The weekly soliphone., 1917-03-15
WOMEN MUST WAIT
 ONE YEAR TO VOTE
Although Granted Franchise, At torney General Gays Poll Tax
 Receipts Necessary.


 tically Arkansas is an eual suffrage state so far as primary elections are lconcerned Actually, Arkansas wO- men will not be able to exercise newly acquired right of franchise 4this year.
 1 The fly in the ointment. or the saving clause, according to wheth- Ter the matter is viewed from the |suffrage or the anti-suffrage stand- point, is, that voters are required to show poll tax receipts for the [year next preceding the election in which they desire to vote.
 One who votes during 1917 must have 1916 poll tax receipt to iqualify, and under existing laws Ithe poll tax must be paid before July l. 1 CHANGE FOR YOUNG WOMEN. . l A section of the. election laws, however, excepts such persons who shall have attained the age of 21
 within the time of assessing taxes,
 May to September, if he possesses the other qualifications. No. change is made in these requirements by 1.-the Riggs act, recently signed by the governor, which confers upon women the right to; vote in pri- mary elections. 1.f 4
 In reply to a letter from, Walter Conway of :Texarkana, asking if women would, be allowed to- vote in, the democratic primary to be held there March IA, Attorney Gem eral John D. Arbuckle yesterday stated as his opinion that they should not. -t !
 Attorney General Arbuckle did not attempt to pass upon the va flidity of the act granting the right Ito women to vote in primaries. He lsimply answers the questions as to Ithe right of the women of Texar- |kana to vote in the primary in that city on March IA. THE OPINION.
 The opinion follows: ! '"The bill which has now be- come a law. giving women the right to vote in the primary reads as fol- lows; @ l "'From and after the passage of this act, subject to all the provis-
 ions of the laws of this state, as to age, residence, citizenship, payment iof poll taxes and otherwise regu- lating the manner and form of iholding the same; but specially ex- tempt from every disqualifications Idirect or indirect on account of sex,
 every woman in the state shall have right to vote at any primary election held under the laws of this
 state, Provided that no woman lshall be allowed to vote at any primary election unless when re- lquested by the judges she will make ioath that she is of the same politi- |cal faith. of the party holding
 said urinary election and that she will give her moral support to the
 nominees of said political party
 "Section 9. All laws and parts Iof laws in conflict with this act are hereby repealed.
 l "Act April 23. 1909, page 505, lreads as follows: Whenever any pO- Ilitical party in this state shall, by lprimary election, nominate any per lson to become a candidate any gen. leral election, regular or special, or flor United States senator, or foI congress, or any legislative, judi icial, state, district, county, town |ship or municipal office, the said primary election shall be and is thereby made legal election" And
 the section of the act initiated by lthe people and adopted at election November 2. 1916, which makes a lpoll tax receipt requisite to fright of suffrage, reads as follows: I MUST HAVE POLL TAX.
 I No person shall be allowed tc ivote at any urinary election held dunder the laws of this state, who shall not exhibit poll tax re- iceipt, or other evidence that he lhas paid his poll tax within the time prescribed by law to entitle lhim to vote at the succeeding gen. leral state election. Such other evi- ], tdence shall be: { a) A copy of Isuch receipt duly certified by the clerk of the county court of the county, where such tax was paid (b) Or. such persons name shall 'lappear upon the list required to be lcertified to the judges of election lby section 2994. Or, if any person !, |offering to vote shall have attained lthe age of 21 years since the time jof assessing taxes next preceding !, such election, which period of as tsessment is here declared to, near between the second Monday in Ma, land the second Monday in Septem } Der of each year, and possesses tho lother necessary qualifications, ant 7 shall submit evidence by written af : lfidavit, satisfactory to the judges O. {electiOn establishing that fact, ht