The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-05-20


Have women the right to vote for
q against the adoption of the consti-
tution?.
Have they the right to vote this fall
on the state officers to be elected I'm
der the constitutions?
In spite of the alleged dictum of the
constitutional convention; in spite Of
the stampede of the Republicans who
were fearful that the voting Of women
this fall would give the Democrats
control of the state, 1t seems more than
probable that this question can be an.
swere, IN the affirmative and that
equal suffrage will be put in operation
gust one year sooner than some have
lslpposed it would be.
i will be remembered that when
the oue<tion of allowing the women to
vote came UP in the late constitutional
convention the delegates seemed 10
favor the settlement of the matter bv
the instrument as a finality This was
so particularly among the Republicans
"A majority &C them had been won over
early Ii the game to favor the sep
arate Submission of the suffrage ar
t'cle merely in order to help their
pacty by preventing women from vot-
ing this fall. They were fearful this
new element IN the politics of the
sta with the uniformly good record
81 ~ Democrats on suffrage, would
kno out whatever majority they
werey counting upon and that they
MQ3Td not gain even by the favorable
districting Of the state on the Iegisla-
ture
Wanted TO Settle 1t.
Even among some of the Democrats
IS was urged that the matter be set
tied once for all by the convention.
Tor or against the voting of women,
and a proposition by Thurman. which
would have left the question wholly
10 the courts, was heavily voted down.
One thing after another to change the
committees report had an adverse ma
0orlty against it and those delegates
who did not want to see the women
vote rested easy in their minds. They
thought they had fixed the whole mat
ter by their schedule and that the
courts would have nothing to do with
the question
John Henry Bobs Up again.
But it is right at this point that
President John Henry Smith again
enters into the discussion. It had been
thought l. > had bear laid away for
hope is vain The blunderS of John
Henry in the convention We're too
monumental to allow him to sink into
hopeless obscurity. Among those blum
ders was the appointment of a COM
mlttee on schedule without one of the
leading lawyers of the convention on
*. In consequence of this the pro-
vision in the article on schedule was
l&mentably crude and it has left the
whole question open. After all the
fuss and feathers abour fixing the
issue, the courts viii have to step in
and constIue the enabling act and the
constitution with a view Of determine
:ag who viii be the voters this fall
Demand TO BE Registered.
The case will be brought up on the
TeSasration. When the books are
op4sed one Of the suffragist leaders +
viii present herself before the officers /
who are conducting the registration for /
the constitutional and state election
and demand that her name be placed (
on the roll The question will then
come before the Utah Commission TO
decide, and if they hold against the (
voter. a writ of mandamUs viii he /
asked from the district court. The de-
cision on this viii probably be ap-
pealed from to the supreme court, no
matter which way it may go, and then .
d
speedy settlement
aiay BE "a Woman Candidate.
The question as to the right 10 vo4A
has been under discussion among the
mem bers of the bar here for some
time, and now there is a well defined
opinion among a large and influential
1y of them. whose numbers are being
adgm ensed by every days discussion.
that L right IS as clear as daylight
a Herald reprS sentative submitted to-
several IF these representative gentle
Raen the two questions at the head OF
and obtained the most en-
replies. In view Of these It
IS more than probable that there viii
be a candidate or two of the fairer
sex TO distract the voters this fall.
Ladse suthcrIand's Opinion.
Judge Sutherland, recognized as one
OF the authorities on the subject of
s4atUtory construction, is most decided
r, DIS opinion on the question. It
h - women have the right to vote
al the November election" he said,
'.iooth on the constitution and for the :
state officers. Read these sections or
article four Of the constitutions:
" Sec. 1. The rights Of the citizens
Of the state OF Utah to vote and hold
-ffice shall not be denied or abridged
or account Of sex. Both male and fe-
male citizens Of this state shall enjoy
equally all civil, political and religious
rights and privileges.
:. Sec. 2. Every citizen of the intel
States of TIE age Of q .-ears and up-
wards, who shall have been a citizen
Ter ninety days and shall have resided
n the state or territory one year, in
he county four months. and in the
precinct sixty days next preceding any {
election, shall be entitled 10 vote at
;uch election, except as herein other s
wise provided c
AppIfe~ to the First Section. q
seSeksaon two applies to the first