The evening Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1918-1920, 1920-03-25

! deprived the Legislature of its oliei
nally guaranteed right to elect United
States Senators, establishing the di
/ rect election of Senators throughout
the country, so that this year all the
voting men Of Vermont will choose
by direct ballot United States Sena-
tor, instead of having him elected By
the Legislature as before the adop-
ton of the so-called direct election of
Senators amendment.
Article V of the Federal constitu-
ton lays down the rule for changing
the contract between the states. No
one state can change that contract, but
three fourths of the states voting CO.
operatively can. 1t is absurd on the
face of it that a state constitution
could exist in conflict with the FEEDER,
al constitution For clearness we
print herewith Article V:
"The Congress, whenever two
thirds of both houses shall deem il
necessary, shall propose amendments
to this constitution, or, in the appli-
cation of the Legislatures of two
thirds of the several states, shall call
l convention for proposing amend
ments, which, in either case, shall bt
valid to all intents and purposes, as
part of this constitution, when rati,
fed by the Legislatures of three |
of the several states, or by |
in three-fourths thereof |
Is the one or the other mode of rati- |
ication may be proposed by the Con-
,ress; provided, that no amendment
which may be made prior to the yeal
me thousand eight hundred ant
light shall in any manner affect the
inst and fourth clauses in the ninth
ection of the first article; and that
o state, without its consent, shall be
eprived of its equal suffrage in tbs
senate"
The closing sentence of the sixth
ection in chapter two of the Yer
,ont constitution reads as follows:
But they have no power to add to,
tier, abolish, or infringe any part OF
MS constitution. !
Those who are trying to delay
le inevitable enactment of the ma
onal suffrage amendment until after
e next election claim that the clause
st quoted forbids the Vermont '
legislature to act on the national
nendment because its terms con
ct with the suffrage terms of the
constitution. But there arc
70 blind spots in the eyes of those
no use this argument. The first II
that such reasoning would mean "
at Vermont could never vote for or )
ainst any Federal amendment, for n
Federal amendments alter the pre- u
listing constitutional relations be- II
zen Vermont and the national gov y
nment, else there would be no need W
+ amendment of the contract be- 0!
cen the states. III
The second is that ratification by q
e Vermont Legislature does not in
ian that Vermont thereby adds to, NJ
ers, abolishes or infringes any
1T of our state or national consti- p
lion.
No one state Legislature alone can
that. But the law of this land
fined by the fathers in the Original te
which every governor 10
d state Legislature is sworn to up 81
Id, does provide that three-fourths o'
the states acting as cooperative III
its, form mass power which can 10
lnge the national constitution, and b
thereafter any con- 81
ting clause in any given state dc
lstitution simply becomes null and sp
d. eli
Ohio's constitution declares today
It every voter must be white -
les. 1t has never been changed in
It respect since the negro was err !
by the 18th amendment af-
the Civil war. The effect of the /!
I'd negro in Ohio's constitution was !:
tomatically nullifed when three .
rths of the states, Vermont among
m, ratified the 18th amendment
The only change in any state con-
ution resulting from ratification OF !
Susan B. Anthony amendment
be the automatic notification of
word male" as a qualification for ~
ers. All other qualifications remain po
'orce-applicable to female citizens 20
now applied to male citizens, and On
state retains its power to set up III
I qualifications it deems best, but ~
Sc qualifications must be apple re
, to both males and females. ca
M,