The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-21
WOMEN CITIZENS WILL REGISTER.


The suggestion of the Utah Com
mission to the registration officers
that they admit to registration both
male and female citizens who apply
for that privilege, will be welcome
news to great many people in this
territory. It will no doubt be adopted
by the registration officers and the Ia
dies will once more have the privilege
of enrolling their names on the lists
of qualified voters. 1t is more than
probable that those who are registered
will be permitted TO vote at the cleo
ton next November.
There is still a wide difference of
opinion as to the eligibility of women
citizens to vote on the adoption of the
state constitution. The question hinges
upon the meaning of the term in the
enabling act 1.-THE voters of the pro-
posed state They are endowed by
the enabling act with the right to vote
on the acceptance or rejection of the
state constitution. Very able attorneys
unite in saying that this can have no
other Specification than that persons
who are made voters by the state con-
stitution shall be permitted to vote on
the adoption of that instrument.
On the other hand there are talented
lawyers who reject that idea with
seorn. When asked the meaning of
the phrase, 'the voters of the proposed
s+7t~' thov arevar that it has a geo.
graphical Specification. That it means
Tic voters residing within the
boundaries of the proposed state,
which means the territory. Others
say that it means the legal voters Of
the territory which is proposed to be
a state in the union.
The public can take their choice of
these views, but it does seem that the
first is the simplest and most direct
Interpretation of the language. In the
second section of the enabling act it
is provided that male citizens of the
United States, who have resided in the
territory one year preceding the cleo
ton, shall be permitted to vote on the
adoption of the state constitution. This
might be thought to limit the voters
On the constitution to the class named
in that section. But it is held that
this provision is not exclusive. That
it provides for that class of voters
without excluding other classes who
might be endowed with the elective
franchise by the state constitution.
The same argument is held as to the
meaning of the clause in the
schedule of the state constitution
which virtually repeats the provision
in section two of the enabling act.
1t is claimed that it is not exclusive,
and as the article on elections and the
right of suffrage provides specifically
that there shall be no denial or abridge-
ment of the right of suffrage on ac-
count of sex, and that women citizens
shall have political equality in all re-
spects with men, it is contended that
they cannot be legally denied the right
to register and vote for state officers
next November.
That will be the first state election.
If the women citizens of Utah are to
be voters the same as men under the
new state, and are to be politically
equal with men and to vote at all
elections, why should they be debarred
from voting at the first state election?
It is then that the officers of the state
under which the women are to be po-
litically equal with men are to be
elected. There seems to be no good
reason why women voters should not
exercise their rights at the first state
election as much as at any subsequent
state election.
We advise the women of Utah to
register Certainly every woman who
is a Democrat should exercise that
privilege. If anybody objects the OPP
position ought not to come from Demo-
cratic sources. We do not believe it
will. The Democratic party meant all
it said in its platform and by its
representatives in the state convention
Whatever may be the result, the la
dies should show their appreciation Of
the rights conferred upon them, and
the opportunity now open to place
their names upon the rolls of the citi-
zens of Utah who claim the privilege
Of voting at the election of next No
vember.
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