The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-01-24

the state of Florida:
THAT the following amendment to
the constitution of the state of Flor
ida beand the same is hereby agreed
to, and shall be submitted to the cleo
tors of the state at the general cleo
ton in 1914 for ratification or reiec-
ton:
ARTICLE I.
Section 1 of Article VI of the con-
stitution of the state of Florida is
hereby amended so as to read as
follows:
Section 1. Every person of the age
Of twenty-one years and upwards that
shall, at the time of registration, be
a citizen of the United States, and
that SHALL at the time of registration,
be citizen of the United States, and
that shall have resided and had
habitation, domicile, home and
place of permanent abode in Florida
for one year and in the county for
six months, shall in such county be
deemed a qualified elector at all cleo
tions under this constitution. Male
and female persons shall in all re
spects be alike eligible to vote and
hold office in the state of Florida
Naturalized citizens of the United
States at the time and before regis
tration shall produce to the registra-
ton officer certificate of naturaliza-
ton or a duly certified copy thereof"
Now, of course we do not expect
this next legislature to report favor
ably on this amendment, or even the
next Perhaps. But some day, and
not so very far off, we hope-some
legislature is bound to vote for such
an amendment And in the mean
time, each one of US individually can
lend her moral force to the petition
and incidentally help to make history
by signing her name
On election day in Orlando, Florida,
a group of ladies presented them
selves at the polls and requested that
they be allowed to vote. When they
were laughingly refused they replied
that they paid taxes and just wished
to show how they felt.
Now, we don't need to cajole or
harangue in this section, but there
are ways of showing how you feel
If you care to form a branch league
in Ocala it would be a great inspira-
ton and aid to the league in Jackson
vile, and a power throughout cen
trail Florida Those of you interested
in education-and after the recent
convention l feel sure that includes
everybody-will be glad to know that
the franchise league is more inter
ested in schools than any other ques-
ton.
Through the influence OF Miss Hor-
tense Broward (sister of our late
governor, We supported the amend
ment to article II of the constitution
of the state, known as Sec. II. This
amendment which successfully pass
ed last November reads as follows:
The legislature may provide for
special tax school districts to issue
bonds for the exclusive use of public
free schools within any special tax
school district, whenever a majority
of the qualified electors thereof, who
are freeholders, shall vote in favor of
the issuance of such bonds
furthermore the league joins in a
request to the governor to appoint
commission of three men, to draught
legislation to put into effect the con-
stitutional amendment, pertaining to
schools, adopted in Nov 1912.
This amendment insures something
like more adequate appropriation
for our public schools.
But there is still much to be done
We want school suffrage for women
and as Mrs. Hooker says IF we just
want it enough l believe we can get
it"
And l might add we must show that
we want it!
Let us try to prove the truth of
what Jane Adams said in Philadel-
phia last fall:
Women are now finding out that
government is not a sublime and
awful and mysterious thing outside
of themselves. 1t is not for war and
diplomacy alone. 1t is an intimate
thing impossible to separate from in
dividuals. 1t is like unto the King
dom of Heaven-it is within you-and
not without. Government is within
the air We breathe, the water We
drink, the food we eat, and the dis