The Mena weekly star., 1917-03-22
ARKANSAS WOMEN
 GIVEN MUCH POWER
Thru Right to Vote in Primary Flee ti0ns Can Say Who Will Hold Of- fees in States-Must Get Poll
 Tax Receipts.

Little Rock, March i5.-The suf- frage victory won by the women of Arkansas in the recent session of the Legislature is in some respects greater victory than would have been the granting of full suffrage. By giving them the right to suffrage in all primary elections, in a state overwhelmingly and consistently Democratic, where the Democratic primaries settle 9S per cent of all political contests, the women will hold the balance of power in the selection of candidates for munich pal, county, district and state off, cials.
 The full import of their victory IS Just beginning to be realized by the women and the politicians. The women Will be in a position to say who the officials shall be, since the nominee of Democratic primaries are always elected. Tn order to vote III a Democratic primary, a woman will be required, when re- quested by the Judges, to make an oath that she is of the same political faith as the party holding the elec- ton, and that she will give her moral support to all the nominees or said political party"
 ms IS no more than is required. morally, of men, who obligate them selves to support the nominee of the party in whose primary they may cast their vote. The women are required, also, to possess all the other qualifications of male electors. such as age, residence, citizenship. payment of poll tax, etc. The law further provides that specially ex- empt from every disqualification. direct or indirect, on account of sex, every woman in this state. shall have the right to vote at any pri- mary election held under the laws of the state"
 The emergency clause was strick- en out by the Senate, so that under the provisions of the Initiative and Referendum, the act does not be- come effective until ninety days after approval, or until June i. Before that time, the law is sub lect to reference, but there is no in- dIcation that anyone will so seri- ously oppose the new statute as to attempt to have it repealed, thru the Referendum. All electors are required to hold a poll tax receipt for the year next preceding that in which the election is held Poll taxes for 1916 can be paid until July i, and it follows that women can pay poll taxes between June and July 1, with penalty for non-as- sessment that will enable them to vote at any subsequent primary election. If this construction is correct the women of Little Rock will have their first opportunity to vote Tn the municipal primary which will be held in Little Rock next December for the nomination of Aldermen and City Attorney. The next year they can enter the state primaries. The introduction of this new element into Arkansas politics will cause new alignment and will cause the old time politicians to change their tactics.
 There appears to be no way by which they can be qualified to vote in the primary which the Democrat ic State Central Committee will prob ably call this week for the selec- tion of candidates for the Constitu- tional Convention election to be held on June 26. They have been very anxious to have part in that elec- tion, since the Convention will be called upon to decide upon Consti- tutional and complete suffrage. The advocates of equal suffrage have not won a complete victory yet but | Ihayp taken a long sten forward