The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-11-28
Department OF SUFFRAGE
Some Expressions of Opinion
by Leading Thinkers
THE PRESENT OUTLOOK
How the Thing Has Worked Over in
Colorado
Discussion Of the Present Status Of the
Amendment Proposed to the Constitu-
ton Of the State of California
fConducted hv Mrs Alice McComas. J

Conducted by Mrs Alice McComas.)
ENo question before the American people
today is attracting more attention than
this woman suffrage question. Especially
IS this the case in California, as consti-
tutIonal amendment, granting to Califor-
MIA women the right of full suffrage is to
be submitted to the people-the voting
people, which means only mon-in No.
yember 1896. The amendment will be
designated upon the ballots as number
eleven (No. IL, it being the result of a
resolution passed by the assembly, con-
CURED in by the senate of our last legis-
lxturc, and approved March 16, 1895.
The proposed amendment is printed in
the statutes of California for the year 1895.
page 453. The amendment reads
the Same as article Q, section l, of the
amended constitution of California, ex-
cept that the word "person' is susbtitut-
ed for "male," the words che or sne"
for "he' and the words ''his or her" for
"his." Should this amendment carry
in 1896 it places women IN all political
matters in the same condition as men. II
it receives ma ority of the Sotes cast for
or against it, at the next general election,
it will become q part of our constitution
without further proceedings. and the
amended article Will read as follows:
, Section l. Every native citizen of the
United States, every person who shall
have acquired the rights of citizenship
under or by virtue of the treaty of Quere-
tAro, and every naturalIZed citizen there
of who shall have become such ninety
days prior to any election, of the age of
81 years, who shall have been a resident
OF the state one year next preceding the
election, and OF this county in which he
or she claims to vote ninety oayU, and in
the election precinct thirty days, shall
be entitled to vote at all elections which
are now or may hereafter be authorized
by law; provided, no native of China, no
Idiot, insane person, or person convicte1
of any infamous crime, and no person
hereafter convicted of the EN- bezzlemenr
or transportation of public money,
and no person who shall not be able TO
read the constitution in the En- glish Ian
glage and write his or her own nam g,
shall ever exercise the privilege OF an
eIecter in this state; provided, that the
provisions Of this amendment relative to
an educational qualification shall not
apply to any person prevented by phys
ical disability from complying with It's
regulations, nor to any person who now
has the right to vote, nor to any person
who shall be 60 years of age and upward
at the time this amendment shall take
effect.
The educational clause is in
accordance with the educational amend
msnt passed, or carried, at our last gen
eral election. No woman will be allo we'd
to vote under this amendment, article 3,
section 1, no matter how old unless she
can read the constitution and write h er
own name. Thus is removed one Uf the
old fears and objections in regard to the
illiterate woman's vote.