The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-08-29
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WOMEN ENTITLED TO VOTE :
Tampa Tribune. ::
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| Florida women are entitled to vote
In the November elections, and ap-
parently should not be required to pay
poll tax upon registering was the
! gist of an opinion given last night by
Attorney John P Wall. The opinion,
Mr.. Wall stated, was merely his per-
sonal impression of the case, as he
has had no opportunity to look Up all
of the laws affected.
That portion of the national consti-
tuition which provides that no state
constitution can contain anything in
conflict with the constitution of the
republic operates automatically to null
lily all clauses in state constitutions
which may be In conflict in Mr..
Wallis opinion, and, therefore, as soon,
as the nineteenth amendment is pro-
mulgated by the secretary of state,
suffrage will be in force throughout
the nation, constitutional anti-suf-
frage prohibitions in the several state
constitutions to the contrary notwith-
standing.
The two big questions over which
feminine voters-elect in Florida and
some of the other hitherto non-suf-
frage states are worrying, are: Most
the state legislature meet to strike
from the state constitution the word
male, in he section relating to the
qualification of citizens who shall
vote?" and Shall women over twenty
one years of age be forced to pay poll
tax for two years, upon registering,
as are male voters, or will the wom-
en- be allowed to register for the first
time without payment of the DolI tax.
as are males who register at the age
OF twenty one years?"
These two questions have .nua-
died the waters" in Florida SUFFRAGE
circles since the recent action of the
tennessee legislature in making that
state the thirty-sixth to ratifv tbe
Susan b. Anthony amendment A.
cordlng to an opinion given out nv
Rivers H. Buford, state attornev-
general-elect the legislature must
meet Yin order to strip from the stare
constitution the obnoxious word
male" where it occurs in the dele
CATION of the rights of suffrage with
in the state. Mr.. Buford declares
that Every woman more than TWENTY
one years Of age who registers win
certainly be required to pay poll tax
fifty-five years of age, has lost a limb
in battle and has procured a certifi-
cate from the supervisor of regist-a- |
ton to that effect
Mr.. Wall, in giving his opinion on
the question of poll tax stated that
the law reads: Poll tax of 81 to be |
levied on all male persons over TWEEN |
ty-one years of age, who have resided |
IT, -
He called attention to the fact that |
the law specifically provides that the
poll tax shall be paid by males" per-
sons over twenty zone years of age,
and expressed the opinion that this |
proviso would automatically make it /
for women voters to pay |
poll tax under the present law. Wheth-
er or not the word male in this sec
ton of the law will be stricken is
open to question, it is said.
An opinion rendered Friday by At
torney General Van c. Swearingen
says:
The effect of the nineteenth
amendment is to expunge from all !
state constitutions and laws the word /
male whether it appears in election
laws describing the qualification OF
If this opinion is sustained. there
seems, according to local attorneys. to
be a possibility that the word male
may be knocked from the section of
the law relating to the payment of poll
tax. The Susan B. Anthony amend
rnent. as quoted in the opinion given
by Mr.. Buford states:
~The rights of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or
abridged by the United States or by
any state on account of sex"
If the payment of the poll tax by
males is considered denial or abridg-
ment of their right to vote, then ac-
cording to the opinion expressed by
attorneys the word male would be
expunged frog the poll tax specifica-
tons.