Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-09-14
WORK Of JERSEY
SUFFRAGISTSIN
THE LEGISLATURE
Mrs. Philip McKim Garrison,
Chairman Joint Legislative
Committee, Reports.
BY MRS. PHILIP McKIM GARRISON.
Chairman of Joint Legislative Committee
Of woman's Suffrage Organizations

BY MRS. PHILIP McKIM GARRISON.
Chairman of Joint Legislative Committee
Of woman's Suffrage Organizations
of New Jersey.
Briefly I will try to convey an idea
OF what the joint legislative commit
tee of the four New Jersey suffrage
organizations is doing. This COM
mittee, which has Miss Bessie Pope,
Of Jersey City, for its vice chair
man, is composed of three represen-
tatives from each of the organiza-
lions, as follows: Women's Political
Union of New Jersey, Mrs Abraham
Van Wrinkle, Mrs. Richard T. New
ton, Mrs. Frank II. Sommer; New
Jersey Woman Suffrage Association,
Mrs. Edward w. Feickert, Miss Bes-
sic Pope, Mrs. Fred H.. Colvin; Equal
franchise Society, Mrs. Harry Camp
ton, Mrs. Everett Colby, Mrs. Philip
McKim Garrison; Mems League for
Woman Suffrage, Messrs. c. l.. Riley,
Oberlin Smith and George NJ. V. Moy.
The aim and duty of this commit
tee is to secure the passage in the
coming Legislature of the concurrent
resolution granting votes to New Jer-
sey women which was adopted by the
last Legislature. Should this resolu-
ton be passed-it does not require
the Governors signature-the cleo
torate will then have an opportunity
year from this fall to decide al the
polls whether the State constitution
shall be so amended as to extend the
franchise to women. A copy of the
resolution Is herewith appended:
Copy of Resolution.
Be it resolved by the House of As
sembly (the Senate concurring):
That the following amendment to
the Constitution of this State be and
the same is hereby proposed, and
when the same shall be agreed to
by majority of the members elected
to the Senate and the House of As
sembly, the said amendment shall be
entered on their journals, with the
yeas and nays taken thereon and re-
ferred to the Legislature next to be
chosen, and published for three
months prior to the first Tuesday
after the first Monday of November
next. In at least one newspaper of
each county, if any be published
therein. to be designated by the
president of the Senate, the speaker
OF the House Of Assembly and the
secretary of state.
Strike out paragraph one "a of Ar
hcle two CID and insert in lieu there
of the following:
!. Every male and every female citi-
zen of the United States, of the age of
twenty-one years, who shall have
been resident Of this State one year,
and Of the county in which he or she
claims a vote five months, next be-
sore the election, shall be entitled to
vote for all officers that now are, or
hereafter may be, elective by the
people; provided, that no citizen by
marriage shall enjoy the right of any
elector unless she shall have been
resident of the United States five
years next before the election; and
provided that no person in the mill
tary, naval or marine service of the
United States shall be considered a
resident in this State by being sta
toned in any garrison, barrack, or
military or naval place or station
within this State; and no pauper,
idiot. insane person, or person con-
victed of a crime which under the
laws OF this State in force on the Sec
ond day of September, one thousand
eight hundred and forty-four, would
have excluded such person from be-
ing a witness, unless pardoned or re-
stored by law to the right of suffrage,
shall enjoy the right of an elector;
and provided further, that in time of
war no elector in the actual military
service of the State, or of the United
States, in the army or navy thereof.
shall be deprived of q vote by reason
of absence from such election district;
and the Legislature shall have power
to provide the manner in which, and
Aln r.1a NJ AnI. l.
absent electors may vote, and for the
return and canvass of their votes In
the election districts in which they
respectively reside.
Important Work Planned.
The committee Is continuing it's
work along the lines planned by Its
former chairman. Mrs. Everett Colby.
under whose skillful management this
resolution has already been carried
successfully through two Legisla-
lures; the first passage being rendered
nnavailing through sins of omission
on the part of the duly constituted
State authorities at Trenton. The
committee has to make all necessary
arrangements to see that this reso-
luton 10 properly introduced In both
Assembly and Senate; then to see
that ii is gotten out of the committee
TO which II In referred, and to follow
Il UP diligently until the vote Is taken.
Should the vote be favorable, as we
confidently expect, our business Is
20 follow the resolution through the
state department and see that all
legal forms, such as the advertisement
of the resolution in the county news
papers, are strictly carried out.
This brief outline OF our work may
not convey the idea OF hard labor.
but the vigilance required, the pa
tience under trying circumstances,
the mass of details of all kinds, will
make II a happy day when this period
OF ''watchfui waiting Is over and the
resolution safely naaaed and adYar-