory, Their rejected the provision conserving
smAls suffrage. We may add that in several
tate Legislatures. women have succeeded IN
citing an act passed for their snirAn ehiSS-
asnt. but the act has required the ratification
{ the people. and this has always bssA re-
aaA Haufh IA - h. nd AZ l6ff0 III 7