Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-15

rN THIS day of suffrage conventions,
mass meetings, organizations OF
many names, hearings before Con-
i gress and legislatures. the public is
excusable for state of bewilder-
ment as to the true inwardness of it all.
During the past week I'm Washington a
body of women appeared before the
House committee on elections at a hear
ing granted on the bill of Representa-
tive French of Idaho, which provides that
qualified women in all states shall be
made eligible to register and to vote at
the election of members of the House OF
Representatives"
This hearing was under the auspices OF
society known as the Federal Suffrage
Association. founded over twenty years
ago. if the writer remembers correctly,
by the Rev. Olympia Brown of Wiscon-
sin. who has been continuously its presi-
dent. 1t holds that if the national Con-
stitution does not confer full suffrage on
women-as some people claim-it does at
least guarantee federal suffrage. the right
to vote for representatives in the lower
house of Congress.
Claim Is Sustained.
Able lawyers have sustained this claim,
which is based partly on article | of the
national Constitution:
Section 2 The House of Representa-
tives shall be composed of members
chosen every second year by the people
of the several states. and the electors
shall have the qualifications requisite for
electors of the most numerous branch OF
the state Legislature.
Section l. The time. place and man
ner Of holding elections for senators and
representatives shall be prescribed in
each state by the legislature thereof. but
the Congress may at any time by law
make or alter such regulations, except
as to the places of choosing senator's.
Congress is thus unqueStionabiy en-
dowed with the right to regulate the
election of representatives. and bills have
been often introduced during the last
twenty years calling upon that body to
enact law forbidding the states to deny
to women the right to vote for such rep
question. with various Supreme Court de-
cisions. will be found in volume 4, His
tory of Woman Suffrage
Work of Association.
The National Association, which always
has represented the principal organized
for woman suffrage, never has
believed there was any possibility Of Sc
curing such action by. Congress or made
any attempt to obtain it. This associa-
ton has confined its efforts entirely to
the securing of an amendment to the
national Constitution which shall pro-
hibit the states from denying the right
to vote to any citizen on account of sex.
This would settle the whole question of
suffrage at once and forever
A two-thrds vote of Congress would be
necessary to submit such an amendment,
which then would have to be ratified by
the legislatures of three-fourths of the
states. This would be the simplest and
most direct way for women to get the
franchise, as it would relieve them from
the tremendous task of winning a ma
jOrity of the individual voters in each
separate state. and for this reason the
National Association has appealed to
every Congress beginning in 1869. This
has been done for the educat ional effect
and for the wide publicity of having the
arguments at these hearings circulated in
thousands of congressional documents. 1t
has been well understood. however, that
no such national amendment would be
submitted until large number of states
had already enfranchSed women and
therefore the National Association has
lent its assistance to all those states and
were striving to have their individual
constitutions amended for this purpose.
Seemed Hopeless Task.
For many years this seemed a slow and
almost hopeless process, but now if is
moving SO rapidly that the close of the
present year may woman suffrage
fully established in onefourth of the
states. When this has been accomplished
in half of them it may be possible to
obtain the submission of national
amendment as the gaining of each state,
however unimportant means two United
States senators obliged to support woman
suffrage, and a legislature that would
feel compelled to ask for such an amend
ment If its woman constituents desired it.
Meanwhile very helpful factor in the
situation is the adoption of the income
tax amendment. and the almost sure ac-
ceptance of that for direct election of
United States senators. This action will
break down the almost superstitious OBJ
lection to amending the federal Constitu-
ton and demonstrate that it must be
added to occasionally in order to meet
the demands of new century.
Results in States.
The legislatures of most of the states
met in January, and the results as to
woman suffrage up to date are the sub
mission of a constitutional amendment in
three of them-Nevada, Montana and
South Dakota. This is the second legisla-
ture in Nevada that has given a favor
able majority and. therefore. the ques
ton is now before the voters. The
women are trying to get legislative con-
sent for special election this year:
otherwise the amendment cannot be
voted on until 1914. This is also the case
in Montana and South Dakota, but as
only only one legislature has to act the
women there are ready to begin their
campaign. 1t is believed that all three
of these states will give favorable ma
jority.
60, r,Jl;o 30 N>yoJo - l,;.. ,,,~.., u.,