The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-08-08
THE REGISTRATION oArHs.
AMERICAN FORK. utah. Aue. )

AMERICAN FORK, Utah, Aug. 5.
To the Editor of The Herald.
In looking over the oaths sent to the
deputy registrars for use this year,
Ind what seems to me to be a lack of
consistency and harmony which, to
men of ordinary calibre, is hard to
understand. The constitutional oath
requires persons taking it to be citi-
zens of the United States ninety days
and the state oath does not. Under the
provisions of the latter a person can
vote Tor or against the constitution,
ana also for state officers. Now the
question is is the constitutional oath
intended for women only, and can they
vote for state officers as well as for
or against the constitution at the COM
ing election? If they can so vote, why
is 1t that men can register under the
provisions of the state oath and vote
Tor or against the constitution and
also for state officers without swearing
that they have been citizens for ninety
days? Is one qualification required of
men and another of women. Or is it
intended that women shall vote on the
constitution alone and not for Gtate
officers? Can you enlighten me?
H. C.
In formulating the oath to be taken
by citizens as a qualification for vot-
ing at the November election, the
Utah Commission found themselves
confronted by provisions of the law
which appear to be somewhat COM
p1cated not to say conflicting.
The enabling act makes two differ
ent provisions as to the voters on the
state constitution. One is that all
male citizens over twenty-one years
OF age. who have resided in the ter
ritory for one year next prior to the
election, shall be entitled to vote on
the ratification of the constitution.
The other is that 'the qualified
voters of the proposed state shall
vote directly for or against the pro-
posed constitution"
This is understood by some of our
best lawyers to signify that while
Congress meant to secure all those
male citizens of the territory, men
toned in the first provision, in the
right to vote on the constitution, that
body did not intend to exclude any
persons who might be made under
the proposed state constitution quail
fed voters of the proposed state" nor
to interfere with such qualifications
as might be imposed as to other |
classes of citizens than those first |
The constitution provides that the |
voters of the proposed state shall be |
citizens of the United States of the |
age of twenty-one years and up |
wards, who have been citizens for
ninety days and residents of the |
state or territory one year, in the
county four months and in the pre-
cinct sixty days. Also that the right
to vote and hold office shall not be
lenied or abridged on account of
SEX" but that both male and female
citizens shall enjoy equally all civil,
political and religious rights and
The schedule of the constitution
makes provisions for the election in
November in accordance with the
section of the enabling act in refer
.nce to male voters. The Utah Com
mission prepared the oath accord
ngly. Male citizens cannot be de-
lied the right to vote who are
registered under that provision. The
light of women citizens to vote at all
1t the November election is in dis
'ute. But if they are entitled to vote
Is provided in the body of the consti-
ution, then they must be- qualified
'oters of the proposed state,' as
pecified in the enabling act, and so
he oath in their case had to be
Ormulated on those lines. This ac-
cunts for the difference in the two
orms of oath required in registration.
The question of the right of women
itizens to vote at the November
lection being now under contest in
he Fourth District Court we will
cave the last question asked by H.
:. subject to the decision that may
e rendered.