The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-29
Is If A POLITICAL TRICK.

Is 1T a POLITICAL TRICK.
1t is pleasant to see brethren dwell
ing together in sweet unity. The morn
/ ing and evening church organs pipe
| together in sonorous harmony. Echo
ing the strain of the morning organ,
the evening instrument emits the fol-
lowing:
OF the merits of woman suffrage this
paper has already expressed its opin-
ion beyond equivocation or recall; but
as to the merits of infusing into the
campaign this complication of women
voting on the nstitution-contrary to
the design of the constitutional con-
vention itself-we still have the privi-
lege of saying that it has every look
of a political trick and not very
smart one. either, but very unfortu-
nate. as we view it.
The former is so pleased at this
union of sentiment that it copies in
full the article from which the fore
going is an extract, and editorially an
nounces that it is completely in line
with what it has been urging all
along" Now. we would like to know.
first. wherein the proposition for per-
hitting women citizens to vote on the
adoption of the constitution is CON
trary to the design of Congress?' In
the next place in what respect it is
anything like "a political trick?"
The design of Congress can only be
discovered by reference to the enab-
ling act passed by that body. Many
of our most able and experienced con-
stitutional lawyers maintain. that Con-
gress evidently designed to secure to
all persons made voters by the pro-
vote for or against the adoption Of the
constitution. The language of the en-
abling act is as follows:
1.-THE qualified voters of the proposed
state shall vote directly for or against
the adoption of the proposed constitu-
ton"
Now. If it was not the design of Con-
gress to leave to the constitutional
convention. as is customary, the power
to provide for the qualifications of vot-
ers in the proposed state, what was the
design? The Herald has never con-
tended that Congress designed to con-
fer upon women the right to vote in
the state of Utah. any more than to
provide for the qualifications of any
class of voters in that state. But it
does seem from the plain language of
the enabling act, that Congress did in
tend to make provision that whoever
should be endowed by the state con-
stitution with the right to vote on
state affairs, should also have the
right to vote on the question of the
ratification of the state constitution.
Will the pair of organs which chime
together in such pulsing tune and time,
please tell US whether the language of
the enabling act which we have quoted
constitutes "a political trick or
whether by that phrase they mean the
opinion of the legal gentlemen who
take the language as it stands? That
The Herald does not dispute. The
opinions of lawyers, eminent at the bar
on either side, are to be respected. and
also the arguments of the press if
they have any to offer. but we submit
to fair and intelligent readers that the
charge of "a political trick" repeated
and echoed by the organs aforesaid.
smacks a great deal more of trickery
than either the language of the en-
abling act. the reasoning of the law
yers or the decision Glready reached
by a competent court.
The question is TO come up at once
before the supreme court of the terri
tory for adjudication. is it the pur-
pose of the two organs to put the
matter in such a light that it may
have some effect upon the decision of
that body? II not, what is the pur-
pose in view? We are of the opinion
that discriminating public will be
very likely to regard this sudden burst
of harmony. between the two organs
very much in the light Of "a political
trick and not very smart one, either"