El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1915-06-18
SUFFRAGE ACTED
ON IN z STATES
In II States the Suffragists
Lose; Mothers Pensions
Gain in Favor.

I states this year considered leSlsla-
ton for suffrage for women and 80
J considered Legislation dealing with
mothers pensions, divorces, eIgenic
marriages, and labor laws for women,
/ according to summary collected oy
The legislatures Of seven states
} adopted resolutions whereby constr
tutional amendment giving women
{ equal suffrage rights with men VIII pc
submitted 10 the people at the ran
+ elections either this or next year They
are Massachusetts, New Jersey, New
York. and Pennsylvania IN 1870 Iowa.
South Dakota ana west virginia IN
4 1916. Tennessee adopted a similar res
/ oIution, but IL must also be passed Dy
/ the next succeeding legislature DeIore
il can be submitted TO the voters 80
did Arkansas, but the resolution was
! ineffective because Of a provision OF the
state constitution which 1orDids more
than three constitutional amendments
to be submitted at one election and
1 three had already been MED win the
secretary Of state.
California adopted a resolution de-
I claring that woman Suffrage IN lnal
state had been an unqualified success.
Alabama will consider the question at
/ an adjourned session TO begin July l.
In II states woman suffrage meas
ures met defeat: Connecticut, Della
ware, Florida. Indiana. Alichlgan. New
! Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Oklahoma. Texas and Vermont. Three
votes defeated the measure in Indiana
Killed in Texas.
Three votes also killed the measure
/ in the Texas legislature. where II was
I introduced in the house A two-thirds
/ majority, however, was required to pass
l X and the suffragist supporters claimed
! a great gain The resolution dld not
reach the senate
I There was a bitter contest on the
I question in Montana In Delaware a
I proposed constitutional amendment was
d j. IL a
| Florida IN the lower house; in New
1 Mexico and North Carolina II died IN
committee II Michigan proposed
| amendment TO the constitution giving
I women the right to vote for preslden-
! tial electors and all officers Of edu-
cational nature was never reported out
[ Of the senate committee the general
! assembly Of Connecticut declined TO
send the measure to the next assembly
I for ratification.
Revived in Wisconsin.
The assembly of Wisconsin by ma
| iority Of eight votes killed the bill Tor
state referendum, but on Wednesday
! last the senate revived the question
by ordering a similar measure en-
crossed by a vote OF 10 to 10 me
| bill was not expected TO come up for
action in the assembly until next week
or later.
New Mexico Adopts Compromise.
New Mexico. however, passed law
providing for the appointment Of wOm-
Z institutions in the discretion OF the
/ governor. North Carolina enacted a
bill making women eligible to become
notaries in the state and giving them
! the right Of petition in certain instances.
! Women may become notares Dy law
passed also in Tennessee and serve IN
that state on school boards
Pensions for mothers came up Tor
/ consideration in IS states In eight
Kansas Montana, Nevada. New Hamp-
shire, New Aork, Oklanoma. tennessee
pose was enacted for the first time
In tWO-Texas and West Virginia
mothers pension measures were killed
In the rest the present laws were
amended or amplified-
The new Kansas statute fixes the
maximum grant TO needy mothers at
! SIS a month to be paid at the discre-
/ ton Of county commissions The New
/ Hampshire law limits payment to $40
/ q month for a dependent mother hav-
! ing one child under 16 year and 50 for
/ each additional child The legislature
( appropriated SIS 600 for the first Two
! years of the laws operation.
The New York statute applies to
widows with a child or children under
] 16 who viii be allowed the same
amount as it would cost the state 70
support them The Montana law ap-
plies to mothers with children under
II and whose husbands are confined
I to state institution or are physically
l incompetent. the Nevada law to wild
U
and mothers whose husbands are in
sane or prisoners are eligible to the
/ benefits Of the law, the compensation
being SO q month for rone child under
| a and IS a month for each additional
I The Wyoming law is similar. The law
l in Tennessee applies in counties OF
/ 0.000 population or more and having
Juvenile courts. The act was not made
Z and SO and IS the compensation
Z Washington passed a bill making her
mothers pension provisions somewhat
I less liberal
/ Divorce Laws Changed.
California. Colorado. Connecticut,
Z North Carolina, Nevada and West ir-
/ ginia acted on divorce laws. Caltfor-
MIA amplified hers so that judges were
/ granted power 10 call in the district
] attorney where fraud or collision are
| suspected Colorado amended hers so
/ that a decree shall not be issued until
I six months after the divorce has been
I granted. Connecticut added incurable
insanity to the list o. grounds for di-
I vorce before the courts. Previously
/ this cause had 10 be taken TO the legis-
I lature- North Carolina passed meas
! ure changing from ten to two years
/ the period required to establish deser-
/ ton, but the act met such storm OF
I protest that 1t was repealed the next
/ day. Nevada returned to her law the
l six months residence clause. West
/ Virginia created in each county the
| office Of divorce commissioner" with
/ power 10 investigate divorce sulL6s dp-
( pear TO trials, examine witnesses and
I defend the interests of the state to
| prevent fraud and collision.
I The senate of Indiana passed q
| eugenic marriage measure, but it was
/ defeated in the house Legislation TO
/ promote healthy marriages and check
/ the social evil was enacted in Vermont.
4 The law requires all physicians to re-
/ port cases Of social diseases to the
/ state board of health which is empow-
! cred to prescribe quarantine regula-
/ lions.
Labor Laws Passed.
Labor laws for women were enacted
/ in Kansas, Maine. Massachusetts and
/ Wyoming.
New Mexico passed an act increas-
/ ing the property rights Of the wife
I and Wyoming and Idaho in this par
/ ticular placed wife and husband on
| an equal footing. New Jersey autho-
| rized the appointment Of women police
/ men Oregon forbade discrimination
! between male and female public school
1 teachers in the payment Of salaries.
| An attempt in California to enact a
I law to forbid women 10 shake dice for
| money or prizes was defeated. So was
/ a bill providing for women jurors.
! II LETTERS RESULT FROM
DAM STORY IN @GRIT.S
A full page writeup on the Elephant
! Butte dam. written by John L TAFT,
! has appeared in a recent issue OF