Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1920-03-22
GOVERNOR READY
To AID women
WILL PROCLAIM EQUAL VOTING
RIGHTS WHEN AMENDMENT
Is RATIFIED.
TWO STATES EXPECTED
TWO STATES EXPECTED
TO ACT THIS WEEK
Both Washington and Delaware TO
Help But Amendment ovsr-cov.
srner Harding Holds Law b Valid
and Gives Equal Voting Priviissss'
70 Women and Men.

SpeCldl 10 llHacS-iNSpuoAiSoh'
Des Moines, March 22.-An official
proclamation announcing that Iowa
women have equal rights with men
will be issued by Governor w. l..
Harding following The receipt by the
chief executive of notice from the
secretary of state a. washington
that woman's suffrage has been rat
flied by the required number OF
states in the union. This is the pro-
gram the governor has in mind and
II only requires proper legal notice
from Washington for It to be carried
out.
Both the states Of Washington and
Delaware are expected to ratify early
this week. These two states whl put
it over for the suffragists. 1t will not
be many days therefore, In the
opinion OF leaders here, until the Of
fetal documents will go out from
Washington to the chief executives
Of all of the states in the union
notifying them that thru federal en-
actment women now have full SUI
FRANCE which will mean the right to
vote on any and ali occasions when
men vote.
In his proclamation the governor
will probably set forth that here
after there will be no voting privileg-
es now held by the men OF this state
which will be withheld from the
women. This will mean that the wo-
men can register on the registration
days before the primary and vote
In the primary. In fact they Will have
equal franchise rights with the men.
Holds Amendment Legal.
The governor has not gone into all
the legal phases of the rights Of wo-
men under the franchise amendment
but states that as lawyer. not as
chief executive Of the statey he -
of the opinion that the government
enactment will sweep away what
ever barriers there might now be
in the state election laws to grant
ing full franchise to women. He
bases his view on secti IN 2 Of article
VI Of the constitution cf the United
States which reads. s-
..This constitution. and the laws
Of the United States which shall be
made in pursuance thereof. and all
treaties made or which shall be
made under the authority Of the
United States. shall be the supreme
law Of the land. and the Judges In
every state shall be bound thereby.
anything in the constitution or laws
of any state to the contrary notwith-
standing"
This view Of Governor Harding is
held by a half dozen other lawyers
of Iowa who have been looking into
the question with especial interest,
particularly because OF the approach
Of state wide primary.
It is recalled that the southern
states had no recourse but to strike
the word white" out OF their fran
cfise laws following the enactment
Of the amendments to the federal
constitution which gave full privileg-
es Of citizenship to the negro. The
woman suffrage amendment Is look
ed upon as a parallel in the matter
of granting suffrage.
Participation of Iowa women in the
June primaries is heretofore now look
ed upon as practically assured. It is
generally believed however. that the
vote Of the women in this state this
year will be light and that 1t will
not materially change results. Even
ardent suffragists, who have always
maintained that women will vote if
given the opportunity. now admit
that there is littleiikelihood of get
ting out a very large vote in the
June primaries. The time is too
short and the franchise right will
be too new, 1t is recognized, to In
spire the women to get out and vote.