The Connecticut labor press., 1920-02-21
Special Legislative Session May Be. Necessary to Remove All Questions Liable to Crop Up When Women Apply "To-Be- Made" Voters With Full Priv ileges.


 suffrage amendment is being ratified arouses several important questions in the minds of Connecticut men and women First comes the question of whether or not women who are already school voters will have to register for full voting privileges. There is also great deal of discussion in political as we'll as suffrage circles as to whether a special session will be necessary to re- wise the state statutes governing the ad mission of electors so that women may be admitted.
 The ooncensus of legal opinions, ob- tained by the Connecticut Woman Suf- frage Association in order to be able to answer the many inquiries which are constantly being made, seems to be that while special session for readjustment of the election laws might not be abso- lutely necessary, 1t would be advisable in order to do away with the complica- tions which might aries.
 It is the opinion of several lawyers that without a special session a great deal of inconvenience might be caused if large numbers of women should pre- sent themselves to be made voters. It might, according to Attorney Francis w. Cole of Hartford, who has made a special investigation of the question, even occasion lack of opportunity for women to be made voters. MT. Cole sets forth his conclusions as follows:
 1. If the federal woman suffrage amendment is adopted its effect by its inherent power will be to cause the word "ma1e" to disappear from the provisions of the Connecticut constitution without specific amendment by Connecticut of it's constitution and it will follow that all citizens of Connecticut without dis crimination on account of sex will come under the grant of suffrage made by this state subject to the specified con- stitutiona1 requirements as to having obtained majority, residence, moral character and ability to read.
 2 That the federal suffrage amend ment, if ratified, will have the same effect on. the statutory provisions of Connecticut relating to the qualification of electors and will eliminate from these provisions the word male.
 3. That as a result, the general statu- tory provisions of Connecticut relating to the admission of electors will apply to women and render obsolete and un- necessary our present statutes dealing with the admission of women as electors for school purposes.
 A. That as practical matter, even If the amendment should be adopted some WG0kS DcIOIG oCGODCI -, 1S%Os WllISll 1S the last day on which the registrars are permitted to be in session for the pur- pose of completing the lists of voters ito be made, under our present statutes there will be in the principal cities and possibly in the larger towns great deal of inconvenience and possibly an actual lack of opportunity for the making of all new voters if any considerable num- Der of women should present themselves and insist upon their right to be made voters.
 In MT. Coles opinion the existing statutory provisions would prove made quate for dealing wlth the ratification If the amendment should not be ratified until after or shortly before October 4, which is the last day when voters can be made before the fall election.
 In case there should be no special seS- sion called to pass blanket provision covering all possible situations in the state, 1t might be possible that local cleo ton officials would attempt to prevent women from being admitted as voters. MT. Cole thinks that in such an event there would be no legal way to compel such officials to admit womer, but that they would be liable to criminal prosecu- ton under Section 5508 of the United States revised statutes and to civil acton for damages under Section 1879 of the same statutes.
 Attorney Harrison B. Freeman of Hartford, believes that if such action should be taken by local officials, the prospective voter might obtain an in junction, cast her vote, and take the case to the courts. MT. Freeman said: ''I do not think it at all probable that such a case would occur. Public opin- ion will be so heavily in favor of allow ing the women to vote if the federal amendment is passed that the court will go to any extreme to make this possl- ble"
 It is interesting to note in this con- nection that several cities are already making plans to care for the probable increased vote by asking for appropria- tions to buy more voting machines. New Haven and Hartford are the two largest cities to have taken this step. The question whether school voters will receive the full privileges of cleo ton without re-registration seems to be open to doubt Some lawyers assert that a school voter would automatically become a full voter while others think there might be some question because the qualifications for women voters diff fer slightly from technical point of view, from those for male voters.